John Carvalho
President, Divestopedia Inc.
John is president and founder of Stone Oak Capital Inc., an M&A advisory firm. For more than 20 years, John has served his clients on numerous valuation, acquisition and divestiture assignments in a wide variety of industries. John holds the Corporate Finance designation, is a Chartered Business Valuator and a Chartered Accountant.
Selling your business? Let multiple buyers court you. Be choosy, but don't shy away from those initial conversations with each one. You never know where your best match...
In many cases, the sellers of a business (and even their intermediaries) have no idea how buyers finance an acquisition, but a closer look inside can show a business...
You've heard the crazy statistics...90% of business owners don't have an exit plan. Well here are three simple areas to start thinking about that inevitable da
Investment bankers conduct a comprehensive review of historical numbers to show a company in the best financial position possible when it's up for sale. Learn the most...
The secret ingredient to a successful exit from your business isn't a secret...it's knowledge! Learn as much as you can to ensure you divest with success.
If you've ever thought about selling your business, you've probably thought about how you should do that. Do you sell to your biggest competitor? To investors? Here are...
Determining the value of your business is the starting point to building value. Here’s how to set up a simple valuation template in excel.
In the hopes of helping business owners through these tough circumstances, we have built a weekly cash flow tool in excel. We'll walk you through the steps and thought...
Think running and business have nothing in common? Think again. Here are five things I learned from running that can help you build a more valuable business.
There are five key factors that should influence your decision when you're considering an investment bank for your business. Finding the right fit insures both parties...
It's important to consider how your EBITDA will impact your valuation. These basic accounting policies can help you get the results you're looking for when it comes time...
Complete with examples, see how return on equity is calculated and how you can make it work for your business. You should understand the implications of not reaching...
It can be hard to focus on increasing the value of your business if you have no immediate intention of selling, but putting the work in ahead of time can ensure that...
One of the most common criticisms against investment bankers is the accusation that their only motivation is to get a deal done at all costs. Find out why those...
Pulling from some music industry greats of our time, here are great lyrical insights on increasing your valuation and successfully selling your business.
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What exit option is better for you, a financial or strategic buyer? This short article shares Stephen Shaw's key takeaways from his white paper on the subject.
Every deal has its own unique challenges, but just about every successful deal has three key elements in common. Find out what they are here.
Business owners come up with all kinds of stories to support an unrealistically high value for their business. The problem is, most of these tales are pure fantasy.
What witchcraft is this? Let us share three magic tricks to get you the valuation your company deserves.
Having a proper understanding of the value of your company - despite the fact that banks, shareholders and government agencies never ask what your company is worth - is...
Have you calculated your working capital recently? You may be surprised by what it can tell you and the impact it can have on your purchase price at time of sale.
Want to create value and wealth in your business? These key concepts explain exactly how to do it.
When you get to the point in your life where you are thinking about selling your business, take a look at private equity recaps as a way to get a second exit from your...
The internet has radically transformed numerous industries including music, publishing and retail. Middle market M&A has been slow to adopt efficiencies that online...
Selling your business is a one-time event. Hiring someone who has facilitated many business sales is the best way to get the best bang for your buck. Here is how the...
There are many ways to do a business valuation, but is it the right one? For most buyers, there's only one business valuation that matters: theirs. Learn how to tailor...
When selling your business, you will inevitably be asked the question: Why are you selling your business? You and your team need to have a solid and consistent answer to...
A mezzanine structure allows an acquirer to reduce the cost of capital and boost returns on equity.
Making sure that your sensitive information is kept secret during the sales process is important, but so is ensuring that those bidding for your business have an idea of...
The use of these 10 buzzwords is music to private equity investors' ears. Just be sure to back them up with facts.
Business owner sometimes have lofty expectations on the value of their companies. Here are reasons why these expectations might not be achievable.
Understanding the value of your business is important, but even more important is determining the amount of cash that will land in your bank account after the sale of...
Want to impress prospective buyers? A competitive analysis will do just that and may even improve your business along the way.
Understand the basic financing structures used in the sale and acquisition of a lower mid-market business.
The best companies can't always be compared to their peers. That's where the best of breed strategy comes in. Find out how it's used in IPOs - and how those lessons can...
Business owners often have all their wealth tied up in their business. But diversifying doesn't have to involve selling - or even giving up control.
Empire builders have the desire, capability and charisma to build $100M+ companies. For those that have the risk appetite to take on such dedicated acquisition programs,...
Advisors who are in the trenches everyday working to get deals across the finish line provide us with their perspective on why deals fall apart.
Not all deals come together. In part 2 of this series, we provide the perspective of four more private equiteers on the reasons why most deals fail.
Not all deals come together. In part 1 of this series, we provide the perspective of four private equiteers on the reasons why most deals fail.
I am of the opinion that in order to maximize value in the sale of a mid-market business, a widely-marketed sale process should be...
There are plenty of articles answering the question: how long does it take to sell a business? The typical response is that it takes about...
Receiving consideration other than cash is not uncommon. In fact, it is very rare that vendors receive all cash for their business....
