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When you're starting a business, where do you go to get the help, advice and tools you need? There are plenty of resources out there -- so many, in fact, that you might have trouble sorting through them all. Entrepreneur Magazine cut through the clutter to select 25 essential resources for startup small-business owners and BizBuySell was #5!

As a trusted business advisor, your clients count on you to help with the major transition periods of their business life. Perhaps the most important of these will be the sale of their business. When it comes time for your client to retire or to exit their business, they'll be coming to you for advice. In order to prepare for that time, it's important to have a sound understanding of the complexities of the sales process, and how you can most effectively help your client successfully navigate this challenging transition.

As with most economic news of late, there are mixed signals right now in the business-for-sale marketplace. Some folks say now is great time to sell - or, at a minimum that the market is better than it has been over the last two years - while others disagree. Where can a business owner turn to get clear direction? Since the dartboard has been used famously for picking publicly traded stocks, let's ask the Magic 8 Ball a few questions about selling a small business.

More than three out of four (76%) of business brokers say 2011 will be a good year for owners who want to sell their companies, according to a new survey from BizBuySell.com, a national website for buying or selling businesses. Most, 69%, say the improved climate for business sales is due to the recovering economy, the survey says.

How many business brokers will tell you that now is a bad time to sell your business? If you guessed zero, you guessed wrong. In fact, nearly one in four brokers surveyed by online marketplace BizBuySell.com in February said 2011 would probably not be much better than last year for business sales.

Some 77% of business brokers say 2011 will be a good year to sell a business, according to a survey released last week from BizBuySell.com, an Internet marketplace for buying and selling small firms. This isn't a surprising statistic given that brokers have a vested interest in the marketplace.

According to the BizBuySell.com Insight Report, the number of closed business-for-sale transactions in the United States rose by 3 percent in 2010. What does this mean for lube operators who might be looking to sell their businesses or acquire more facilities?

To be sure, running a business is hard work. But, these days, selling one for a profit may be even tougher. According to BizBuySell, an online business-for-sale marketplace, for the full year 2010, across the U.S., the median sale price for businesses was down 6.3 percent from a year ago. The number of businesses sold nationally reported to BizBuySell was 4,568, up 2.9 percent compared to 2009.

Deals are bouncing back among buyers and sellers of Main Street businesses. Last year transactions climbed 3 percent, vs. a 28 percent drop in 2009. Prices, however, continued to fall.

For a number of small business owners who may be ready to sell their companies, the past few years have been a time to cut unnecessary expenses, make ends meet and to patiently wait for the market to rebound. There simply was no use in trying to sell the business when company revenues and profits were down. Low purchase-price valuations only made matters worse.

For a number of small business owners who may be ready to sell their companies, the past few years have been a time to cut unnecessary expenses, make ends meet and to patiently wait for the market to rebound. There simply was no use in trying to sell the business when company revenues and profits were down. Low purchase-price valuations only made matters worse.

BizBuySell.com has released its Q4 2010 data on what small businesses are selling for in the Chicago area.

Entrepreneurs trying to sell their businesses seem to have had an easier time of it last year, although they may not have gotten the price they wanted.

BizBuySell.com ? one of the most popular online sources of small-business for-sale listings ? has released its Fourth Quarter 2010 Insight Report, showing a return to realism by sellers at the end of 2010, and some promising indicators for improvement in the overall marketplace in the coming year.
BizBuySell is the Internet's largest and most heavily trafficked business for sale marketplace, with more business for sale listings, more unique users, and more search activity than any other service.