#business brokers network

[ctadvise]

The role of a business broker in the sale and purchase of a business

Selling your business is something that most businesses do only once in a lifetime, and business owners consider working with a business broker, an expert in selling businesses, and make sure they maximize the sale price of their business.

A business broker is a company that assists business owners in the purchase and sale of small and large businesses. Their task includes helping companies secure a favorable price, submit paperwork correctly, and fulfil any licensing and permitting requirements.

Business sale consultants work with business brokers when selling your business, and by seeking the help of a business broker, you can learn the basics of the process and avoid making careless mistakes. They can also act as a facilitator for the transaction and make sure that the negotiations go smoothly, the transaction proceeds at the right pace, and the business is ultimately sold with all parties satisfied.

Business sale consultants in Seattle may also reduce your upfront costs of selling the business. The business broker for CTA (Company Transition Advisor) does not require any upfront fees, valuation fees, or monthly administration fees for representation. By providing you with expert advice related to market conditions, we can help you evaluate potential offers to buy your business.

The role of the business broker in Bellevue, WA, is critical, as nothing can happen until a price is established and the business facts are known. Hiring a business broker will work on your behalf to secure the best offer possible for your business. They are skilled negotiators, and they also understand the negotiating process. They also provide you with knowledge and advice to assist in evaluating any offers you receive.

The following are the advantages of using a business broker as a business seller and business owner when selling your business:

Business brokers are looking for businesses to buy, and our marketing and sales efforts are directed at business buyers.

Business brokers for businesses attract more buyers for your business, and business brokers attract more potential buyers that will be exposed to your business.

Business brokers are well trained and experienced at valuing businesses, and they help our sellers set the right asking price for their business.

A business broker is experienced in selling businesses and maintaining confidentiality.

A business broker assists the buyer in obtaining financing and provides skilled negotiating services.

A CTA business broker applies current market knowledge, transactional experience, and the necessary skill set to efficiently facilitate every step of the business sale process and achieve the business's win and sale. Visit us now at https://www.ctadvise.com/.

[mercysought]

[INITIATE] or [AFAR] from apollodoros 👁️

@vinduri . letter prompts or song of achilles . accepting

[ INITIATE ]:     a letter written to the recipient in order to maintain communication between the two while the writer is far away from them.

It comes two days before a small stack of parchments wrapped in cloth with a single pressed Lilly petal. All of those, of course, written in code. It is unlike the first letter, which was left on his desk in his quarters. The package is given to him by a sunburnt girl, who quickly disappears into the crowd not to be seen again.

The first letter is written in plain greek, the handwriting is stable and while it looks different than it would have in the years that Apollodoros would have seen it it is not too different. Whether that was due to an active effort by the original author's part or simple strength of personality, one might never know. It is, however, undeniably beautiful in the consistency of the ink and the simple and yet decorated handwriting.

Dear A.

Imagine my absolute shock when news reached me that you've made your way to Alexandria. I suppose it is still hard for me to imagine you outside of our homeland, as foolish as that might sound. It feels - if you'll allow me the tangent (and the narcissistic need to focus on myself, alas you are not here to stop me) - like the last step to fully close that stage in my life.

I thought I would feel sadder, that perhaps when one day I returned to Sicily I would still see you there unchanged and feel... like perhaps I made a mistake to ever leave it but, truthfully, I felt relieved for you and your future.

I'm sure you will forgive my sentimentality.

I am sending this letter in good faith, and I can almost see you grinning in disbelief at these words even as I write them, but consider my words true. See this letter as an open invitation and an offer for a possible business agreement as you find your place in Alexandria. A package with some truly interesting trinkets, let's call them, from some of my friends and myself will reach you soon.

It would break my heart, truly, if you weren't to put them to good use.

One last thing I shall share in this letter: Rome is a beast unto Itself, roaring, maddeningly beautiful and filled with life. Even now I am at times still stunned at the magnitude of some of the places I have visited. The people I have met. The friends I have made.

I have also met my father and perhaps one day when we meet again - if you'll allow me some sentimentality then - I'll tell you about it.

Do regale me with tales of the wonderful weather and beautiful sights.

M. A.

[stratuspropertygroup]

Atlanta Industrial Realtors

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[iamthepulta]

How competitive was the copper market? Would Ea-Nasir have been one of many sellers of broadly equivalent status all trying to make a buck, like how one town might have six building firms all competing for work, or would he have had a near-monopoly like Starbucks? Would he have been a sole trader who brokered deals between mines and consumers, or would he have managed a warehouse with employees and held stock, etc?

Oh SHIT, I never answered this and it got lost in my drafts! I'm so sorry.

This is a fantastic question! Just to flesh out the picture of the trade in the day: Bronze is an alloy of copper (Cu) with either arsenic (As) or tin (Sn). Arsenic is a common unwanted element in copper deposits, and copper-arsenic-oxide (Cu-As-O) minerals look very similar to plain copper minerals. However, tin (Sn) occurs in very different, rarer, geologic environments, and thus must be sourced from different areas.

Likewise, As-Bronze is less malleable than copper, but not by much; arsenic ions are about the same size. Tin ions form good bronze because they're larger than the copper ions and prevent the metal from freely deforming, so it was prioritized for weapons and tools. Arsenic was used when tin wasn't available.

Ur was known for being one of the best cities for bronzework during the Bronze Age: metalworking services were in high demand, and they were the center of the copper, arsenic, and tin trades. Copper from Oman (or Cyprus, as their industry was developing more at the time), tin from Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, or Turkey, (depending on which archaeologist you talk to), and arsenic from India or Egypt.

So yeah, as a middleman, Ea-Nasir probably had numerous competitors who procured copper from Oman, particularly from the halfway point in Qatar, and then sent it back to Ur. Also referencing the plural translation "-those of the people who travel to Dilmun-", although likely only a few of those merchants were chosen to sell to the temple/government. (But that's speculation. Maybe the temple picked one person a year? Maybe copper tithes meant there was usually supply, and it was only this year during war the temple picked Ea-Nasir to buy from.)

It's also quite possible there were people doing copper business like Ea-Nasir further up the Tigris and Euphrates closer to Cyprus, and there were definitely specialist merchants for arsenic-copper and tin procurement. Once the copper was in the city, his buyers were refiners and metallurgists who made the bronze or copper wares that were purchased/exported throughout the Middle East.

As for employees and stock, I honestly don't know. But from the letters, it sounds like he was stretched rather thin, and he was dealing with buyers' messengers himself. So I wouldn't be surprised (although this is speculation) if it was just him and perhaps a servant/slave of the period to handle things in Ur while he was in Dilmun.

[Image References under the cut]

meme from r/historymemes

Peterson, 2012. Forging Social Networks: Metallurgy and the Politics of Value in Bronze Age Eurasia. The Archaeology of Power and Politics in Eurasia. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139061186.018

Content References within my other Ea-Nasir writeups under iamthepulta: #mining history, or #ea nasir

[delicatebarness]

The Mercenary’s Daughter | Chapter One

Summary: Nick Fowler is tasked with the elimination of a well-protected weapons broked. He learns that the target may be connected to Lloyd Hansen.

Warning: Implied Violence/Assassination | Underground Dealings | Mention of Weapons | Organized Crime | Corruption

Word Count: 685

Support: Ko-FI

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

A/N: The book club read the prologue of Cry Baby back to me today so out of embarrassment, I wrote another chapter of this. - Please feel free to leave feedback or let me know where and how you want the story to continue, this is just as much yours as mine. - B

The Mercenary's Daughter: Let me know if you'd like to be tagged | @soelstress | @that-one-fangirl69

Everything: @hallecarey1 | @pattiemac1 | @uhmellamoanna | @scraftsku35 | @ozwriterchick | @sapphirebarnes | @rach2602 | @thetorturedbuckydepartment | @lanabuckybarnes

Neon and noise filled the city, but Nick Fowler tuned it all out as she stood in the small, dimly lit bar on the edge of town. He hated meeting in a crowded area, but his handler insisted on meeting face-to-face for this mission. Nick wasn’t in the business of asking questions.

The door creaked open, and a man sat on the stool beside him—a middle-aged, cheap-suited, and slight-framed man—Nick’s handler, Elijah. He always had a way of blending into the background. No one would give Elijah a second glance, which was exactly why he was good at what he did. 

“Fowler,” Elijah greeted, placing a thick envelope on the bar with a nod. 

“Clarke,” Nick replied, side-eyeing the envelope. It was always business with the pair, no small talk or pleasantries. 

Sliding the envelope closer, Elijah tapped it once with his finger. “We need someone with your particular skill set. A high-profile target.” 

Nick flipped through the papers inside as he lifted the envelope. His blue gaze scanned the contents. It included a name, blurry surveillance photographs, and a list of recent movements– the standard information. He knew this target was protected, well protected, and heavily involved in the underground dealings overseas. 

“The weapon broker?” Nick asked, his voice flat as he paused on a few details in the file. 

“Among other things,” Elijah replied. “Supplying hardware to the groups we try not to speak of. And, other intel suggests there are plans of a major deal within the next month, and we want to intercept him… discreetly.” 

Already mapping the logistics in his mind, Nick nodded along. “Where is he?”

“France, there’s a private compound in Chantilly. Security is tight– high walls, and heavily armed guards. No one gets in or not without the right level of clearance.”

Nick took a sip of his drink, raising his brow with a smirk. “Sounds like my kind of job.” 

Elijah’s expression remained serious. “Fowler, this isn’t a typical job. A source says the broker is working closely with someone we’ve been watching– Lloyd Hansen.” 

Something shifted in Nick’s expression as he looked up. Lloyd Hansen was a whispered name within their circles and an air of mystery and menace. He was a dangerous man to cross– a former military contractor, rumored to have high-level contacts and a network of operatives. 

“Lloyd’s got a stake in this deal?” Nick asked, intrigued more than ever, now. 

“We aren’t sure for now,” Elijah retorted. “It is reported the broker is close to him. It’s believed that if we can take the broker out, it could disrupt any of Hansen’s plans and force him to make a move.” 

The pieces of the mission slotted into place in his mind as Nick processed the intelligence. He had heard all of the rumors, hundreds of times– the elite soldiers who were trained to move in shadows, their loyalty bound only to him. Most governments could only dream of the kind of network he had created, and Hansen was a master at wielding it like an empire. 

“So I go in, eliminate the broker, and see if Mustache rattles?” Nick questioned, more to himself than Elijah. 

“Exactly,” the man replied, his voice steady. “We hope that if Hansen is invested, he’ll come out of the shadows.” 

Closing the file, and placing it back in the envelope, Nick gave Elijah a brief nod. “Consider it done.” 

“Good.” Elijah narrowed his eyes. “And Fowler– watch your back with this one. Lloyd Hansen is not the kind of man to take such interference lightly.” 

A smile tugged at the corners of Nick’s mouth. “I’m counting on that.” 

Elijah rose, leaving the bar without another word and disappearing into the crowded city. Rubbing his hand down his face, Nick let the weight of the mission settle over him. France, a fortress compound, and a target tired to one of the most dangerous men. The job was risky, there was no denying that. But, that was what made Nick interested.

Pocketing the envelope, the agent finished his drink and slipped out. He had a flight to catch.

---

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Bill Prutt for Slate:

On Jan. 8, 2004, just more than 20 years ago, the first episode of The Apprentice aired. It was called “Meet the Billionaire,” and 18 million people watched. The episodes that followed climbed to roughly 20 million each week. A staggering 28 million viewers tuned in to watch the first season finale. The series won an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, and the Television Critics Association called it one of the best TV shows of the year, alongside The Sopranos and Arrested Development. The series—alongside its bawdy sibling, The Celebrity Apprentice—appeared on NBC in coveted prime-time slots for more than a decade. The Apprentice was an instant success in another way too. It elevated Donald J. Trump from sleazy New York tabloid hustler to respectable household name. In the show, he appeared to demonstrate impeccable business instincts and unparalleled wealth, even though his businesses had barely survived multiple bankruptcies and faced yet another when he was cast. By carefully misleading viewers about Trump—his wealth, his stature, his character, and his intent—the competition reality show set about an American fraud that would balloon beyond its creators’ wildest imaginations.

I should know. I was one of four producers involved in the first two seasons. During that time, I signed an expansive nondisclosure agreement that promised a fine of $5 million and even jail time if I were to ever divulge what actually happened. It expired this year. No one involved in The Apprentice—from the production company or the network, to the cast and crew—was involved in a con with malicious intent. It was a TV show, and it was made for entertainment. I still believe that. But we played fast and loose with the facts, particularly regarding Trump, and if you were one of the 28 million who tuned in, chances are you were conned. As Trump answers for another of his alleged deception schemes in New York and gears up to try to persuade Americans to elect him again, in part thanks to the myth we created, I can finally tell you what making Trump into what he is today looked like from my side. Most days were revealing. Some still haunt me, two decades later. [...]

Now, this is important. The Apprentice is a game show regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. In the 1950s, scandals arose when producers of quiz shows fed answers to likable, ratings-generating contestants while withholding those answers from unlikable but truly knowledgeable players. Any of us involved in The Apprentice swinging the outcome of prize money by telling Trump whom to fire is forbidden. [...]

Trump goes about knocking off every one of the contestants in the boardroom until only two remain. The finalists are Kwame Jackson, a Black broker from Goldman Sachs, and Bill Rancic, a white entrepreneur from Chicago who runs his own cigar business. Trump assigns them each a task devoted to one of his crown-jewel properties. Jackson will oversee a Jessica Simpson benefit concert at Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, while Rancic will oversee a celebrity golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, New York. Viewers need to believe that whatever Trump touches turns to gold. These properties that bear his name are supposed to glitter and gleam. All thanks to him.

Reality is another matter altogether. The lights in the casino’s sign are out. Hong Kong investors actually own the place—Trump merely lends his name. The carpet stinks, and the surroundings for Simpson’s concert are ramshackle at best. We shoot around all that. Both Rancic and Jackson do a round-robin recruitment of former contestants, and Jackson makes the fateful decision to team up with the notorious Omarosa, among others, to help him carry out his final challenge. [...]

Trump will make his decision live on camera months later, so what we are about to film is the setup to that reveal. The race between Jackson and Rancic should seem close, and that’s how we’ll edit the footage. Since we don’t know who’ll be chosen, it must appear close, even if it’s not.

We lay out the virtues and deficiencies of each finalist to Trump in a fair and balanced way, but sensing the moment at hand, Kepcher sort of comes out of herself. She expresses how she observed Jackson at the casino overcoming more obstacles than Rancic, particularly with the way he managed the troublesome Omarosa. Jackson, Kepcher maintains, handled the calamity with grace. “I think Kwame would be a great addition to the organization,” Kepcher says to Trump, who winces while his head bobs around in reaction to what he is hearing and clearly resisting. “Why didn’t he just fire her?” Trump asks, referring to Omarosa. It’s a reasonable question. Given that this the first time we’ve ever been in this situation, none of this is something we expected. “That’s not his job,” Bienstock says to Trump. “That’s yours.” Trump’s head continues to bob. “I don’t think he knew he had the ability to do that,” Kepcher says. Trump winces again.

“Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?” Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson. Bienstock does a half cough, half laugh, and swiftly changes the topic or throws to Ross for his assessment. What happens next I don’t entirely recall. I am still processing what I have just heard. We all are. Only Bienstock knows well enough to keep the train moving. None of us thinks to walk out the door and never return. I still wish I had. (Bienstock and Kepcher didn’t respond to requests for comment.) Afterward, we film the final meeting in the boardroom, where Jackson and Rancic are scrutinized by Trump, who, we already know, favors Rancic. Then we wrap production, pack up, and head home. There is no discussion about what Trump said in the boardroom, about how the damning evidence was caught on tape. Nothing happens.

We attend to our thesis that only the best and brightest deserve a job working for Donald Trump. Luckily, the winner, Bill Rancic, and his rival, Kwame Jackson, come off as capable and confident throughout the season. If for some reason they had not, we would have conveniently left their shortcomings on the cutting room floor. In actuality, both men did deserve to win. Without a doubt, the hardest decisions we faced in postproduction were how to edit together sequences involving Trump. We needed him to sound sharp, dignified, and clear on what he was looking for and not as if he was yelling at people. You see him today: When he reads from a teleprompter, he comes off as loud and stoic. Go to one of his rallies and he’s the off-the-cuff rambler rousing his followers into a frenzy. While filming, he struggled to convey even the most basic items. But as he became more comfortable with filming, Trump made raucous comments he found funny or amusing—some of them misogynistic as well as racist. We cut those comments. Go to one of his rallies today and you can hear many of them.

If you listen carefully, especially to that first episode, you will notice clearly altered dialogue from Trump in both the task delivery and the boardroom. Trump was overwhelmed with remembering the contestants’ names, the way they would ride the elevator back upstairs or down to the street, the mechanics of what he needed to convey. Bienstock instigated additional dialogue recording that came late in the edit phase. We set Trump up in the soundproof boardroom set and fed him lines he would read into a microphone with Bienstock on the phone, directing from L.A. And suddenly Trump knows the names of every one of the contestants and says them while the camera cuts to each of their faces. Wow, you think, how does he remember everyone’s name? While on location, he could barely put a sentence together regarding how a task would work. Listen now, and he speaks directly to what needs to happen while the camera conveniently cuts away to the contestants, who are listening and nodding. He sounds articulate and concise through some editing sleight of hand.

Then comes the note from NBC about the fact that after Trump delivers the task assignment to the contestants, he disappears from the episode after the first act and doesn’t show up again until the next-to-last. That’s too long for the (high-priced) star of the show to be absent. There is a convenient solution. At the top of the second act, right after the task has been assigned but right before the teams embark on their assignment, we insert a sequence with Trump, seated inside his gilded apartment, dispensing a carefully crafted bit of wisdom. He speaks to whatever the theme of each episode is—why someone gets fired or what would lead to a win. The net effect is not only that Trump appears once more in each episode but that he also now seems prophetic in how he just knows the way things will go right or wrong with each individual task. He comes off as all-seeing and all-knowing. We are led to believe that Donald Trump is a natural-born leader.

Through the editorial nudge we provide him, Trump prevails. So much so that NBC asks for more time in the boardroom to appear at the end of all the remaining episodes. (NBC declined to comment for this article.) [... So, we scammed. We swindled. Nobody heard the racist and misogynistic comments or saw the alleged cheating, the bluffing, or his hair taking off in the wind. Those tapes, I’ve come to believe, will never be found.

No one lost their retirement fund or fell on hard times from watching The Apprentice. But Trump rose in stature to the point where he could finally eye a run for the White House, something he had intended to do all the way back in 1998. Along the way, he could now feed his appetite for defrauding the public with various shady practices. In 2005 thousands of students enrolled in what was called Trump University, hoping to gain insight from the Donald and his “handpicked” professors. Each paid as much as $35,000 to listen to some huckster trade on Trump’s name. In a sworn affidavit, salesman Ronald Schnackenberg testified that Trump University was “fraudulent.” The scam swiftly went from online videoconferencing courses to live events held by high-pressure sales professionals whose only job was to persuade attendees to sign up for the course. The sales were for the course “tuition” and had nothing whatsoever to do with real estate investments. A class action suit was filed against Trump.

That same year, Trump was caught bragging to Access Hollywood co-host Billy Bush that he likes to grab married women “by the pussy,” adding, “When you’re a star, they let you do it.” He later tried to recruit porn actor Stormy Daniels for The Apprentice despite her profession and, according to Daniels, had sex with her right after his last son was born. (His alleged attempt to pay off Daniels is, of course, the subject of his recent trial.) In October 2016—a month before the election—the Access Hollywood tapes were released and written off as “locker room banter.” Trump paid Daniels to keep silent about their alleged affair. He paid $25 million to settle the Trump University lawsuit and make it go away. He went on to become the first elected president to possess neither public service nor military experience. And although he lost the popular vote, Trump beat out Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College, winning in the Rust Belt by just 80,000 votes.

Trump has been called the “reality TV president,” and not just because of The Apprentice. The Situation Room, where top advisers gathered, became a place for photo-ops, a bigger, better boardroom. Trump swaggered and cajoled, just as he had on the show. Whom would he listen to? Whom would he fire? Stay tuned. Trump even has his own spinoff, called the House of Representatives, where women hurl racist taunts and body-shame one another with impunity. The State of the Union is basically a cage fight. The demands of public office now include blowhard buffoonery.

Bill Pruitt wrote in Slate that Donald Trump used the N-word on the set of NBC's The Apprentice in 2004 when referring to a Black contestant (Kwame Jackson)'s chances of winning the competition by saying "would America buy a n***er winning?"

This is yet another example of Trump's long record of anti-Black racism that dates back to the 1970s.

[bharv]

Will you maybe share your Lady Vanthampur HC? 👀👉👈

I can't believe I never got to this in my mad Gortweek posting! But she featured or was name checked at least three times.

So I think (?) from the module she has a bathing house over a temple to the cult of the dead three in Heapside. The cult sprung up after the sundering when the worship of the three ceased to be a formal religion - most Mykulites started worshiping Kelemvor, most Banites went to Cyric, and most Bhaalists grew the fuck up did too - but there were small pockets of hangers-on that kept the faith alive. And because she is the master of the Drains and Underways she truly knows the whole network.

And she's pledged to Zariel, which is also interesting! Unlike Gortash who is a business partner and Wyll who is sort of pledged to Zariel by proxy, Thal is a full on fucking devil worshipper for power. Was she part of the brokering of Gortash's initial relationship with Zariel? She almost certainly knew of his connection to the hells, even if I go back-and-forth on her knowing he's the High Imperceptor of Bane.

But my main HC is that she is fucking no-nonsense, absolute wall of a woman, who shares Gortash's absolute distain for the Patriars and is in a race to the top against him. I would have LOVED her fingerprints to be all over BG3, but alas, it wasn't to be. I reckon her and Helsik regularly share a tipple, that she knows everything about the Bhaalists, whom she works closely with, and that if there's one thing she hates more than ridiculous snobbery... it's a bloody law-man like Ulder.

[sablegear0]

Kinda fucked up stuff nobody talks about in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

1) Dark Samus is capable of individual spaceflight. This is implied in the bonus end cutscene of Echoes, but confirmed in the Pirate Data in Corruption. At one point she leaves the Pirate battleship Colossus and just... goes to Phaaze? On her own? The log mentions she is gone for a long time, but AU 242 states that Phaaze is too far away for even conventional warp travel - this implies Dark Samus is also capable of either a HUGE warp factor (unlikely) or can create similar, but probably much smaller-scale wormholes to the Leviathans (more likely, but still very scary).

1a) Dark Samus’s psionic influence is strong enough to reach out to Samus all the way from the Pirate Homeworld (where she appears emerging from stasis in the very first intro cutscene) even before Samus is corrupted. There’s loose implication throughout the series that Samus is psionic-sensitive but not really capable of communication on her own, but we get confirmation that Dark Samus becomes a (powerful) telepath in the Pirate Data in Corruption.

2) The Galactic Federation are extracting fuel gel from Bryyo in the midst of an ongoing tribal war. A huge philosophical and societal schism tore Bryyo apart, literally and figuratively - the Lords of Science and Primalists battled for control of the planet and their war scorched the environment, leaving only a small habitable band around the equator. And the GF are just casually extracting resources from this planet, which nominally is still home to a population of sentients. According to the Bryyo Data logs, by the present time the Primalists have become “as savage as the predator beasts of the wild” but they’re obviously still capable of organization and tool use so they’re not animals. And this has been going on for a while, Federation data notes that Bryyo was discovered about a decade ago. It’s possible they made some initial efforts to keep peace and broker the establishment of their extraction sites, but no such negotiations or any relationship between the Reptilicus and the Federation are discussed in any scans as far as I can find.

3) Samus missed direct contact with the Elysians, a mechanical race created by the Chozo, by two weeks. Some quick math yields that the Federation came to Elysia about 15 years ago and brokered peace with the Elysian mechanoids, and Elysian logs mention watching the Phazon Crisis in real time: seeing a Leviathan strike a planet (either Urtraghus or Aether, probably the former) about 5 months before the game’s events, another leviathan striking their own planet only a month before, and a specific callout to the two week period after impact before Ghor appeared and was subsequently corrupted. The logs are written by an Elysian who has accepted their destruction either by phazon corruption or at the hands of the Pirates. We don’t know if there are any surviving Elysians still in stasis.

4) There are, according to scans and one of the Metroid Prime 3 promo trailers, thousands of Aurora Units in existence, all produced within the last 20 years. The highest number mentioned in canon is in Corruption, AU 486, which is credited with terraforming the planet Norion; an incredible technological undertaking. (Given that there are so many but we only have numbers up to the 400s, it’s possible that the more “civilian” units, those mentioned to be in government and business, might have a separate numbering scheme, or go by other names/designations.) AUs are huge and hyperintelligent synthetic organisms, but we don’t know what they’re grown from, or where, or how they are instructed and socialized. It’s also loosely implied (at least to my reading, and by several close associations with the Chozo-made Mother Brain) that the Aurora network hinges on their psionic as well as digital capabilities, hence 313′s ability to interface with Phaaze with minimal additional hardware.

4a) Assuming the Aurora network became corrupted remotely, this implies that the “virulent strain of phazon” that is responsible can be transmitted digitally, or possibly manifested psionically, in a target. Essentially, being in network-contact with AU 313 may have caused other Auroras to essentially psychosomatically infect themselves, with no transfer of actual physical phazon material.

[magnolia-sunrise]

a few oc asksss!

10,15 for wolf and bastien maybe?

20 for wolf?

16,17 for thorne , if its not too many!! (these are fun questions/prompts)

getting to these a bit late--- thank you sm! <3 i will skip some a bit to keep this shorter

OC ask meme here

10. Is your OC sentimental or pragmatic? Do they keep mementos or only what they need to survive? Have they always been this way or did something happen to make them change?

i've talked about Wolf's sentimentality and emphasis on memory other times, so let's talk Bastien. he tends more towards pragmatic - largely because that's the cards they've been dealt in life. moving to the city with not much to his name to study medicine, losing even that little when they dropped out, stepping into a life of lavish comfort but all of it is owned by Matteo-- he doesn't really tend to be sentimental because he has nothing to hold onto. his beat up truck and the clinic is one of the things that feels like fully *theirs* and even that is something Bastien only realizes on the cusp of losing it. even their room upstairs in the clinic building is pretty barebones, only the basics. i think he definitely changes after Wolfgang's murder and that whole period of time, he really re-evaluates a lot of his life and starts holding onto even small things more (like the one sleeveless tee that Wolf steals from him becomes really precious)

15. What places hold significant meaning or memories for your OC? Do they have a positive or negative association with those places?

switching to Wolfgang - i think the big one for them is the yet-unnamed city itself. so much of strife of their lives is tied to it and the games and politics and violence within the walls of it. so many memories. and so much love. one place they really painfully miss once the story moves them on the road, is a hill a bit out of the city with a nice view of it. they would go there at night when they needed to sort out their feelings or thoughts about a case

20. Has your OC ever done something terrible and lied about it? Did they run away or blame someone else for it? How long did they maintain the lie and did the truth ever come out? for Wolfgang

details of their backstory might come up eventually in other ways so i will just say yes, and its a big point of shame and guilt and they run from it all their life

16. How does your OC make money? Do they have a respectible profession or work a series of odd jobs? Are they a criminal? Or do they get creative in the pursuit of coin?

Thorne - she is an information broker. she actually financially deals in valuable information of various levels be it pharmaceutical trade secrets, information about whereabouts of highly private and secure individals, government secrets and the like. she buys and sells information to the highest bidder (allegedly) no matter their allegiances.

this is in fact criminal behavior that puts peoples lives in danger but let a woman have hobbies etc

17. Does your OC have an enemy? What happened between them? Is it mutual or one-sided? Is it petty or serious? Is one party seeking revenge? Does one person want the other dead or are they content to hate them from afar? 

by the nature of her work she makes a lot of enemies, and a lot of powerful allies. Thorne and Wolfgang have a very uh.. strained, business relationship as they suspect her dealings caught them in the crossfire and got them captured, tortured and almost killed cca 8 yrs ago.

they're not outright enemies, because Wolf needs her info and her network, but they sure are not on good terms. Thorne was unavailable for comment about the situation

[aboxthecolourofheartache]

☔ for the wip asks!

*cracking my knuckles* right, so.

There is, in the recesses of my mind, a Nirvana in Fire fic that I will probably never write but it is perpetual daydream material. It's too far removed from the source material and relies far too much on personal headcanon. (I am aware I wrote/am still planning to finish - EVENTUALLY - a 100k+ fic in which Lin Chen is a magical fox spirit that involves dragon politics, which is basically nothing BUT divergence from canon, so "too far removed from the source material" sounds like a lame excuse, I know, I know D': )

Also, you don't Nirvana in Fire, but you asked for the Conceptual Thing!! ^^;; The story would follow Mei Changsu and Lin Chen around the jianghu in the years prior to Mei Changsu's return to the capitol/culmination of his plans. They haven't known each other for 13 years, yet. They don't fully understand each other - yet. They haven't quite gotten to "having you is better than having ten doctors."

It would be a series of vignettes capturing moments when they start to realize that they've finally found another person who can keep up with them. We see Mei Changsu beginning to grasp how much ruthless intelligence and martial skill Lin Chen hides. Meanwhile, Lin Chen grows to admire and trust Mei Changsu's conscience, that he means what he says about justice, stewardship, and equity.

There are martial arts showdowns in bamboo forests, brutal decisions made about information brokering/management of intelligence networks, efficient and compassionate deployment of a growing jianghu sect as disaster relief, and clever uses of the legal system to oust corrupt provincial officials. There is also at least one "unfortunately, my doctor is kind of hot when he's covered in someone else's blood" moment and several "my father knew exactly what he was doing when he tasked me to babysit this very pretty, eloquent, and persuasive idealist, fuck my life" moments. Exactly zero romantic or sexual tension is resolved because they are too busy being insufferable sapiosexuals and aesthetic appreciators. Also I just don't like writing romantic or sexual resolutions. Not my cup of tea.

I just...don't know enough about the genre, culture, or history to write any of it in a way that doesn't feel like stepping way the hell out of my lane and going 50mph down the freeway against traffic? Yes, I could certainly study up! Perhaps there will be a day when I think I might have enough of a grasp to attempt it! The premise for the fox fic has a fuck-off massive bibliography, and I still put my foot in it constantly and get nervous about the whole damn thing. Hence the reason it is taking me. Literal years. I am so sorry.

So, in the meantime, the jianghu adventures fic is daydream fuel that will remain in my brain.

[subliminalbo]

Minds of Romero #1: Madam Sonya

Once an aspiring business major, Sonya Serrano caught the interest of Mina Carpenter after accepting an internship within the office of recruiting at Carpenter State. At first, Sonya thought her invitation to dinner with Mina was a great opportunity to network. Mina had her hands in several business ventures around town and her name alone could get Sonya an interview with any one of them. But Sonya quickly learned that Mina had a specific business in mind for her: an offer she literally couldn't refuse.

Marjorie's is an open secret around Romero, an institution even. Though on its surface a gentleman's club, for decades the women of Marjorie's have serviced their guests, male and female alike, in the club's private VIP rooms. As its new madam, Sonya would be in charge of recruiting, training, and managing her stable of girls. Turnover tends to be high, but that's expected from a largely student base of employees—women looking for short-term work to cover living expenses during the school year. Though Sonya had her objections to running a brothel, Mina found her mind as pliable as any other's. By the end of their dinner, Sonya had sworn her mind, body, and soul to her new Mistress and happily accepted the job.

Imbued with Mina Carpenter's powers, Sonya has the ability to shape minds to her liking. This is a useful skill when recruiting and dealing with stubborn cops. The energy produced in Marjorie's in just one week is enough to keep Mina young for half a century, but Sonya plays an important role for Mina as one of her primary brokers of information. Marjorie's has several powerful regulars from city councilmen to notable business leaders. Word is that Sonya herself is a personal favorite of Dean Pierce's. With the information that Sonya cultivates from her guests, Mina holds Romero in the palm of her hand.

[power-chords]

Wait did I miss something, what is it you think is going on with Nate in the Heat book?

It’s not just the book! Even in the film, Mann has put him in a position that should render him intrinsically suspect: he’s a broker who trades exclusively in information and who appears to be the sole mediator of access to that information. When Neil and his crew pull off a successful score, he gets a cut of the proceeds. (From his phone conversation with Van Zant: “Because there’s no percentage in everybody getting their underwear in a twist,” emphasis mine.) He does not accompany Neil or his crew and is therefore not at any immediate risk of injury, death, or incarceration on the job; nor does he share in any of the physical labor involved. By definition, this makes him a manager, and judging from his interactions with the rest of the active “players,” he’s upper management. His role is analogous to that of a capital investor who assumes some measure of financial risk but is able to foist the mortal kind off on somebody else. The book makes it clear that he’s dialed in to some extensive international shadow-market of underworld buyers and sellers. Other than that, we know next to nothing about him or how he leveraged access to that network. According to Chris, Nate taught Neil “everything he knows.” Presuming this is true – and I would not put it past Nate to strategically withhold information, or tailor it for a particular audience – already we can infer an asymmetry of knowledge in that relationship.

I’m not suggesting that Nate is secretly malicious in the way that, say, Waingro is or Wardell is (though with the way the novel sows all that golem* subtext, one has to wonder whether Nate is in some part responsible for them). On the contrary – I think he genuinely cares about Neil and believes he is acting in Neil’s best long-term business interests. Which are, conveniently, aligned with his own best interests. After all, Neil is worth more to him alive than dead, and continuing to take on high-payout, low-exposure scores for which he will continue to charge his finder’s fee. At the end of the day, he’s still looking out for number one and his bottom line. And that includes maintaining his monopoly on intel. Whatever he tells Neil and Chris, and by extension the audience/reader, is only a small fraction of what he knows. So I love him, but I don't trust him!

*Waingro is really the more golem-like of the two. Given his name and a bunch of other textual clues, I am now leaning toward a reading of Wardell as some type of nasty biblical angel, who may or may not be an embodied projection of Vincent’s repressed guilt/longing/jealousy/self-hatred. Metatron through the looking-glass, darkly.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables TOMORROW (Jan 22) at 8PM. Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28) for my book-talk after the first one sold out - book now!

#20yrsago RIP, Whole Earth Review https://web.archive.org/web/20040202031838/https://www.worldchanging.com/archives/000338.html

#15yrsago Media helped create the financial meltdown https://web.archive.org/web/20090125204013/http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/23/the_medias_role_in_the_financial_crisis/

#10yrsago Ukraine government sends text to protesters: “Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance” https://memex.craphound.com/2014/01/23/ukraine-government-sends-text-to-protesters-dear-subscriber-you-are-registered-as-a-participant-in-a-mass-disturbance/

#10yrsago What Makes Jo Walton So Great https://www.tor.com/2014/01/21/what-makes-jo-walton-so-great/

#5yrsago After Net Neutrality repeal, Comcast, Charter and Verizon cut investment in their networks https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/01/sorry-ajit-comcast-lowered-cable-investment-despite-net-neutrality-repeal/

#5yrsago Data-broker implicated in bounty-hunters’ access to mobile location data lobbied FCC to fight consent for sharing location data https://www.vice.com/en/article/vbwgw8/zumigo-phone-location-data-sold-lobbied-fcc-consent

#5yrsago Limits to trickle-down: Trump’s tax-cut “boom” fizzles https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/business/investment-boom-tax-cuts-economy/index.html

#5yrsago Corporate America projects giant profits from climate disasters https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-22/muggy-disney-parks-downed-at-t-towers-firms-tally-climate-risk

#5yrsago After six days, LA teachers settle their strike, wringing huge concessions out of the school district https://jacobin.com/2019/01/la-teachers-strike-contract-arlene-inouye/

#5yrsago Winners Take All: the Davos Edition (how elites launder looting with phoney philanthropy) https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/22/the-new-elites-phoney-crusade-to-save-the-world-without-changing-anything

#5yrsago How a political outsider’s fundraising tool is helping insurgent, working-class Dems mount primary challenges and campaigns https://theintercept.com/2019/01/23/grassroots-analytics-campaign-donations/

#1yrago Eggflation is just more price-gouging https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/23/cant-make-an-omelet/#keep-calm-and-crack-on

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

[beardedmrbean]

July 16 (UPI) -- In a continued crackdown on Mexico's drug cartels, the Treasury Department announced Tuesday it placed sanctions on four Mexican companies and three Mexican nationals allegedly tied to fraudulent timeshare activity used against American citizens and linked to the notorious Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.

"Cartel fraudsters run sophisticated teams of professionals who seem perfectly normal on paper or on the phone -- but in reality, they're money launderers expertly trained in scamming U.S. citizens," Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said Tuesday in a news release.

The department's office of Foreign Assets Control alleges the four Mexican companies and three Mexican civilian accountants were directly or indirectly tied to timeshare fraud lead by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or styled in English as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The criminal organization operates call centers in Mexico with scammers impersonating U.S.-based third-party timeshare brokers, attorneys or sales representatives, the U.S. government contends.

And about 6,000 U.S. citizens reported losing nearly $300 million from 2019 to 2023 via Mexican timeshare fraud crimes by targeting American timeshare owners often in various or complex ways in years-long schemes, according to the FBI, adding that totals what they can track legally as unreported crimes keep on.

Treasury points at four companies in Mexico: Constructora Sandgris, Pacific Axis Real Estate, Realty & Maintenance BJ and Bona Fide Consultores, which the department claims were the front companies doing business on behalf of those linked to Mexican drug cartel.

Nelson says unsolicited calls and emails may look legitimate but actually are made by cartel-backed criminals.

The Treasury claims the thee Puerto Vallarta-based accountants -- Griselda Margarita Arredondo, Xeyda Del Refugio Foubert and Emiliano Sanchez -- had family ties to individuals already cartel-linked and had allegedly aided in fraudulent activities to steal from U.S. citizens.

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is," Nelson said.

The scam begins when a timeshare owner receives an offer to purchase their property, according to an attorney.

"They call you up and tell you that they have a buyer for your timeshare," Michael Finn of Florida's Finn Law Group, told ABC News. "They will send you documents that look real and tell you that you need to pay taxes before you can get your payment."

The Treasury Department and its partners are taking steps to deploy all available tools "to disrupt this nefarious activity, which funds things like deadly drug trafficking and human smuggling," said Nelson.

Five years ago in 2018 Treasury sanctioned two men it claimed laundered money and ran an international prostitution ring for the cartel.

The transnational CJNG, a violent Jalisco, Mexico-based organized crime syndicate, is known to traffic the large part of illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs which typically enter via the southern U.S. border, having gone so far as to threaten Mexican journalists it views as giving the CJNG "unfair" news coverage.

And it uses illegal proceeds, like from its timeshare fraud schemes, to diversify its already-illicit revenue streams in order to keep financing other criminal activities, including the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, according to the federal government's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Police seizure of illicit fentanyl pills have skyrocketed in recent years, a new study found. And pills represented 49% of illicit fentanyl seizures in 2023, compared to 10% in 2017.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection in April launched "Operation Plaza Strike" as an offensive targeting Mexican drug cartels to disrupt the flow of fentanyl and ingredients used to make the synthetic opioid that has become a leading death of young Americans.

However, this is not the first time the CJNG has been accused by the U.S. of similar crimes. Last year in March, the Biden Treasury placed similar sanction on eight other Mexican companies it alleged had took part in a similar timeshare fraud scheme on behalf of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generation.

Even at the time a Treasury official pointed to how in select Mexican tourist destinations the CJNG had already become by that point "heavily engaged" in timeshare fraud in places like Puerto Vallarta where it had gained a strategic foothold.

Last year, the U.S. claimed the accused cartel-backed companies had extracted money from victims by making unsolicited offers to buy their timeshares, and when victims accepted offers, Mexican scammers requested fictitious fees and taxes under the pretense they would facilitate the sale and give reimbursed money after closing.

[teaforthotxxx]

My marauders post-hogwarts career HC is:

(Gryffindor Edition)

James becomes a professional quidditch player. He’s a legend at Hogwarts and almost every student (YES! Even slytherins because he’s married to one) absolutely adores him. He still comes back to Hogwarts every once in a while just to scout for prospective recruits (and check up on his family) and hosts a quidditch mini-league every year. He loves to shout out his friends and his son (Harry hates this because he gets embarrassed). He also comes back to Hogwarts to make sure Regulus isn’t overworking himself and occasionally sneaks a prank or two at Snape (even though Reg and Remus will chastise him after).

Remus is obviously DADA professor. However, he doesn’t live on campus. Instead, he has a cottage that he bought near Hogsmeade. He spends his weekends there making tea and hanging out with Sirius. They have a portkey to the forbidden forest where they spend full moons with the rest of the marauders. He is also working in a dissertation about wolfsbane and how to make it more readily available. He also looks out for students being picked on and maybe not so secretly implies a prank idea or two. When he started teaching, the first thing he did was look for the confiscated Marauders map in Filch’s cupboard (HE WANTED IT BACK HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON IT) but realised it was missing. It didn’t take long though for him to realise that it was in the crafty hands of Fred and George Weasley. He couldn’t wait to tell the other the other three marauders when he found out!!

Sirius is a philanthropist explorer who goes around supporting new medicine and exploring new unique places. He probably turned grimmauld house into a orphanage (specialising in helping werewolf children and muggleborns). It may seem like he has a flexible schedule but his job keeps him really busy and he never knows when his next break is. So, he is always stumbling into Remus’ cottage at random times or making surprise visits to Hogwarts. When he’s there, he brokers deals with Dumbledore to allow more werewolf students in. He even renovated the shrieking shack so its more comfortable for them during the full.

Peter (he was a triple spy for the order! He had to because Voldemort was threatening his already sick mother) grew out of his shell more and became the head of publishing at the Prophet. Since he was such a gossip in school, he came into the job with a pre-existing network of information. It doesn’t hurt that his besties are all war heroes. When the war ended and he realised that people were picking on young deatheaters (those forced into the cause by their parents), he was the only newspaper brave enough to publish an exclusive with war heroes Regulus Black and Evan Rosier about how family can shape your choices and how to break out of it. Of course, he is also the only one that can get Sirius Black to sit down for an interview (no one realises these articles always suspiciously get published after a full moon aka the only time Peter can get Sirius to SIT THE FUCK DOWN). He

As the one who sent the finishing blow to the Dark Lord, Lily BAMF Evans was immediately indicted into the Auror Hall of Fame. She has since risen up the ranks and is basically Moody’s second in command. She was originally apprehensive about taking on such a challenging job so close after the war (esp cause her son was still a baby) but was convinced by Mary (her then Fiancee now wife). And, even then, she only said yes because Harry’s other parents: Mary (a model), Regulus (a potions teacher) and James (a quidditch player) had large chunks of the year off and would be able to take care of him. She is campaigning for more muggle borns to be allowed into Auror training (since most of them are still purebloods) and has been working hard with Regulus to make appeals to the Wizengmot.

No one was surprised that Marlene Mckinnon became a professional Quidditch player too. But everyone was shocked when they found out that she purposefully picked a different team from Potter! It had something to do with the fact that she always wanted to properly play against him but never had the chance to. But, also she picked her team because it was her wife, Dorcas’, favourite team! She loves taunting James because she happens to be in Reg’s favourite team (and well, Regulus sits with Dorcas in her stands during their games). As a proud Gryffindor, she still likes to dunk on Slytherins (esp when she is near the Slytherin Skittles) and makes a show of only hugging “the only bearable one” Pandora. Everyone just rolls their eyes because not only did she marry the Slytherin Head Girl, she was also the first to propose (she did it half an hour after Lily vanquished the dark lord and she was still in bandages).

[sunbeltcanada]

How to Sell Your Software Company: A Step-by-Step Guide

Selling your software company is a major milestone that requires careful planning and understanding of the process. Whether you're looking to exit the industry, retire, or pursue other ventures, knowing what to expect can help you navigate the sale smoothly and achieve a successful outcome. In this guide, we’ll answer the most common questions about selling a software company, providing clear insights to help you through each stage.

1. What are the key steps to prepare my software company for sale?

Before listing your company for sale, it’s crucial to get your business in the best shape possible to attract buyers. Key steps include:

Organizing Financial Records: Ensure your profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and tax returns are up to date and accurate. Buyers will want to see at least 3 years of clean financial records.

Evaluating Growth Potential: Highlight future opportunities for growth, such as new markets, product developments, or untapped revenue streams.

Securing Intellectual Property: Ensure that all software, patents, and trademarks are properly documented and legally protected.

Stabilizing the Business: Make sure the company is running smoothly, with a solid customer base, strong recurring revenue, and efficient operations.

By taking these steps, you’ll increase your company’s attractiveness to potential buyers and ensure a smoother sale process.

2. How do I determine the value of my software company?

Valuing a software company involves looking at several factors, including:

Revenue and Profit Margins: Buyers will focus on your annual revenue, profit margins, and how consistent your earnings are. Recurring revenue from subscription models or long-term contracts will be highly valued.

Customer Base: A large, loyal customer base with low churn rates adds value to the business.

Growth Potential: Buyers will assess the company’s potential for future growth, such as new product lines or expansion into new markets.

Intellectual Property: Software companies with proprietary technology, patents, or other unique intellectual property are generally more valuable.

It’s recommended to have a professional business valuation expert assess your company to ensure you get an accurate figure.

3. What types of buyers are interested in acquiring a software company?

There are typically three main types of buyers for software companies:

Strategic Buyers: These buyers are often larger companies looking to acquire your software to complement or enhance their existing offerings. They are likely to pay a premium if they see strong synergies.

Private Equity Firms: These firms look for software companies with stable earnings and growth potential. Their goal is to improve the company’s value and sell it for a higher price in the future.

Individual Investors: Entrepreneurs or investors who are looking to enter the software industry may be interested in smaller, profitable software companies.

Understanding the type of buyer you want to attract will help you tailor your marketing and sales strategy.

4. Where can I find potential buyers for my software company?

Finding the right buyer requires a mix of industry connections and professional assistance. Here are some ways to identify potential buyers:

Work with a Business Broker: Business brokers specialize in helping you find qualified buyers. They can also assist with negotiations and the overall sale process.

Leverage Industry Networks: Attend conferences, events, or join industry groups where you can connect with potential buyers who are already interested in the software space.

Use Online Business Marketplaces: Websites and platforms dedicated to business sales are a great way to reach a wider audience of potential buyers.

A business broker can be particularly helpful in ensuring that you find serious buyers and avoid wasting time on non-committed parties.

5. What legal and financial documents do I need to prepare before selling?

Before the sale process begins, you’ll need to organize several important documents:

Financial Statements: Ensure your profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and tax returns are well-prepared and accurate.

Intellectual Property Documentation: Make sure any patents, trademarks, and software licenses are in order and ready for transfer.

Contracts and Agreements: Review and prepare any contracts with customers, vendors, and employees to ensure they can be easily transferred to the new owner.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA): Protect sensitive business information by having potential buyers sign an NDA before sharing detailed company data.

Being well-prepared will make the due diligence process faster and give potential buyers more confidence in the deal.

6. How long does it take to sell a software company?

The timeline for selling a software company can vary, but it generally takes 6 to 12 months. Here’s what the process typically involves:

Preparation Phase: This involves organizing financials, securing intellectual property, and making sure the business is operating smoothly. This phase can take several months.

Finding a Buyer: Depending on your approach and the market, it could take a few months to find the right buyer.

Due Diligence and Negotiation: Once a buyer is interested, the due diligence process can take several weeks or even months as they review your financials, legal documents, and business operations.

Being patient and prepared for each phase will help ensure a smooth sale.

7. How do I negotiate a fair deal when selling my software company?

Negotiating a fair deal requires both preparation and strategy. Here are some tips:

Set Your Bottom Line: Know the minimum price you are willing to accept before entering negotiations.

Highlight the Value: Make sure to emphasize the company’s growth potential, profitability, and strong customer base during negotiations.

Consider Earn-Out Agreements: An earn-out is a payment structure where part of the sale price depends on the future performance of the company. This can be beneficial if your company’s growth potential is strong.

It’s a good idea to work with a lawyer or broker during negotiations to ensure you get the best possible terms.

8. What happens after the sale of my software company?

After the sale, there’s often a transition period where you continue to work with the buyer to ensure a smooth handover. This might involve training the new owner, introducing them to key customers, or helping with daily operations. The transition period can last anywhere from a few months to a year, depending on the agreement.

Additionally, make sure to consult with a tax advisor to understand the tax implications of the sale and how to manage the proceeds from the sale effectively.

Selling a software company is a complex process that involves preparation, valuation, marketing, and negotiation. By understanding the key steps and having the right documentation and support in place, you can ensure a successful sale that meets your financial and personal goals. Whether you’re looking to sell now or just preparing for the future, the insights provided in this guide will help you navigate the process with confidence.