Welcome to December!

If your business is in the retail or hospitality sector, this is where the real work starts. If not, then this is a rare opportunity to perhaps wind down or take a break. For most of us though, there’s still a mad rush for at least the next couple of weeks before the festivities begin.

In case you missed it in our last newsletter, we wrote on how we think founders should tackle the December break. You can read it here.

If you’ve already enjoyed that article, then don’t worry. We aren’t on holiday yet. In fact, this mailer is full of great new stuff for you to enjoy.

When we engage with our clients who come to us for valuations, the conversation inevitably take a strategic turn. After all, this is their life’s work and we fully understand that. In helping founders understand the way forward, we end up talking about what kind of sellers they are.

In our view, there are really only two types: push-factor and pull-factor sellers. In this article, we explore what that means and why this assessment is so important in any exit planning exercise. Read it here.

Figuring out what kind of seller you are is great and everything, but it doesn’t help much unless you also understand a few things about the timing of selling. Like in music, timing is everything in business.

This is why we focused on this area in our last webinar. You simply cannot ignore the macroeconomic cycles. We also have useful insights for you on the age of the business and how that affects an exit strategy.

To see what we mean, watch the recording here.

Mike Abel is the founder of M&C Saatchi Abel. He knows what it feels like to leave a big company and take a plunge. He certainly understand the chicken-and-egg problem when it comes to trying to win large customer accounts. They want to see track record, but how do you build track record if nobody will give you that first opportunity?

In this fantastic podcast, Mike also shared great insights into building brands and executing marketing campaigns. This is his bread and butter, so this is a rare opportunity for founders to listen to a brand strategist who works in some of the most exciting boardrooms in the country. Listen here.

Our CEO Graham Stephen has been doing a great job on the weekly business slot on CCFM 107.5 , talking directly to founders and engaging on a wide range of topics linked to entrepreneurship.

In the latest episode, Rochelle van Greunen of @Axia Accounting joined Graham to talk about important concepts related to a financial review of the year that was. Entrepreneurship is always forward-looking, but you won’t know where to go if you aren’t measuring how your last ideas turned out. Listen here.

As we follow our own advice and reflect on 2023, the founding team of bizval will be hosting a fireside chat on Friday 8th December at 11am. This will be a relaxed session filled with reflection and lessons learnt. We would love to have you there to engage with us on this webinar. You just need to register here.

Thank you for reading this far. As a token of appreciation, we're excited to offer you the opportunity to win a bizval bootcamp - a comprehensive deal-readiness assessment with our senior team valued at over R40,000.

Furthermore, we're committed to sharing valuable insights on how a bootcamp can improve your business over the next 12 working days, ending on December 20th. We're calling it "The 12 Days of Business."

To enter for a chance to win, simply start your business journey with a free bizval express valuation by following this link. For even better odds, consider a bizval live valuation or our concierge services which offers even a more detailed assessment.

The competition ends on Sunday 17th at midnight and the winner will be announced on the 20th December 2023, so enter now!

We absolutely love our customers. Thankfully, they seem to love us as well. If you aren’t sure yet whether we are the right choice for you, then read our 100% genuine testimonials on our website.

These aren’t AI-generated nonsense reviews designed to make us look good. These are real people, ranging from advisors through to founders. We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to add value to their lives.

On that note, we wish you a wonderful start to your month!