I agree.

The trained employees of a company are the company's greatest asset. Knowing the tried and true methods of solving problems, and having a personal rapport with your established commercial accounts, and being able to communicate with potential new customers.

In my opinion having the advertising in place is also very important. SEO takes a while to make an impact and creating effective print, internet, radio and TV ads take some trial and error.

Also it doesn't hurt to have "pre-scented" squirrel, skunk and raccoon traps

John, I was going to mention that. I don't know why I didn't. lol

An advertising history is valuable as long as the new owner is going to keep the company name but I'm really not sure how you can determine what that value is.

Years ago I was friends with a guy who had a retail business. He had been in business for twenty years and when he went to sell found his business was worth the sum total of his inventory plus equipment (shelving, counters, cash registers, time clock, etc.)

At first he was a little bitter at being told that all the work that he had put into the business had no value. After a while he got used to the idea and admitted that it really didn't have value....to a prospective buyer. It had great value to himself and his family and he was satisfied with that.

Kinda the same as cash flow history...

Stumbled upon this one.

http://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Oppor...uUnpQVEUlM2Q%3d

Interesting post and website Dave.

I'm not familiar with that part of NY, but it appears the population of that town is around 1700. I don't know that I could make that kind of money with a small customer base like that.

Interesting. I do know that I would rather buy an established business with a customer base, training from the owner, eguipment, and a proven marketing plan before I would spend money on a franchise. Nothing against franchises or starting yourself from scratch but the things I mentioned have value to me.

From my many years of running a full time business and training several techs over the years I feel it will take someone with little to no trapping experience 5 plus years to get a real good handle on most all aspects of this business.

It takes some a lot longer to learn the techniques and practicing those learned skills to really understand them and be able to adapt to the many different application situations that will arise. So just selling a business to a non skilled individual or experienced individual will and can be quite challenging.

I have a young man that has been with me going on 12 years now that has come a long way. However he was never a trapper prior to his position and he does a good job now. But his lack of a trapping background, sign reading and really understanding what size hole or opening an animal needs to make access to a structure still poses a challenge to him.

Mole trapping is a skill set in itself and using the various types of traps needed in different settings and learning the effective needed set skills to make them productive in all soil and weather conditions.It takes years for some to master some of these abilities.

Some things just dont come easy to some folks that never had that background or the mechanical understanding of various traps and how they function the best. The list goes on. Animal biology and things that only work certain times of the year etc.So selling a business up and running that was operated by a skilled operator and passing it to a non skilled individual can take many years to get on board to run with the same efficiency as the prior owner.

Business value is relative to many variables but most of all it is going to be assessed by past years revenue,current annual operating value,equipment offered as well as any support services if any that will be offered during the break in transition period.

Boo

I'm going to try and be the tie-breaker between Bob's post and Dave K's boo. In real life I am actually Bob. I have done this long

enough that I pretty much know what a normal animal will do before he does it. Besides that, my wife has noted that since a large

portion of our customers are even older than me ( If that's possible ) they actually prefer me to some of our younger techs. (After

all, who else are they going to be able to discuss "Prohibition" with? ) On Dave's side of the coin, I've said this before and I'm

proud to say it again; My son P.J. doubled our business gross the very first year that he joined us and if we could clone him, we

would be a Fortune 500 company in a year. I truly agree with Bob that we cannot easily be replaced but I've been catching critters

since 1955. Even some of the animals have asked me to "hang it up already"! Don't worry Bob, I do enough worrying for both of us.

Funny...I had not read Bob's post. It was a pre-halloween BOO. Got tired of reading that tomahawk thread....and this one was more interesting....so I scared it to the top.

Really, I think the problem alot of people have is looking at it as WCO, instead of business, house cleaning or wildlife control, business is business and all that matters is numbers.

I will be ready to hang it up in 8 years

Got an exit strategy?

cut my losses and go home

Dave, by now everyone must know my exit strategy.

Sure do

When I cross over Jordan I will be retired....not much of a strategy but its an honest one. Never been able to sit around.

Seems a shame to let a good business retire too. Especially, if you can sell it for 3X profit...and give some people a job.

Like to retire when I am 55. Getting cancer and so far surviving it pushed that date up for me. I have a good young guy that helps me out with the business and he is interested in buying it some day. I plan on grooming him and selling it to him.

I am so sorry to hear that Tom! I think it's way past time for every intelligent country to start solving cancer. I'm always at a

complete loss for words when I hear that a neighbor, friend, or relative has been diagnosed. Glad to hear you have a positive

attitude. We're all pulling for you and as Red Green would say; "We're all in this together."