Three Trees

Author Unknown

Three trees were planted on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. As they grew and began to spread their branches they talked to one another about their future. The first tree said, “I want to grow tall and strong. My branches can create shade from the hot summer sun to cool weary travelers as they pass by. One day the lumbermen shall come and cut me down. They will take me to the mill and create beautiful wood and I will be made into a majestic chest that will be used by royalty to hold their most valuable treasures. I will hold gold, gems and all of their most prized possessions.”

The second tree responded, “I too will grow tall and strong next to you and I will offer weary travelers protection along their journey. When the lumbermen come they shall cut me down as well so that they can make from me strong lumber to build a mighty ship. I shall carry royalty as they travel the world’s oceans and seas and they will be safe in their journeys because of me.” The third tree commented, “I choose to remain. I do not want the lumbermen cutting me down. I want to grow taller than any tree, so tall that I grow to touch the face of God Almighty for the entire world to see that I am closer to him than any other living thing.”

As time went on the trees grew. They were majestic and provided comfort to weary travelers who would rest and enjoy the beautiful valley below. Then one day the lumbermen came to cut down the trees. They cut down the first tree and stripped it into timbers and from it made a feeding trough for the farm animals at a stable. The timber moaned with disappointment of the trough it had become. The second tree was cut down, cut into timbers and was made into a small fishing boat with oars. This too was a severe disappointment. The third tree was cut down as well and cut into rough hewn, heavy boards that were thrown into a dark shed in what appeared to be total disregard for any use. This was the plight of the three trees.

But then one day Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman World and everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph and Mary, who was with baby, began their journey to Bethlehem the town of David, because Joseph belonged to the house and line of David. When they arrived at the town there was no room for them and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son. He was wrapped in cloths and place in a feed trough. It was the timber from the first tree who held in his bosom the greatest prized possession the world has ever known.

Many years’ later, people gathered by the water’s edge to witness Jesus climbing into a small fishing boat with several other men and he instructed them to take him to the other side. As they journeyed, a furious storm came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was sleeping and the Apostles awakened him. He calmed the water and the little fishing boat, made from the second tree, carried the King of Kings safely to the other side.

Finally, there was his persecution. The Jews proclaimed, “Crucify him, crucify him!” They went to a nearby shed and found some rough hewn, heavy boards, tied them together and made him carry this make shift cross to a hill with a crown of thorns upon his head. There they nailed him to the boards, raised him up to mock and stuck a spear in his side as he died. It was the third tree that was now high on a hill as close to God as any living thing ever has been for all to see.

Life has many twists and turns. God's way is not always our way but he will guide us to a better understanding if we trust in him.

Marketing

If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying, "Circus is coming to Fairgrounds Sunday," that's Advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk him through town, that's a Promotion. If the elephant walks through the Mayor's flower bed, that's Publicity. If you can get the Mayor to laugh about it, that's Public Relations. If you planned the whole thing, that's Marketing!
---Author Unknown

Do Not Worship Money

Don’t Worship Money

By Dan Lemanski

dan@lemansinc.com

When I was engaged to my wife and we planned to marry, we went to counseling to prepare ourselves for the event. The minister advised me to, “not replace God in my life with the worship of money”. That was more than thirty years ago and at the time I could not understand what he was trying to tell me. At the time I thought that it was important to be able to support one’s family and lifestyle, but after working with business sellers and buyers since 1994 his wise counsel is starting to become clearer.

I advise sellers and buyers of businesses consistently over the years that I have never sold a business because of the numbers. When I make that statement (and sometimes I am reluctant to do so until I get to know them better), they give me a look similar to a deer peering into oncoming headlights at night. I interject immediately that they should not misunderstand me because the financial data is important but it is not the primary reason for them selling or buying a business. The decision to sell or buy is a quality of life issue primarily that motivates people to sell or purchase a business or make other significant buying decisions. If you don’t believe that consider the last major purchase you have made in your life and the reasoning behind your justification to make that purchase. From the home you live in to the consumer products you buy, it is based on how you feel about that purchase emotionally that is a higher motivation for making that transaction.

What we have to be careful of is buying things or justifying the purchase of something beyond our budget (been there done that) and justifying it because we think it is going to enrich our lives monetarily beyond our wildest dreams. Greed is the overriding emotion that kills deals and causes people to fail in selling or buying a business. As a broker, I try not to make value judgments of someone’s decisions. I may have an opinion but the opinion of my client or customer is what matters and I try to understand their true motivations. I only pray that their decisions include genuinely “improving their quality of life”. Yes, buying a business truly can enhance your life and give you control over your own destiny.

In Genesis the Bible provides us insight when we read the passages about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (consecutive generations) who were negotiating with God a “quality of life issue”. The only way that they became successful was when they put their trust in God first and then the material things were provided for them by him and as a result they had better relationships not only with God but all the people they came in contact with. Trusting God first is a challenge for all of us but if we do his strength, grace and mercy shall carry us through. You can be successful in business as well as life if you are selling or buying for the right reasons with a God centered life based on worshipping God and not money. If you trust in God he will provide and you will make appropriate choices in life and business.

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The Small Business Balance Sheet

My cell phone rang and I answered, “Hello this is Dan, how can I help you”? “Dan, this is Wanda”. Wanda has a nice Childcare Center that she was considering selling and I had been working with her over the past weeks in evaluating the financials of the business to determine what price to position it in the marketplace. “I’ve decided to hold off on selling my business. After my husband and I discussed it, I think we will not get enough for the business to satisfy our needs and so it is probably better that I continue to run the business and try to get my numbers up to improve the potential selling price of the business,” she said.

I provide my clients with information they need to know about their business and the “state of the market” during current economic times. They decide if they are willing to sell and at what price, I do not make that final decision. But the historical financial data of the business is a significant factor in determining the value of any business. The current balance sheet is a financial document to review. It gives you a “snapshot in time” and affords you a window in the health of a small business. The simple formula Current Assets - Current Liabilities = Cash Flow affords you insight into how well a business is managing the Cash Flow and whether they appear to be paying their bills in a timely manner. In addition, Short Term and Long Term Liability are key factors. More often I see that business owners who wish to sell are influenced by the amount of short and long term debt to derive the value of their business (of course they want to pay all of the debt off and have some additional cash left wouldn’t anyone?).

In Wanda’s case (which is typical), if she sold her business for what she felt like it was worth she may not break even and that is why her decision is to “hold off a little while”. In today’s economy, this view is becoming more prevalent. Small businesses are experiencing declining revenues and declining profits. Hopefully, they are paying attention to payroll costs and other factors to keep them in line with revenues and profits. If not then debt begins to accumulate due to restricted cash flow. But even under the best of circumstances many small businesses today are realizing additional debt just to keep themselves afloat.

Sometimes (not always), small business owners decide to sell due to their debt load. When they contact a Professional Business Broker they really want someone to solve their debt problem by selling the business for more than the debt they owe. In Wanda’s case, she has a wonderful little business and it is still profitable (even during these tough economic times), but two things may have tripped her up a little bit. First, about a year ago she decided to buy the commercial property her childcare operates out of and perhaps paid a premium for it shortly before the decline in property values (all commercial property will be subject to an appraisal for bank financing and hers was appraised). In addition, shortly after the purchase of the property the center experienced a broken water pipe over one weekend which caused her to lose children as she was forced to close the center for almost two weeks for repairs to be completed. While we can make a case for lost revenues and higher than normal labor cost (after all, she did not want to lose teachers so she had to keep paying them or lose her staff), it creates a distraction for prospective buyers. So I agreed with Wanda and we will review her situation at the end of the year.

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Armored Car business - established in 1995 with good customer base for prospective buyer to build upon. Contact Dan Lemanski dan@lemansinc.com.