Did you Know! Thomas Jefferson's Second Adminstration ( Aaron Burr, Scoundrel)

Aaron Burr was Vice President in Jefferson's first administration.  Jefferson dropped Burr as his running mate during his second election to the Presidency (thank goodness!).

Did you Know? - Thomas Jefferson 3rd President of USA

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.."
When Thomas Jefferson entered office in 1801, he was the great American political thinker of his age.  He'd crafted the Declaration of Independence as a leading member of the Second Continental Congress, was Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State under George Washington and Vice President under John Adams.  Throughout his career he advocated for individual liberty, separation of church and sate, strict interpretation of the United States Constitution and limited federal government.
Ironically, during his first term in office he vastly increased the power of the federal government.  In 1803, he doubled the size of the United States when he authorized the Louisiana Purchase from France for $15 million dollars - even though the Constitution made no provisions that empowered the president to purchase territory from a foreign power. By the time he left office in 1809, he made it clear that his presidency had been a "splendid misery".

Selling, Buying or Starting a Business - Did you Know John Adams 2nd President US

"There are two types of education....One should teach us how to make a living, and the other how to live."  John Adams 2nd President of United States 1797-1801.

Selling, Starting or Buying a Business - The First, First Lady Martha Washington

My how things have changed!  Talk about commitment!  Can you imagine a modern day first lady doing the things Martha Washington did before she became The First Lady of  The United States of America?

Selling, buying or starting a business - fun facts George Washington

"Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person's own mind, than on the externals in the world."  George Washington to his mother, Mary Ball Washington May 15th 1787.
Like modern politicians George Washington (who disliked politics) was both loved and despised in his time.

Selling, buying or Starting a Business - Fun Facts about the Presidency

Did you know?  In 1789 George Washington was hesitant to run for office as the first President of the United States of America.  He was the unanimous

Developing Self Reliance

A rookie third baseman was warming up for his first game in the big leagues

when a veteran shortstop overheard him mutter, “Boy, I hope no balls come to me.”

After a pause, the veteran said,

“Kid when there's one out with the bases loaded,

and your up by one run in the bottom of the ninth, thats when you should be hoping for a hot grounder.

That's the only way you will have a chance to win for your team.

On the day you start hoping the ball comes to you -------

that's when you'll really become a pro.”

THE ART OF TEACHING

The Art of teaching is the Art of assisting Discovery.

It requires letting go rather than taking charge, standing aside rather than wading in.

7 Things that are easier and Harder because of GPS

According to Bloombergbusinessweek :   In 1983 President Ronald Reagan signs an executive order allowing civilian use of the Pentagons Global Positioning System.  Korean Air Lines Flight 007 left Anchorage, Alaska, on Bug. 30th 1983, with 269 people on board, strayed into Soviet airspace on its way to Seoul, and was shot down by the Russians killing all aboard.  Since then GPS has become widely utilized as companies began to make money on GPS.  Improving the equipment.  Here are 7 things that are easier and harder because of GPS.

TV - What?

#5 on Businessweeks 85 disruptive ideas of the past 85 years is TV.  How much does the average American watch?

Debt vs. Credit

Businessweek  magazine recently published "The 85 most disruptive ideas of the past 85 years" (the magazine is 85 years old).  Not all of them are necessarily related to business.  But number 19 is

You could have heard a pin drop - Proud to be a veteran

A group of Americans, retired teachers, recently went to France on a tour.  Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.  At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.  'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

What it means to be an American - You could have heard a pin drop

 A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian ,Australian and French Navies.  At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries.

You could have heard a pin drop

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury
if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush.

Jesus

*JESUS*

> *IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER TO WINE.*

> *IN BIOLOGY,

10 More reasons English is hard!

English is hard to learn try to explain these 10 sentences!

Here are 11 reasons why English is so hard!

Think learning English is easy?  Check out these 11 sentences .....

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.

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.

Tough Economy but now is the time to sell or buy a business!

I've been in the business brokerage business for the past 15 years. How I got into the business was in 1994 I sold a commercial graphics business that I owned. That deal hooked me and I've been helping sellers and buyers ever since. I wish I could say all my transactions were "win/win" projects. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for all of my projects (although I can confidently say the successful deals far outweigh unsuccessful deals). Can I predict which transaction would be successful and which would not? No, for just as soon as I would make a judgment call one way or the other I would be surprised at the success or lack thereof.
I cannot guarantee success for anyone but I can provide insight into the small business and its objective merits (which is not always about how profitable or unprofitable the business is), but I cannot discern all the subjective aspects of selling or buying a small business as it relates to the individual seller or buyer. I can share my fifteen years of experience. So if you have a question or are looking for tips to value a business and either sell one or buy one give me a post and I'll be glad to help in any way I can.
Dan
PS visit my website at www.lemansinc.com