Corporate-finance

BUYOUT will become the 'bible' of buyouts for managers and investment bankers/advisors. One of the first good books on buyouts. The book covers all aspects of the buyout considerations/process/tactics/contracts etc, is an easy read, but above all the joy of which it is clearly written with(and the convincing arguments) must inspire managers to pursue a buyout. I think no manager will be imune to this great book. BUYOUT is a guide, a motivator, a sales pitch and fun book to read at the same time. Also a recommended read to sellers of businesses to show that a buyout is nothing to be scared of. A must read for everyone unknown and known with the buyout business. Just read the book and find out why I am so enthusiastic about it.

Rick Rickertsen is an expert at leveraged buyouts. He is also an exceptioanlly nice guy. His rare combination of talent and achievement, combined with a graciousness and good nature have helped Rick build a network of contacts and relationships which are truly exceptional. This book reflects lessons learned not only from Rick's own considerable experience as an LBO sponsor, but also wisdom garnered from almost two decades of working with some of the greatest fiananciers and managers of our time. The style of the book reflect's Rick's personal style: straightforward, and easy to understand. One of Rick's unique gifts is his ability to make powerful financial concepts easy for the average reader to grasp. Another distinguishing feature of the book is the repeated use of real life examples. One could write volumes trying to describe a financial theory, or just convey it quickly with a powerful example. Of course, this is not just a "how to" guide, it is also a compelling series of stories with real life charachters, who are brought to life by Rick's captivating writing. Get this book. It reads like Barbarians at The Gate or Liars Poker- i.e. it is impossible to put down. It also gives a great overview, with sample forms included, of how, when, and why to do an LBO.

I am currently an MBA student at Columbia Business School and I picked up this book while taking an M&A class. I found that Rick puts great color around the entire management buyout process, from start to finish. I think this book should be recommended b-school reading for private equity and M&A classes because it is easy to read yet provides a wealth of information not typically found in textbooks about the subtleties of M&A.

Having been in the business brokerage industry for 14 years, it was very refreshing to read someone who has a clear picture of what a broker should do, and how to do it. Also, the importance of an appraisal was made perfectly obvious. As a matter of fact since I learned the necessity of an appraisal in order complete a rational transaction, I will not accept a listing assignment with my client unless and until an appraisal is completed and they agree to offer their business at the appraised value. If they are unwilling to work with me in this manner, I wish them luck and I go to the next seller. And I offer them the names of several other brokers who will do it the seller's way. I certainly won't.

Using this simple procedure results in my selling 4 out of 5 of every listing I get. I don't waste weeks and months, as do other brokers, trying to sell something that is over priced and won't sell at the price the seller thinks it is worth. Why all of the brokers I know use this old fashioned outdated and time wasting procedure, I cannot understand. What they all do is to ask the seller what he/she wants, and then hurry up to sign the listing. When they have 20 of these kinds of listings, they are lucky if they sell a few and it is no wonder that a score of one sale for every 4-6 listings is the norm for the business brokerage industry. Thank you Mr. Bumstead for saving me weeks of wasted time and money and for allowing me to concentrate my valuable time with sellers who understand the logic of a fair market appraisal before going to the market place with their business. It is the only way to go. Without this simple concept from Bumstead, I would not be the successful and happy business brokerage consultant I am today.

I spent a career as a banker and during that time I saw many people attempt to enter and exit business ownership. In doing so, most of these people contacted a real estate or business broker for guidance. Unfortunately the majority of the buyers and sellers encounter brokers who know little more than they do about such transactions. This book gives everyone involved in the transaction the guidance they need. It should be used as the Bible in business transfer transactions and every business owner should refer to it regularly as a guide for planning for that eventual exit.

A well written and professional work, valuable to the novice and professional alike. I found particularly useful the chapter on "Finding Buyers and Sellers". I can see already how this information will increase my income this year.

Buy, Lie, and Sell High provides an interesting look at the Internet bubble and what caused it.

It was a perfect storm of greedy people with little to no business experience, combined with unethical accounting firms, loose federal regulators, new technologies, and a hungry public looking to make a quick dollar.

While the book has 'Enron' in the title, there is not a whole lot about Enron in the book, perhaps 10 pages.

The book has a number of case studies of classic dot bombs. I am surprised that with all of the case studies, Mills did not discuss one of the biggest bombs, Value America.

Overall, the book provides a good look at what went wrong and how it can be prevented from happening again.

I have read this book, plus I had Dr. Levin as a professor in the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at UNC-Chapel Hill. He was a great teacher and his book's style and way of conveying business concepts was equally satisfying. This is not a book for the scholar, rather it is a very good book for those that want a quick, but substantive way to grasp the basics of everyday business. The title also belies Dr. Levin's laid back and easy-going style and sense of humor. He teaches and writes using sometimes folksy, but always perceptive stories and examples of the concepts and points he is trying to convey. If you want to get the basics of how a business operates, how cash flow works and why it is important, why "buying low and selling high" are not only simple concepts but critical guidelines for any business, of any size or scale or complexity . . . then Dr. Levin's book is for you.

This book seems horribly dated. I question the authors own credentials based on the environment we are seeing in today's Internet economy. Particularly in light of Dottie Downturn with IPOs losing steam and the medium is growing increasingly competitive and a feeding frenzy of larger corporations with ties beyond the Net has absolutely started. This book did not give me the information I had hoped. Yes, I get the concept of building a solid business plan, but this offered nothing more than any other generic business plan book for me. Where's the substance for our eComm-driven environment?

I highly recommend BUSINESSPLAN.COM. In fact, it isn't about settng up a dot-com company as some might think. For example; the book showed us how to cut costs and expand our company by using the Internet's technology for routine business activities such as supply chain management, customer service, marketing, and human resources-an enormous cost savings for us. Each chapter focused on the essential components we needed to employ for our business model; this book is the only one we found that could help us do this. Before you launch your business-go get this great book!

In the economic environment that we have at the moment, it feels like everyone around us is making huge amounts of money from simple internet ideas. This book gives clear guidance in how to profit from the revolutionary changes in the new media called the internet. The continual transformaton of the internet has made it had for alot of start up internet companies to prosper and most off all MAKE A PROFIT. All you will need is an idea, as Joanne Eglash is clearly set out the processes neccessary to write an effective business plan and a make it a successful business.