CO FENG Jan 2009 Meeting

Jon  Northrop last spoke to our chapter October 2005.  At the time and based on our member consensus, he made the very best presentation for all 2005!

Most professionals find and negotiate a business to buy through a business broker, who is actually a seller’s representative with a duty of loyalty to the other party. Consequently, the typical buyer over-pays and purchases the wrong business, for the wrong reasons, and experiences stiff competition.

Jon and his very well respected firm, BUSINESS OWNERSHIP STRATEGIES LLC, are a “Business Buyer Advocate,” or buyer’s representative.

Business Ownership Strategies, through its Business Buyer Advocate program assists clients (individuals, partnerships, corporations) who are interested in buying a business.  Their focus with a client is in 6 major areas:

•           Education about the business buying process and the techniques for a successful acquisition program;

•           Definition of the criteria for a business that will match the client’s financial capabilities, skills and interests;

•           Search for businesses for sale by owner that match the criteria;

•           Support of the client’s due diligence efforts on selected candidate businesses;

•           Valuation assistance on target businesses; and,

•           Financing strategies so the client can consummate the closing.

Their niche is businesses sized between the upper end of the range that business brokers typically list and the lower end of the range serviced by M&A consultants which generally translates into businesses with annual sales revenues between $500,000 and $15,000,000.

Even if you are not interested in acquiring a business, Jon teaches transferable skills that help self-employed consultants and professionals to find appropriate clients to successfully build their practices. His skills are also transferable to the unemployed executive in transition to help them identify professional opportunities in the “hidden job market.”

Jon Northrop Bio

Mr. Northrop brings 39 years of varied business experience to his current role as a Business Buyer Advocate. For the past 7 years he has provided a complete package of consulting services to clients interested in acquiring a business.

Prior to co-founding Business Ownership Strategies he co-founded Bion Environmental Technologies in 1989, a public, high tech environmental waste treatment company, serving as CEO and Chairman for 12 years, and he remains as a member of the Board of Directors today. 

His experience prior to Bion included 8 years as the Executive Director for Davis, Graham & Stubbs, one of Denver’s oldest and largest law firms; and 12 years at Samsonite Corporation, serving in many aspects of manufacturing and finance, ending as Vice President of Finance for the Luggage Division.