Warren Buffett famously invests in businesses that have what he calls a protective “moat” around them – one that inoculates them from competition and allows them to control their pricing.

Big companies lock out their competitors by out-slugging them in capital infrastructure investments, but smaller businesses have to be smarter about how they defend their turf. Here are four ways to deepen and widen the protective moat around your business:

It seems like we’re at a fork in the road: there are some positive signs that the economy is entering the earliest stages of a long term expansion, but at the same time, if we dare read the headlines, it seems we’re destined to repeat 2008.

As a small to medium sized business owner, you are already aware of all the time and effort it has taken to be successful. From the first sale to completing the project and receiving payment, you have been committed to growing your business. Now, you have reached your last and most important sale: the sale of your business and capitalizing on the goodwill you have worked so hard to garner.
When preparing your business for sale, there are many key considerations that will contribute to the smooth transition of operations to a new owner and result in a strong closing price. Enlisting the services of a Business Broker will allow you to maintain focus on operating in a ‘business-as-usual’ fashion and preparing for succession.

TORONTO, ONTARIO, March 14, 2012 - Beacon Corporation, Brokerage has pledged 1% of its revenues to support a local environmental initiative in the Greater Toronto Area, as a member of not-for-profit alliance 1% for the Planet.  Today, that pledge has been fulfilled. Beacon has chosen to partner with Friends of the Don East (FODE) and will be donating 1% of its 2011 revenues towards the rehabilitation of the Don River.

“At Beacon we believe that sustainable development is our corporate responsibility and is good business for our clients” says M. Will Fischtein, President and Broker of Record of Beacon. “This year we made a commitment to fund a local environmental challenge and we are designating our commitment to the Don River in Eastern Toronto.”

Confidentiality is at the heart of each of Beacon’s Business for Sale listings and at every step of our business brokerage process. It forms the basis of a trusting relationship between owners who have their businesses for sale and prospective buyers who recognize the importance of confidentiality. When large companies and corporations journey through Mergers and Acquisitions, this need is magnified tenfold and extreme measures are in place to ensure business-sensitive information is guarded.

Beacon Corporation, Brokerage is pleased to announce the launch of a new City of Toronto business listings website. The City of Toronto recognizes the potential of developing small to medium size companies as a means for economic growth. As a result, the Opportunities Bulletin Board has been created under the City of Toronto umbrella to provide a forum where, amongst others, local sellers and buyers can interact to advertise and respectively find a business for sale. Beacon is proud to join the City of Toronto in the early stages of the project and has listed all of its current Businesses for Sale on the Bulletin Board. To view the Business Opportunities Bulletin Board click here.

If you plan on buying or selling a business, remember that a strong social network and online presence is an important aspect of a company’s goodwill, and, ultimately, increases the brand and business value.
Here at Beacon Corporation, Brokerage we have worked with clients and companies in a variety of industries with different degrees of social media utilization. There is one certain message being delivered in the digital age: come with us or stay behind! Below are some tips on how to take your social media network to the next level.

Do you own real estate as part of your company’s structure? You should consider how to treat that real estate from an operational standpoint. No matter the size of your operation, having a solid grasp of how to deal with your real estate assets will, in the long term, add profitability and wealth stability. Ask these questions to
help your decision-making.

A client of mine was thinking about selling his mid-sized manufacturing firm and was wondering about what to do about the real estate asset—a large factory and receiving building from which the business operated.

My advice: cash out the real estate now, but continue to run the business until it’s time to hand the reins over and retire.