Interest Rates and Acquisitions

Please take a moment to listen to my interview about how interest rates are affecting acquisitions on South Caroline Business Review on SC Public Radio this morning. @SCPublicRadio @SCBizReview NPR https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/show/south-carolina-business-review/2023-04-28/are-higher-interest-rates-affecting-mergers-and-acquisitions

Lifecycle of Capital

The types and sources of capital available to a business depend on where the business is in its lifecycle: true start-up (no sales yet) or “post-revenue” (it has started earning money) or expansion. The first source of financing for most businesses are the owner(s) personal assets or loans/gifts from friends and family. Your personal resources can include using […]

Charleston CEO turns yacht into office space

David Moore, CEO of BlueChip Mergers and Acquisitions in Charleston, decided during the pandemic that if he had to work in isolation, he might as well do it from an office with waterfront view of the Charleston Harbor. He manifested his dream — purchasing and fully renovating a 68-foot yacht, “Whimsy,” that he’s turned into an official […]

Your Business May be worth more than you realize

Located on Charleston’s historic King Street, BlueChip Mergers & Acquisitions is a boutique M & A firm based in Charleston SC, and provides expert transactional advice and expertise to both buyers and sellers of businesses of all sizes. With over two decades of experience, BlueChip provides unparalleled guidance from the top individuals in the industry. The firm […]

When is the best time to exit a business?

When is the best time to exit a business? The answer, says David Moore, principal at BlueChip Mergers & Acquisitions in Charleston, is it depends. For most businesses, this happens to be that moment when all the conditions are aligned for peak valuation, high demand, and easy financing. Moore suggests potential sellers consider this confluence […]

From card games to credit cards: 3 start-ups’ funding tales

Securing funds is the first problem an entrepreneur encounters. It often requires courting a venture capital firm with the aim of wowing its members into opening the coffers. Sadly, there can be only so many winners, and a number of entrepreneurs walk away empty-handed. This is when it’s time to be resourceful, to get creative […]

Family Owned Business Tip

Entrepreneurs often start businesses with or are later joined by family members. This can raise special challenges when the entrepreneur plans to exit the business, either as a planned retirement or sale or as an unexpected transition (death or illness). This, in turn, raises concerns for potential investors. For businesses with family members involved (and […]

100 Founders Share Their Top ‘Aha’ Moments — Guess How Many Jobs They’ve Created So Far?

Prepare to be stunned. Recently, I took issue with news reports questioning the role of small business as a source of new jobs. I summed it up with a remark from Jim Clifton, the Chairman of Gallup, from his new book The Coming Job Wars: The responses floored us. In less than 24 hours, more than 200 company founders responded. […]

Navigating Inflation as an SMB

David Moore is the CEO of Blue Chip Mergers and Acquisitions in Charleston, South Carolina. He acknowledges that no one wants to contribute to inflation but says you may not have another viable option. “As a small business owner, I’ve had to raise my rates on my services, even though I didn’t want to,” he says. “Failing to […]