On Being Flakey

What is about some people that allow them to live in their own reality? We all know them, have met them, been employed by them or have read about them. Lindsay Lohan comes to mind! I’m really talking about other, less famous, but equally frustrating people like small business owners that want to sell their business. Here's an example. I am advising a client on a proposed acquisition of a chain of restaurants huddled in one major market in the U.S. The owners want to sell...we think, but are driving me crazy

Here is a list of flakey infractions:

• Ignoring phone calls
  
• Ignoring voice mails
• Ignoring emails
• Ignoring SMS
• Not knowing how to send or receive an SMS
• Faxing documents when using email is preferred
• Forgetting about scheduled conference calls
• Scheduling meetings then ignoring calls to confirm
• Leaving a voice message without any message
• Being rude and inconsiderate
• Never sending relevant financial data
• Not having relevant financial data
• Not having any financial data
• Not having any data
  

Seems like they are not really interested in selling are they!

I have to tell you, sourcing a deal and raising money for an acquisition is cake compared with dealing with unsophisticated sellers of businesses. So, here's my hack of the day, if you are a small business owner and have decided to sell your company, hire a consultant to manage the process so you can stay focused on running your business. M&A is hard enough when you know what you are doing. If you have any stories, please share!