ATLANTA, Ga. — Opportunities abound for women who want to start or buy a business, say four veteran women business brokers, who talk about the economic, gender and professional challenges of buying and selling businesses at a monthly meeting of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers (www.gabb.org) Tuesday, August 25, 2009. “I think it’s a great time for women to get involved in buying a business,” says Sandra Dohn, an Associate Member of GMAC/MetroBrokers Real Estate. “A lot of people are looking to buy businesses because of the economic environment. There are a lot of opportunities out there for buyers and sellers of businesses.”
Pat McDonald, broker/president of the CBI Business Group in Atlanta, thinks women have some advantages in working with business owners.
“Men always enjoy working with a female as we bring the emotional side to the understanding of selling the business,” says McDonald. Selling a business is like “giving birth to a baby and then putting it up for adoption to the right new parents. Female business owners feel we can relate to them better than the males do, at times.”
The marketplace holds few barriers for committed professional women, says Kathryne Pusch, president of ConsultKAP in Conyers.
“I find that true professionals judge one another on matters of performance and integrity versus gender, race, nationality or other specious criteria,” says Pusch. “Being at my best as a skillful and knowledgeable business broker, a qualified expert – not a female or male person–has proven to be the best way to win over clients and business associates.”
Melinda Hubbard, managing broker of The Hatteras Group in Marietta agrees that professionalism is the key: “Attention to detail and good communication are more important in today’s business climate than ever before. I don’t try to impress business owners with what I know, I ask them what they are looking for.”
McDonald, Hubbard, Pusch and Dohn will discuss their experiences in business at the GABB monthly meeting at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 25, at the SouthTerraces Conference Center, 115 Perimeter Center Place, Atlanta, Georgia 30346. The meeting is open to the public at no charge; networking time is available before the meeting at 9:45 a.m. and after the meeting.
The Georgia Association of Business Brokers (GABB) is the state’s only professional organization and Multiple Listing Service dedicated to buying and selling businesses and franchises. An experienced GABB business broker can help a buyer find businesses for sale, negotiate a fair price and obtain financing. A broker can help an owner evaluate and price a business, market and advertise to prospective buyers, negotiate and close a deal. The GABB Web site (www.gabb.org) lists hundreds of businesses for sale throughout Georgia, as well as around the country.
Kathryne A. Pusch, president of ConsultKAP, a seasoned professional consultant and broker, began her career consulting for a large international consulting firm in 1979. Her consulting work focuses primarily on preparing businesses for a successful sale, and exit and transition planning for owners. Kathryne is a past president of GABB and has been active on Board and leadership positions in GABB since 1998. She has extensive formal education, including a B.S. in Marketing and Marketing Research and an MBA. Kathryne is a licensed Real Estate Broker, a frequent public speaker, serves on the Executive Advisory Network of the DBM International Center for Executive Options, is a published author, and a licensed Georgia real estate instructor.
Patricia McDonald is president and founder of CBI Business Group. She became a business broker after working as a commercial real estate broker and has been selling businesses for more than 20 years. Pat has been a member of the International Business Brokers Association for more than 19 years. She is a member of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, is involved in the chamber’s CEO Roundtable and Leadership Cobb Class for 2009-2010. She belongs to the Marietta Kiwanis Club and is active with the Cobb County Boys & Girls Club. Pat is a member of Brokers Network Group and of the Institute of Certified Business Counselors. Pat is a licensed real estate broker in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. She specializes in manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, and specific service companies.
Melinda Hubbard owned and sold a large family business before joining The Hatteras Group as a principal in 2003. While raising her children, she worked in residential real estate and attained her broker’s license. In 2006 she became a life member of the GABB million-dollar club by attaining sales over a million dollars for the previous three years. Melinda represents clients in the manufacturing, distribution and service industries with a strong emphasis on automotive related businesses. She is a member of the GABB, the International Business Brokers Association, the Georgia Association of REALTORS(R) and the Marietta Kiwanis Club.
Sandra Dohn, an Associate Member of GMAC/MetroBrokers Real Estate, is a proven professional with many years experience selling residential and commercial properties. Her background includes selling homes and commercial property as well as listing and selling numerous small businesses in a variety of industries. She is known as a talented marketer with strong people skills and expertise in handling all aspects of the sale. Sandra lived in Clearwater, Florida until 1999 when she moved to Atlanta. Sandra and her husband are renovating a foreclosed home in Alpharetta and they hope to resell it to a first time homebuyer.
