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Very early in his career, Eric McKeehan developed a passion for working with small businesses and entrepreneurs. Today, he lives out that passion as an Advisor with 最新糖心Vlog in Asheville, NC, driven by values learned through a decade of working with small to midsize businesses.听
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Eric began his professional career working in business development with a growing wholesale distribution business in Asheville, NC. There, he interacted with thousands of brick and mortar retailers across the country and came to appreciate the challenges faced by small businesses everywhere. Eric went on to turn down lucrative opportunities with public corporations in favor of the challenge and excitement of small business growth. He joined a manufacturing start-up in Hendersonville, NC, where he took on a variety of roles, serving as both the Controller and Business Development Manager. During his tenure, the company saw an exponential growth in revenue and penetration into new market segments. Eric later moved on to an outdoor gear retailer and manufacturer.
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Throughout his experience, Eric has worn many hats. In his words, 鈥淚 consider myself a small business generalist鈥� 鈥� a fact that serves his clients well. Eric鈥檚 hands-on experience and education have resulted in a well-rounded skill-set and fundamental understanding of the 鈥渂ig picture鈥� faced by owners and executive management.
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But even with such a well-rounded perspective, he does have a favorite part of the process. When working with clients through Viking鈥檚 business selling process, Eric says, 鈥淚 can really dig in and work on the finances, understand, and solve problems. Sometimes the finances in due diligence are very complex. That鈥檚 my favorite part 鈥� lots of problem solving.鈥澨�
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Through it all, Eric鈥檚 primary mission with Viking is to help Asheville business owners navigate one of the most important decisions in their lives: selling their business. Eric works with integrity, professionalism, and compassion throughout the process, ensuring that each client has an opportunity to achieve their desired outcome.
Why Viking is Here
Selling a business can be the biggest decision in a person鈥檚 life. Like all of our advisors across the Southeast, the Viking business advisors in Asheville, NC, are experienced professionals who are here for the long term. We have no interest in rushing our clients through a sale or purchase. Eric emphasizes, 鈥淲e work with people for years at a time. It鈥檚 all about relationships. It鈥檚 not 鈥榡ust business.鈥欌��
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Each of our clients in Western North Carolina has a dedicated business advisor in Asheville, along with a team of analysts and marketing professionals providing support through the entire selling process.
Advice If You Are Thinking Of Selling A Business
Eric notes that Asheville is a popular destination, and Viking receives a lot of buyer inquiries from people who want to relocate here. He goes on to emphasize, 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important for businesses who anticipate selling within the next several years to get their books in order.鈥� This kind of advance preparation is why Viking Advisors work with clients far before they intend to exit. Eric suggests that business owners pay particular attention to:
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Like all of Viking鈥檚 divisions, our business advisors in Asheville, NC, engage with potential clients early on in the sales process and remain engaged until the timing is right for the client. Every business is different, and so are the needs of the business owner, especially when forming an exit strategy.
Advice If You Are Thinking Of Buying A Business
If you are thinking of buying a business in Asheville, NC, Eric affirms that now is a very good time, but he brings up a challenge that buyers may not have considered. 鈥淎fter selecting a business and beginning the purchase process, if you plan to run the business from here, you need to start looking for a place to live ASAP. Asheville is a high demand market, and waiting around too long to look at homes will add additional stress when you approach the closing date on the business. Business acquisition is a very time intensive process, so you may not have as much spare time to shop around as you expected, and temporary housing gets very expensive, very quickly.鈥澨�
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Employing the services of our Asheville business advisors can help simplify the buying process. In addition, Viking pre-qualifies businesses through SBA lenders, so the buyers we work with can have confidence in their purchase.
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If you are considering business advisors in Asheville, NC, contact Viking today for a confidential consultation or business valuation at no cost, no strings attached.