Business Opportunities Weblog

• 

  GARY W. MOORE on July 16th, 2004 2:15 pm

  HELLO, YES….I WAS JUST WONDERING…I WOULD LIKE TO BECOME INVOLVED IN YOUR MERGERS BUSINESS AS AN AFFILLIATE…BUT I WAS WANTING TO KNOW?….YOU WORK WITH PRIVATE BUSINESSES MERGING WITH PUBLIC BUSINESSES…BUT DO YOU WORK WITH OTHER PUBLIC BUSINESSES MERGING OR AQUIRING OTHER PUBLIC BUSINESSES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER.
• 

  Corey on August 19th, 2005 7:36 am

  Is the M&A Associate Network a scam? Im trying to find out. Does anyone have any experience with them? Please contact me! bluerain_00@yahoo.com
• 

  Deborah on February 15th, 2006 10:18 am

  I too, was wondering if M&A Associate Network ads were a scam. I researched it this far: I found them listed as a US Franchise for sale at http://www.franchisesforsale.com which I believe to be a real site.
• 

  Deborah on February 15th, 2006 10:20 am

  Correction: http://www.franchiseforsale.com
• 

  Dwayne on March 14th, 2006 9:35 pm

  I also would like to hear whether or not this opportunity is “valid” … it does not look like this article gets read very much judging from the limited comments and no real answers … but thought I’d make an entry anyways in case someone with more knowledge/experience happens across this path. Please kindly send a reply to dhilsden@gmail.com in addition to posting here. Thanks.
• 

  Hal Scott on March 31st, 2006 6:14 am

  Is the M & A Associate Network for real? Is anyone out there involved? Or any hints or leads I should seek? Sounds interesting. Too interesting.Thanks Hal
• 

  sean on April 1st, 2006 11:18 am

  I am also interested in this business but it sounds too good to be true. I spoke with Liz Baker at M&A and she said “it’s a very luvrative business and takes 5 months on average to close your first deal.” I have a fundamental flaw, however, with their proposition. Don’t you think that all of these companies who are trying to buy other companies already have their own finders. And how do we know that once we spend the up front “training” fee that all of these finders who M&A hires, won’t be e-mailing the same companies and working the same deal. Then what happens?
• 

  Dwayne on April 1st, 2006 9:32 pm

  Since my last post here, I have had 2 phone conversations with the M & A Associates’ “associate coordinator”. I put together a rather lengthy list of questions and sent some for her to answer and some to 2 other associates that she provided contact info for (kind of acting as references). Both of these references have been with M&A for several years and provided very “real” answers to my questions.
  I am still debating whether this opportunity is right for me at this time. I’ve succumbed to scams in the past, and am certainly anxious about stepping into anything that I can’t touch and feel first … That said, all the information I’ve received by way of answers to my questions seem very frank, honest, and very moderate in tone … i.e. they don’t seem to be coercing me into the opportunity in the least … just being open in communication and willing to answer my questions. This to me is reinforcing the opportunity as “real”.
  I share Sean’s question (posted above). The only answer I was able to glean for this one is that there are just so many buyers and sellers out there in the niche market M & A Associates operates in, that 2 associates just don’t “bump” into each other in the marketplace. Bottomline with this business is that it’s a “numbers game” … persistence is the only way to succeed. The reward is a significant commission, but you’d have to be willing and able to go without getting paid for potentially several months at a time … but when you get paid, it promises to be a very handsome paycheck.
  Hope this helps somewhat. I can provide some more details by email if you are interested.

  I also continue to be appreciative of others opinions and findings. It would be nice to hear from someone who has been involved and decided it wasn’t for them for whatever reason (just to get a bearing on the other side of the story … of course negative stories can be equally invalid …).

  ~Dwayne (dhilsden@gmail.com)
• 

  Hal Scott on April 2nd, 2006 9:35 am

  To Dwayne and Sean:
  This opportunity appwars interesting. The info received from M&A is more a infomercial than anything else. At least to me. I posted a message asking for info on “friensin business” and replies so far. Any lick on other message boards or other means. I’ll share all I receive however so far it’s just the 3 of us. Please keep me posted. I like the opportunity. However I’ve gotten into other such opp. and not gone anywhere with them. Hal Scott hascott@snet.net
• 

  Sam on April 3rd, 2006 9:57 am

  m&a isn’t a flat out scam, but most of the associates never make any money, and the “network” won’t let associates contact each other – you can find better opportunities than this
• 

  Mary on April 6th, 2006 6:32 am

  I too have been interested in the company for several years. The only reason I do not get involved is because of the training fee. And they seem so “casual” about the job. They don’t seem to take a serious interest in you. If you are going to be working for/with them, I would think they would want to know that you are really serious in learning the industry. Unless, for them, it is just a numbers game. And the money people invest is just gravy/petty cash for them. I spoke to someone who has worked for them, and said they were legit, but he too didn’t offer much else. He did make money on one deal, but at the time, had no other deals in the works. I guess you are sort of learning how to be a “business broker” without actually being one. And those courses run up to about $8-10K. So, my feeling is that they are legit, just it is extremely difficult to get a deal. Hope someone writes who really knows, cause I would be very interested in working with them. Thanks.
• 

  Dwayne on April 6th, 2006 10:00 am

  Hi Mary,

  I got a notification from your new posting and thought I’d summarize what I’ve found out, feel free to email me directly if you’d like some more specific info that I’ve received. I still don’t feel I’m in any way an “authority” on this topic or this opportunity, I’ve really only gathered enough data to help persuade myself if this is a good fit for me or not. Something I may still do is consult with some “intermediary firms” about the M & A business to validate some of the details I’ll share below. Brokers tend to work below the $1million level, but I’m told that intermediary firms are in mid-market, the market you’d work as a finder.
  Essentially, I’ve determined that this opportunity isn’t for me … I was very attracted to it initially because of the potential to earn a significant commission for each deal, and that I could work at it any hour of the day (not having to actually “talk” to people during business hours etc).
  I’ve found out however that there are a number of obstacles to being able to secure a deal/match between buyer and seller while working as a “finder”. I’ve learned that most buyers and sellers do not want to work with “finders” but rather they often already have “brokers”. A broker provides additional services than just “finding” (business valuation, normalizing financial statements, help getting the business ready to sell etc).
  So, what I first thought was that it was just a numbers game, matching a seller with a buyer … but in reality the numbers game might approach that of a “lottery” (another numbers game), trying to match buyer and seller who will actually work with you as a finder. If you end up working with a broker, finding a match, then of course you will only get a percentage of the broker’s commission, which ends up being much smaller than that advertised by M & A. Another detail: if the transaction/deal involves some real estate, I’m told that many states require a real estate license to sell any real estate assets as part of the business (another potential limiting factor for me).
  Another thing I learned about was the “Lehman scale” – apparantly used as a benchmark for payment of commission for various services (you can Google it to learn more). It calls into question though whether or not a 10% commission on a $1Million transaction is realistic expectation in practice (of which you’d get a percentage). Even if it’s only 5% though, it’s still a pretty good commission I’d admit, however, this all assumes you were able to “find” a deal.
  So, the I’ve gathered has persuaded me to believe that there are probably other ventures that would be a more profitable investment of my time and efforts – rather than “looking for a diamond in a field of haystacks”. Hope this helps. Feel free to email me directly in case you have a specific question that I have already found an answer to.
  Like I mentioned above, I don’t consider this a “closed issue” for me and remain open to any new information that can be shared about this opportunity. If you do happen to give it a try, I’d value your feedback on your experience! Have a good day! (dhilsden@gmail.com)
• 

  Tracy on April 18th, 2006 2:29 am

  Hi Everyone – thanks for your comments!

  I, too, am interested in the M&A Associate Network but I do not know too much as of yet – just started my dudiligence. I like the concept but I am not sure if they are for real. I will let you’all know what I find out. From what I understand about this opportunity – it will take some time before the market is saturated with finders for Mr. Newman, but I could be wrong – any comments.
  I am currently developing a business plan to show myself if this is in fact a viable option for me, and I am going to seek the advice of a business (M&A) attorney. I will let you’all know what I find out.
  So far I have spoken to Pat Grimes, twice, about this opportunity and I will be speaking to her again on Thursday of this week (4/20). I have received some PDF’s of information from her and I will be receiving more today.
  It does seem to be almost too good to be true but the payoff is so (don’t have words) that if I only do one deal a year I will not be OK. My overhead is very low right now, which is why I am optimistic about this opportunity.
  One thing that I can say is that when Pat calls me her caller Id comes up on my phone – some other opportunities I have checked-out did not.
  Thanks again for your comments and I will be in touch soon.

  Tracy
  (oscrmdsn@aol.com)
• 

  Tracy on April 19th, 2006 7:46 am

  Correction -

  I made a mistake in p-4 – (typo)

  It does seem to be almost too good to be true but the payoff is so (don’t have words) that if I only do one deal a year I will be OK. My overhead is very low right now, which is why I am optimistic about this opportunity.
• 

  Moyos on April 27th, 2006 1:54 pm

  my name is Moyo, and i just came across this opportunity concerning M&A Associates, but it seems to good to be true. I’m only a student in college and don’t have the funds to pay for the training fees. I was told by Liz Baker that one could still be a finder without being trained. I was wanted to know if this business is worth my time and if anybody has an experience with it and it seems profitable please contact me at: fakeyem@berea.edu
• 

  Joanne on April 30th, 2006 12:24 pm

  How about merging together (there will soon be about 25 people commenting here). This way each one of us would invest a $100 and we would act as one entity learning the business. One representative would keep in contact with Liz and email (forward) all correspondence to the rest of us. Everyone would learn and work and we would split the first commission at which point each of us could pay own membership if so desired. Jbasecki@hotmail.com
• 

  Moyos on May 1st, 2006 1:14 pm

  Has anybody on this webblog actually paid the training fee and If so how did the training go and what are the benefits.
  Also is there anybody who knows a finder that has actually made deals and recieved commission. please feel free to contact me at fakeyem@berea.edu
• 

  Chris on May 4th, 2006 11:51 am

  Yes, this is a real opportunity and it is very cheap. Most franchises cost a lot and this was very cheap for my wife and I. We’ve made money and we work about 20 hours a week. The rest of the time is spent with our kids.
• 

  Moyos on May 5th, 2006 7:51 am

  Hello, chris did you recieved any trainig and how profitable has it been for you and your wife.
  fakeyem@berea.edu
• 

  Steve Lanning on May 6th, 2006 8:30 am

  I just ran into this Weblog. Interesting discussion by serious posters. I’m going on my 31st year of creating my own paycheck in consulting–both as a management consultant (very exciting in itself at times) and a Consultant’s Consultant–those wanting to make sure they develop their advice and knowledge marketing business to the hilt. But Joanne’s comment reminded me of several business platform solutions I have used and should mention it here.

  I have had consultants who were expert in, for example, lobbying activities, successfully build an association directed at teaching lobbying to non-profits. I have had an engineer consultant who developed a neat piece of software that helped companies measure soft skills in their organizations by successfully building an Institute to gather the right kinds of clients.

  My point is to follow up on Joanne’s is instead of each chipping in $100 to see what they do (that would be a good thing to do anyway just for the intilligence), why not develop an association (doesn’t have to be non-profit to build asset values–I created the National Association of Business Coaches as a regular for-profit gig in 1997 and sold it in 2002 (I’m at least given a mention in the “History” portion of their site!).

  Just change your paradigm is all I’m saying to gain yourselves an even better result.

  Hope this inspires someone.

  Best regards,
  Steve
  Steve@ExecutiveProductivity.com
  (no I don’t have the site anymore, just the e-mail address!)
• 

  Ery on May 9th, 2006 8:17 am

  I received some information on M&A .The training fee is optional .The fee is to cover the time involved of the person assisting you and the training materials .Other options in learning this business is self-study books from the public library. attending mergers and acquisitions seminars, enrolling for an MBA program, business broker,an attorney or CPA not affiliated with M&A . I hope this is helpful info . Best regards Ery
• 

  Moyos on May 11th, 2006 10:40 am

  has anybody on here actually paid for training and is currently working for M&A. please if so email me at fakeyem@berea.edu i have a couple of questions i would like to ask about the program and other questions as well.
• 

  Fong Tse on May 20th, 2006 2:19 am

  Hi Folks,

  This is a very interesting string and I would like to contribute my two cents worth. Here is the link to the BBB’s rating of this business. Hope it helps you all. fongtse@gmail.com

  http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/CompanyReportExtensionPage.aspx?CompanyID=13157619&sm=#BBBCommentsAnalysis
• 

  carla on June 1st, 2006 6:03 am

  I recently inquired about this opportunity and began my research on the validity. It is June 1st, does anyone have any stories or examples that they would like to share about this business opportunity? I am hearing different timeframes of possible “payouts” the lady I’m speaking with states that out of about my first 5-10 contacts, in the first month, I should close at least one of them………sounds too good to be true with the commissions being paid.

  Awaiting responses.
• 

  sam on June 14th, 2006 8:18 am

  Carla, It is too good to be true. Lots of people have been burned.
• 

  carla on June 19th, 2006 4:50 pm

  Thanks Sam. Do you have info on other viable business opportunities?
• 

  sam on June 21st, 2006 8:48 am

  what kind of opportunities are you looking for? home based? mlm? franchise?
• 

  Shawnita on June 22nd, 2006 6:57 pm

  I, like all of you, have been researching this company and I have spoken to Liz Baker who answered my questions. My concerns are the same in being skeptical about this. According to Liz, they currently have 62 associates, and the associates are all provided some of the same buyer listings, so it it possible for more that one associate to contact the same buyer. Once question that comes to mind is, how ofter are you supplied with an updated buyers list? At least this company doesn’t claim that you start making thousands of dollars in the first month, and I didn’t feel pressured to buy into it. I plan continue to research this company and will post any new findings. I guess there is always a risk, but like all of you, I don’t want to get scammed.
• 

  Lisa on June 29th, 2006 8:13 pm

  Chris! Where’d you go? Are you the only one on this board that is working with MAAN! Come on, don’t disappear on us – we’d like to hear a lot more from you. When did you start, what level did you sign up at, about how many deals have you closed, …
  please, pretty please :-)
• 

  Hal Scott on June 30th, 2006 1:45 am

  To Chris and Lisa or anyone ever involved with MAAN please make some comments. If this can be done or is a lost cause, help us out. If it is a good workable deal the fees are not important. Thanks to all.
• 

  John on July 8th, 2006 2:02 pm

  I will say this, I am an associate of the network, and I would certainly not invest again. The principles will not allow contact between associates, and for a supposed “network” I find that extremely ironic. There are several other examples that I cannot list without revealing my identity, so I will simply say, beware. If someone has made money, I would love to hear from them.
• 

  Stephen M. on July 9th, 2006 11:19 pm

  I like Gerald’s 1st option. Its much better when you go out there, purchase a business opportunity and work hard for it.
  This is the true American spirit. It takes time to look for the right business opportunity that suits you. But let me tell you its worth it. My suggestion, do your homework and verify your research. When I started doing my research, I visited http://www.franchisemarketplace.com . It was a site with many choices. It also provided me with free consultation. I was able to ge the ideal consultation required to make the right decision. I am happy and satisfied with the business opportunity I have invested in. My $90K investment has gone along way. I have worked hard for it and I am reaping the rewards in the growth of my business.
• 

  Alfredo on July 11th, 2006 11:45 am

  I, too, would be interested in any information on this opportunity. In the agreement they send it is stated that any and all training fees will be reimbursed once you complete the first deal. The question is: has anyone completed this first deal?
• 

  jojo on July 11th, 2006 12:13 pm

  You can find a list of M&A member sites at
  http://www.maan-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2

  Note that about 1/4 of the pages don’t work anymore, which makes me believe that these people aren’t making any money. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have kept their web pages up?

  Use this list to contact M&A members directly and ask them about their success.
• 

  rob on July 11th, 2006 12:46 pm

  I closed my first deal with MAAN, and because the commission was not as large as my $5K training fee, MAAN refused to refund my fee as promised. Email me at robmerger@gmail.com
• 

  Mark on September 25th, 2006 7:32 am

  I’m a Business Broker in NY, but not part of this advertised company. Just to reply to a few comments from my own experience, yes there are HUGE commissions to be made being a business broker, but from what I have learned, this job is a big commitment. As for the “Lehman Scale” business, this is partially true, but for one example, I found a 16 million dollar business interested in selling, and my office has secured a 6% commission agreement if we sell it. Asking 10% on a 1 million dollar business is not unusual at all. It basicallly comes down to how you want to play. The brokers I work with will not take anything less than 10% for businesses under 2-3 million. Like mentioned before though, it is tough and extremely stressfull to try to sell businesses alot of the time. I wouldn’t consider this a lotto business, but it’s certainly not a salaried one. As for paying training fees, or any fees whatsoever to become a broker, I would consider that a scam. The only thing I have had to pay for is my business cards, and gas. My office covers the phone bill, internet, and a large infrastructure with lawyers, IT and brochures/pamplets. I just share the commission with the office, which to me makes more sense. It is no scam to find a business brokerage to work for, List a 2million dollar business at 10%, sell it and make (before taxes) 100,000 (5%) in a couple months.
  If anyone has any comments/ questions feel free to email me
  mihde@bridgebrokers.com
• 

  kyle on February 9th, 2007 6:03 pm

  I have been involved in the network for over 3 years and have never made a penny in the M&A. I do not think it is a scam, but it is very, very difficult. And if Liz told someone that it takes 5 months to close your first deal it is a lie, even Mr. Newman and Dennis L. will tell you that. I have talked to many associates and I have never met one that made anything. It also takes a lot more than knowing how to email. You have to be willing to talk to these business owners and know what you are talking about or they will blow you off. Hope that helps anyone thinking about being in the business.
• 

  QG Rozario on February 14th, 2007 12:35 am

  BTW. My earlier email to all of you and to this forum is not a solicitation for funds.
• 

  Gilbert on May 11th, 2007 12:51 pm

  If you carefully read the postings here, it seems that the only person(s) that ever make money with Gerald R. Newman Esq. are Mr. Newman and his own sales associates, not those who paid to join his “network.” Is the reason he does not allow contact between associates, or ever publish a list of the supposed “networkâ€? is because of how very few people may actually be in the network? Perhaps if you email some of the people who posted here who are or have been actual associates (not a plant), do you think they might tell you that all they got for their money is helping to support Mr. Newman’s lavish lifestyle?
• 

  Jay on November 21st, 2008 7:51 pm

  I talked with Mr.Newman & I can say that this guy is a Jackass.
• 

  Gill on October 13th, 2009 8:48 pm

  If you want to contribute to Mr. Newman’s life style, at the expense of your own, send him your hard earned money. The mergers and acquisition business is how he acquires your money and merges it into his bank account! If you want to be a complete fool with you money, buy into this!
• 

  Dave on October 21st, 2009 6:59 pm

  Gerald Newman of mergerslawyer.com is a crook! He will charge you money, to do his cold calling for him. When you stumble across an opportunity that may be viable, he will cut you out of the loop. He will tell you that since you are not a securities licensed broker or an attorney that it is illegal for you to participate! Thats right, anyone who is dumb enough to get involved with him will be sorry. Dont say I didnt warn you.
• 

  John on July 25th, 2011 4:54 pm

  Gerald Newman has taken his scam to another level. Check out this listing that he posted: http://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/Matchmaking-for-Companies-Raising-Capital-Worldwide/620152/

  He claims he wants to “sell” his company for “just” $500,000 because he wants to retire. In reality, he will sell it to as many people as who will fall for it. A fool and his money are soon parted.

  He will start out by telling you other people are very interested so, to prove yourself, you should start by finding him a few merger deals.

  Either way, he wins.

  If you’ve been victimized by this man, contact the FBI, the SEC, the California Attorney General, and the BBB.

Leave a Reply