Valuations & Acquisitions: For Smaller Mailers, 2008 Forecast Calls For Pain

How ugly? Sagging sales are putting downward pressure on multiples and valuations, which means sellers won’t get as much for their businesses. Suddenly, all the entrepreneurial sweat equity built by business owners has been reduced to just sweat.

It’s like buying and selling stocks. You wouldn’t sell your stock after buying it high. Rather, you’d ride out the storm, protect your paper losses as best you could and wait it out until the market improves. That sentiment is exactly what's being forced on entrepreneurs..