04 May A Broker’s Road: My Road to Business Brokerage
My name is Dan Barner, I am 25 years old, and a few months ago I became a Business Intermediary with Capital Business Advisors, Inc. in Albany, NY.
Yes, you heard it right. I am 25 and I recently became a business broker. Not the usual story for the business brokerage industry, I am aware. Let me tell you how I got here.
While studying business at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, I took a class with Professor Cusano (aka Carl Cusano, President of Capital Business Advisors). One day, Professor Cusano asked the class who might like to own their own business someday. Myself and one or two other students raised their hands. Professor Cusano proceeded to tell us about a marketing internship opportunity at Capital Business Advisors.
Fast forward to the next semester and I was interning at Capital Business Advisors. My internship involved attending client meetings, prospecting door-to-door for business owners looking to sell, and marketing research. It was a great experience and I got a real live look at the business brokerage industry.
At the end of my internship, Carl (I had stopped calling him Professor Cusano by this point) told me I had a real knack for marketing and that I should consider starting a marketing company. He also told me he’d make me a business broker someday.
Soon enough, I was graduating from The College of Saint Rose. The job market was tough and I wasn’t landing many interviews. So I took a leap of faith and started Prolific Marketing immediately upon graduating. Our mission would be to help small businesses with affordable marketing services. Four years later and we’re still doing this every day, and we look forward to continuing to do this for many more years to come (so if any of our clients are reading this, don’t worry – we’re not going anywhere!).
We have even done marketing work in the business brokerage industry. We have worked with the New York Association of Business Brokers (NYABB) for over three years, and I spoke at the 2012 NYABB Conference on social media. We have done work for a few business brokerage companies (I have to thank Tony Calvacca and Anthony Citrolo at New York Business Brokerage, Inc. for the industry education they have given me over the years). We have also developed a great working relationship with Business Brokerage Press over the past two years, which I truly value and appreciate.
Yet, becoming a business broker had always been in the back of my mind. Ever since my internship, I thought it might be something I’d like to take on some day. This past winter, I decided that day had come. I called Carl and asked if he’d consider bringing me aboard at Capital Business Advisors. He agreed, and my return to Capital Business Advisors was on.
Stay tuned for more updates on my new journey as a business broker. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, and I hope you’ll join me from time to time and share some experiences of your own!
Dan Barner is a Business Intermediary with Capital Business Advisors, Inc. in Albany, NY and the Founder of Prolific Marketing in Ballston Spa, NY. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association and the Board of Directors for Ballston Spa Rotary.
