You will not get beyond the first glimmer of buyer interest unless you show financial records – and the more formally prepared and documented they are, the better your chances are for selling. In fact, how you present your financial information can affect the sale price of your business. If your business does not already have clean, presentable financial statements, you have two choices in front of you. Create financial statements using accounting software or hire a professional to do the job for you. If you decide to prepare your own statements, treat your work as a first draft for a professional review. This is a time in the life or you business where you should plan to make good use of your accountant’s expertise. The short cut of course is to head straight to an accountant for help. If that is the path you choose, then make sure you arrive armed with financial facts about your business in order to make the best use of the time.

Know what you need

The business you are selling may have a couple dozen employees in a sprawling office or shop; or you may have hundreds of employees and even multiple locations. No matter the size, financial records are important if you wish to sell a business.

Financial statements that go back three years. Offering to let a buyer go through a shoebox full of records will not do. You need to present financial statements that are accurate and understandable, including year-to-date and past three-year income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and a statement of the seller’s discretionary earnings your business generates. Depending on the nature and size of the business, cash basis financial statements may be acceptable to a buyer. For most businesses an accrual basis financial statements are preferred.

Business Financial Trends. Financial statements bare the financial soul of your business, but they require interpretation before the information they contain can actually help you sell your business. That is why it is important to present at-a-glance trend charts and financial ratios that show what the numbers in your statements actually mean and the kind of opportunity they represent. Truth is with your financial statements in hand a prospective buyer has all the information necessary to plot the direction you sales and earnings are heading calculate what percentage of sales dollars make it to the bottom line and determine how efficiently your business turns inventory or collects receivables. You are better off doing the work yourself however so you can present the information with your own explanations about what the calculations mean and how they support the idea that your business is a good purchase opportunity.

Backup records. To back your financial claims you need to be ready to present supporting financial documents including bank statements, tax returns and other forms that prove that the numbers in your financial records are accurate.

Where to begin

Business owners are do-it-yourselfers, so your inclination may be to use whatever numbers you can come up with, prepare your own financial statements, and precede full steam ahead. For businesses with revenues in the several-hundred-thousand dollar range and with sales coming from easy-to-track sources, self-generated statements are more likely to be considered adequate. If you decide to go it alone, rely on good accounting software such as Peachtree or QuickBooks while keeping in mind accountant prepared statements underscore that your business is professionally managed, which can add value in the minds of buyers seeking businesses with sophisticated management systems.

Get advice about restating your balance sheet prior to the sale and remove assets that are not essential to the business operations such as a business-owned car, money market or investment accounts, buildings or other real estate property and loans.

Preparing financial statements

Buyers want to see four financial statements: an income statement, also known as a profit and loss statement, a balance sheet stating the financial condition of the business; a cash flow statement showing how money moves through the business and a seller’s discretionary earnings statement showing how much cash your business generates annually for the benefit of you, the owner.

1.  Income statement This calculates your net profit or your pretax net income also known as your bottom line. This statement shows how your company performed financially and shows money made or lost over recent years. This statement should contain gross sales, gross profit, and operating profit, which are the earnings before interest and taxes after you subtract the operating expenses and depreciation.
2. Cash flow statement This statement shows how much money came into and went out of your business over the statement period and how your assets changed as a result. Total funds in including all money received from sales, dividends or interest from business investments or any other revenue made by the business. It should show funds out also, every cent the business paid out of the statement period.
3. Seller’s Discretionary Earnings This statement combines information from your income statement and balance sheet with adjustments that back out certain expenses, including owner benefits, one time non recurring expenses and expenses that are considered discretionary meaning another owner may choose not to incur them and such a decision wouldn’t greatly harm the business. The result should be a report showing how much the business has earned annually for you. This process is called recasting or normalizing your financials. This is a standard process to show how much the business really earns. For example when running a business, you deduct everything possible allowing business expense ass a fair way to minimize profits and taxes. When it is time to sell however, you will want to show how much cash your business actually generates for a full-time owner/manager.
4. The Balance Sheet This statement shows the value of everything your business owns – its assets – minus everything your business owes – its liabilities – as of certain moment in time, usually year-end or month-end. The balance sheet should show current assets such as investments, securities, accounts receivables, value of inventory, and importantly cash on hand. It should have the value of larger fixed assets like land, buildings, or major equipment. Intangibles are also important to show on a balance sheet for example a process your business invented or a special patent the business holds. The balance sheet also shows any current liabilities, long-term financial obligations, the owners’ equity and finally the sum of the total assets and total liabilities.

Know what buyers look for in your financial records

Financial trends and ratios. Buyers scan financial statements for success indicators or red flags. When they are looking to buy a restaurant, for example they know to check food, labor and rent costs as a percentage of sales. In service businesses, they check whether the net profit margin is holding steady to see if costs of sales and operating expenses are growing at a pace that is eating up the bottom line. Help buyers see the positive financial trends and ratios of your business, rather than making them dig through your financial statements to arrive at the calculations on their own.

Sales and expense growth. Buyers study recent history of revenues. The revenues tell a story, if they are declining, a buyer will assume that either your product or service has lost appeal in the marketplace. If sales are increasing, buyers have confidence that your business is doing something – or a lot of things right. Buyers also look at expenses to make sure costs are not rising fast than revenues. If sales have been on an upswing then show that to buyers in a chart or summary.

Sales and earnings growth rate. Buyers want to get a sense of what is in store for the next few years. Calculate a rate of growth by examining the sales and discretionary earnings. If sales have increased each year, then show this to a buyer in the form of a percent.

Inventory turnover. Buyers especially in manufacturing, retail, or distribution businesses will want to know the inventory turnover rate. This does vary depending on the industry but what is important is to know how the rate is trending. Has the inventory turned over at an increasingly rapid or slow rate? Generally, a high turnover is better than a low ratio because it can indicate business is good, inventory is well managed and selling quickly. However if you business inventory turnover is slow because you stocked up on materials just be prepared to include that information in the selling documents presented to buyers.

Receivables. Buyers want to assess the strength of the business by reviewing how long credit sales remain in accounts before paid. This can reveal two things: how efficiently your business manages receivables and the strength of clientele and how able or willing customers are to pay their bills.

Compiling Financials

Business brokers, accountants and other professionals can help when it comes time to prepare businesses financial records for sale. A buyer needs to see solid financial information to be confident in the purchase of your business. The ability to show proof of solid legitimate financial records can greatly affect the sale price of a business. So get your financial paperwork in order, choose an accounting method that works for your business, create reports or have a professional help prepare documents showing sale and earnings data and don’t forget to back up the information.

The post Testing Post appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

You will not get beyond the first glimmer of buyer interest unless you show financial records – and the more formally prepared and documented they are, the better your chances are for selling. In fact, how you present your financial information can affect the sale price of your business. If your business does not already have clean, presentable financial statements, you have two choices in front of you. Create financial statements using accounting software or hire a professional to do the job for you. If you decide to prepare your own statements, treat your work as a first draft for a professional review. This is a time in the life or you business where you should plan to make good use of your accountant’s expertise. The short cut of course is to head straight to an accountant for help. If that is the path you choose, then make sure you arrive armed with financial facts about your business in order to make the best use of the time.

Know what you need

The business you are selling may have a couple dozen employees in a sprawling office or shop; or you may have hundreds of employees and even multiple locations. No matter the size, financial records are important if you wish to sell a business.

Financial statements that go back three years. Offering to let a buyer go through a shoebox full of records will not do. You need to present financial statements that are accurate and understandable, including year-to-date and past three-year income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and a statement of the seller’s discretionary earnings your business generates. Depending on the nature and size of the business, cash basis financial statements may be acceptable to a buyer. For most businesses an accrual basis financial statements are preferred.

Business Financial Trends. Financial statements bare the financial soul of your business, but they require interpretation before the information they contain can actually help you sell your business. That is why it is important to present at-a-glance trend charts and financial ratios that show what the numbers in your statements actually mean and the kind of opportunity they represent. Truth is with your financial statements in hand a prospective buyer has all the information necessary to plot the direction you sales and earnings are heading calculate what percentage of sales dollars make it to the bottom line and determine how efficiently your business turns inventory or collects receivables. You are better off doing the work yourself however so you can present the information with your own explanations about what the calculations mean and how they support the idea that your business is a good purchase opportunity.

Backup records. To back your financial claims you need to be ready to present supporting financial documents including bank statements, tax returns and other forms that prove that the numbers in your financial records are accurate.

Where to begin

Business owners are do-it-yourselfers, so your inclination may be to use whatever numbers you can come up with, prepare your own financial statements, and precede full steam ahead. For businesses with revenues in the several-hundred-thousand dollar range and with sales coming from easy-to-track sources, self-generated statements are more likely to be considered adequate. If you decide to go it alone, rely on good accounting software such as Peachtree or QuickBooks while keeping in mind accountant prepared statements underscore that your business is professionally managed, which can add value in the minds of buyers seeking businesses with sophisticated management systems.

Get advice about restating your balance sheet prior to the sale and remove assets that are not essential to the business operations such as a business-owned car, money market or investment accounts, buildings or other real estate property and loans.

Preparing financial statements

Buyers want to see four financial statements: an income statement, also known as a profit and loss statement, a balance sheet stating the financial condition of the business; a cash flow statement showing how money moves through the business and a seller’s discretionary earnings statement showing how much cash your business generates annually for the benefit of you, the owner.

1.  Income statement This calculates your net profit or your pretax net income also known as your bottom line. This statement shows how your company performed financially and shows money made or lost over recent years. This statement should contain gross sales, gross profit, and operating profit, which are the earnings before interest and taxes after you subtract the operating expenses and depreciation.
2. Cash flow statement This statement shows how much money came into and went out of your business over the statement period and how your assets changed as a result. Total funds in including all money received from sales, dividends or interest from business investments or any other revenue made by the business. It should show funds out also, every cent the business paid out of the statement period.
3. Seller’s Discretionary Earnings This statement combines information from your income statement and balance sheet with adjustments that back out certain expenses, including owner benefits, one time non recurring expenses and expenses that are considered discretionary meaning another owner may choose not to incur them and such a decision wouldn’t greatly harm the business. The result should be a report showing how much the business has earned annually for you. This process is called recasting or normalizing your financials. This is a standard process to show how much the business really earns. For example when running a business, you deduct everything possible allowing business expense ass a fair way to minimize profits and taxes. When it is time to sell however, you will want to show how much cash your business actually generates for a full-time owner/manager.
4. The Balance Sheet This statement shows the value of everything your business owns – its assets – minus everything your business owes – its liabilities – as of certain moment in time, usually year-end or month-end. The balance sheet should show current assets such as investments, securities, accounts receivables, value of inventory, and importantly cash on hand. It should have the value of larger fixed assets like land, buildings, or major equipment. Intangibles are also important to show on a balance sheet for example a process your business invented or a special patent the business holds. The balance sheet also shows any current liabilities, long-term financial obligations, the owners’ equity and finally the sum of the total assets and total liabilities.

Know what buyers look for in your financial records

Financial trends and ratios. Buyers scan financial statements for success indicators or red flags. When they are looking to buy a restaurant, for example they know to check food, labor and rent costs as a percentage of sales. In service businesses, they check whether the net profit margin is holding steady to see if costs of sales and operating expenses are growing at a pace that is eating up the bottom line. Help buyers see the positive financial trends and ratios of your business, rather than making them dig through your financial statements to arrive at the calculations on their own.

Sales and expense growth. Buyers study recent history of revenues. The revenues tell a story, if they are declining, a buyer will assume that either your product or service has lost appeal in the marketplace. If sales are increasing, buyers have confidence that your business is doing something – or a lot of things right. Buyers also look at expenses to make sure costs are not rising fast than revenues. If sales have been on an upswing then show that to buyers in a chart or summary.

Sales and earnings growth rate. Buyers want to get a sense of what is in store for the next few years. Calculate a rate of growth by examining the sales and discretionary earnings. If sales have increased each year, then show this to a buyer in the form of a percent.

Inventory turnover. Buyers especially in manufacturing, retail, or distribution businesses will want to know the inventory turnover rate. This does vary depending on the industry but what is important is to know how the rate is trending. Has the inventory turned over at an increasingly rapid or slow rate? Generally, a high turnover is better than a low ratio because it can indicate business is good, inventory is well managed and selling quickly. However if you business inventory turnover is slow because you stocked up on materials just be prepared to include that information in the selling documents presented to buyers.

Receivables. Buyers want to assess the strength of the business by reviewing how long credit sales remain in accounts before paid. This can reveal two things: how efficiently your business manages receivables and the strength of clientele and how able or willing customers are to pay their bills.

Compiling Financials

Business brokers, accountants and other professionals can help when it comes time to prepare businesses financial records for sale. A buyer needs to see solid financial information to be confident in the purchase of your business. The ability to show proof of solid legitimate financial records can greatly affect the sale price of a business. So get your financial paperwork in order, choose an accounting method that works for your business, create reports or have a professional help prepare documents showing sale and earnings data and don’t forget to back up the information.

The post Your Word Alone Is Not Good Enough When it Comes To Business Finances, How to Compile Financial Records. appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

Listen to Chris talk about this weeks Sunbelt Midwest’s featured business listings

Featured Businesses
• Industrial Electronics Firm $1.7 Million in sales, Nearly $400,000 in profit, full service provider of industrial automation control systems and solutions
• Gas Station, C-Store & Auto Repair Almost $3 Million in sales, profitable, turn-key operation
• Multi Location Franchise Food Industry $1.6 Million in sales, $315,000 profit

Sign up for our next complimentary seminar July 30th, 2013

The post Sunbelt’s Featured Businesses For Sale – On The Patriot Radio AM1280 appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

Listen to Chris talk about this weeks Sunbelt Midwest’s featured business listings

Featured Businesses of the Week – Fabrication /Construction Industry, nearly $1.3 Million in annual sales, over $360,000 profit includes real estate. Seller financing available. Trucking and Transportation Business, Owner is retiring, almost $2.3 Million in annual sales and $400,000 in profit.

Successful Transactions
Sunbelt Midwest Sells Wisconsin-based Trucking Company by Acquisition, read about Sunbelt’s recent sale of a Wisconsin based trucking company.

The post Featured Business For Sale – Chris Jones on The Patriot Radio AM1280 appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

Listen to Chris give his expert advice and Sunbelt Midwest’s featured weekly business listing

Featured Business of the Week – Custom Equipment Manufacturer, 4 years in business $1.5 Million in sales, $300K in profit with bank financing available.

The post Chris Jones on The Patriot Radio AM1280- Featured Business For Sale – Custom Equipment Manufacturer appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

Foreign investors seeking to obtain a US green card often consider the EB-5 Investor Visa program, which provides a green card to foreign nationals who meet certain job creation and capital investment criteria.

While the EB-5 program is increasingly popular, it has notable concerns. There have been some high profile scams and fraud specifically targeted towards EB-5 investors. In February 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought a complaint against an EB-5 program in Chicago which allegedly defrauded more than 250 investors through a $150+ million investment scam.

In addition, the US government maintains a quota (limit) on the number of EB-5 visas available for approval each year. This quota remains particularly important for Chinese investors who may soon see a backlog of EB-5 visas. What this means is that investors from mainland China may face long wait times for a green card.

As an alternative to the EB-5 program, foreign investors should consider their eligibility to file under the EB-1(3) category. The EB-1(3) option has no foreseeable backlog and because the option often involves a business owned and controlled by the investor, there is not likely to be a scam or fraud involved. There are simply less “players” in the transaction. Moreover, the economic metrics for filing under EB-1(3) are often far less stringent than EB-5, which allows for more customization and control of the investment. The EB-1(3) option requires a qualifying relationship between a business abroad and a business in the United States. One possibility for pursuing the EB-1(3) option is to acquire an existing business in the United States that is consistent with a business abroad. Sunbelt Midwest Business Brokers can be a valuable partner in pursuing the EB-1(3) option through such a business purchase, which has many advantages over trying to grow organically.

By Stefan Johansson and Robert P. Webber of Webber Law Firm, LLC

Resources
Sunbelt Midwest buying a US business
EB-5 Immigrant Investor www.uscis.gov
Securities and Exchange Commission www.sec.gov
Working with foreign investors www.webberlaw.com

The post Strategies for Foreign Investors May Be Evolving appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

Before putting the sale into motion, tap into the expertise you need to construct, negotiate, and steer your sale to a positive end. Work with your accountant, attorney, and broker – all under the protection of confidentiality agreements – instead of relying on people within your business for help. If you must inform key people of the impending sale do so only after your decision to sell is final. Otherwise, you risk causing alarm among your staff and could make them feel vulnerable about their jobs.

Selling your business is not a time for flying solo. Bring in some professionals to assist you in the sale of your business, from accountants to attorneys, business brokers, and appraisers. No matter how small the deal is no one should sell a business without obtaining financial and tax advice.

An accountant is probably the first team member you will recruit because they will have the information at hand to help you prepare the numbers you need to plan your sale offering and present your business to buyers.
An attorney can advise on issues regarding business structure, employees, contracts and other legal matters. An attorney can help prepare legal documents and sale agreements to finalize the sale.
A business broker sometimes called a mergers and acquisition specialist can free you from the demands of selling your business while running it. A broker can provide advice on how to value a business for sale and help maintain confidentiality while finding prospective buyers.
An appraiser can provide a formal document to prove validity of the business value to the buyer or to the IRS. A business broker or advisor can also give their opinion of value but if you want a formal document, hire a professional appraiser.

How to decide where you need help

Ask yourself the following questions in order to determine if you need to seek professional resources to aid in the sale of your business.

1. Do you know what your business is worth? What your assets worth and what are they for example cars, office equipment and are they easy to value. Does your business involve harder-to-assess assets such as major equipment, inventory, brand value or reputation, proprietary processes, goodwill, and intellectual property including patents, trademarks, and copyrighted material?
2. Do you know who and where your likely buyers are? Some business sales start with a willing and able buyer but for most sellers finding a buyer is a looming issue. Do you have a clear picture of the kind of person who will buy your business? Will your prospective buyer be shopping for a business like yours or shopping for a business period?
3. Do you have time to simultaneously run your business and prepare it for sale? The last thing you would want is your business to suffer from neglect while you direct your energy to the effort of selling it. If selling your business distracts you from running your business and if you do not have a dependable employee to take up the slack while you turn your attention to the sale then get help from a broker. If running your business and serving customers already consumes most of your working hours then you will probably need sale assistance. Can you redirect your efforts to marketing your business while keeping your sale plans confidential? Would your business suffer if word leaked out to customers, suppliers, or distributors? Using a business broker can give you a valuable layer of protection and confidentiality.
4. Are you good at marketing, presenting, and negotiating? For the same reason you would hire bookkeeping assistance if you were weak on the numbers front, you want to hire a business broker if you are not the best person to design and implement a business for sale marketing plan.

** from the book Sell a Business for Dummies by Barbara Findlay Schenck, Business Advisor & Sunbelt’s CEO John Davies

Who Should NOT Help You Sell Your Business

Do your research and check out firms before trusting them to sell your company or give you advice. At Sunbelt Midwest our fees are success-based, meaning our brokers are paid when the seller is paid – at the closing table. Use caution with any firm that asks for upfront or commitment fees. Ask these questions when deciding on whom to have on your business sales team.

1. Do you have a list of recent successful transactions and references?
2. How much of your income is from selling companies versus selling business valuations?
3. How are you going to market the business for sale? Does the company have dedicated staff that will do outbound calling or an internet marketing strategy?
4. Does the company have an analyst who will create a target list of strategic buyers?

Deciding which professional resources to call upon ultimately depends on the nature and size of your business, your personal abilities, and interests and on the amount of spare time in your calendar. Before deciding to sell think about assembling a business sales team, who you can trust, to help maximize the sale of your business.

The post Selling your business is not a time for flying solo appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

Listen to the complete interview on KKMS-AM

The post Dan Arcand and Chris Jones talk about growing your business so you can exit in style appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

The stronger your business is before you put it up for sale, the quicker it will sell, and the higher the price it will command. The most obvious attribute you want to present has to do with the financial condition of your business. because almost all buyers will want to see growing sales and positive cash flow that can fun operating and financing costs right from the day of purchase. In order to sell your business, a seller should consider eliminating weaknesses or buyer red flags, cleaning up legal problems, structuring the business finances with the sale objective in mind, and polishing the company’s image prior to sale.

Legal Issues
One of the quickest ways to scare off a buyer is to try to sell a business that is riddled with issues signaling legal troubles ahead. If your business is threatened by a lawsuit or contract disputes or if it has pending legal actions you have not dealt with, you are sitting on a stack of buyer red flags. At that point interest is likely to ebb, price negotiations are likely to intensify and due diligence is likely to become even more intensive.

Your best course of action is to list any possible legal issues before offering your business for sale. Take the necessary steps to clear them or at least get the process of clearing them underway. Addressing legal issues is in the best interest of the seller because in most small business sales the legal liabilities remain with the seller – not the buyer –even after the sale.

Seeking legal advice is recommended if any patents or licenses are part of the business sale. If there is a building lease, ask is it current, assignable and renewable? If the business is in violation of any zoning regulations or if there are any unapproved regulation variances these should be assessed. Pending litigation or unresolved lawsuits should be disclosed if they are ongoing. Resolving labor or compliance issues, making sure licenses are up-to-date and also deciding if the sale of the business will require third-party consents are important legal issues to resolve prior to sale.

Getting Your Finances In Order
If your business finances are a mess, it is difficult to make anything else about the business look good. Financial health is an essential key to success, without it, you cannot grow your business to its potential and sell for its best price. Businesses that show strong financial condition and growth sell for top dollar. Go through financial records or work with an accountant to check on the assets ownership, taxes, debts owed or debts owed to the business. Make sure there are no liens on equipment or other major assets. Bring all federal state and local tax payments up to date and make sure any debts owed are clear. Collect accounts receivable or unpaid credit sales especially those over 45 days.

Increasing your bottom line
Buyers want to see a business generates enough money after all expenses to fund a good living for its owner. Improving your profit which is the taxable earnings the business shows after subtracting all cost of sales and operating expenses from the business such as owner salary, perks, family member perks and other expenses that are important but not necessary is one way to improve the bottom line. Another way is to improve the seller’s discretionary earnings, which is the amount of money the business generates for the benefit of its owner after adding owner’s salary and benefits, family member salary and benefits and other discretionary expenditures back to the profit line.

Increasing prices is one of the quickest ways to increase the bottom line. A well run business raises prices on a regular but not-too-frequent basis. Usually an increase will align with increases in the overall economy so that customers see the changes as understandably unavoidable. If you have not brought your prices into line, face the situation and deal with the fact that your prices need revising.

Cut costs and reduce overhead. Make sure the cuts are strategic and do not eliminate expenses that are necessary to the strength of the business. Look for those expenses that are not contributing to the business and eliminate them. This could be a large ad in the yellow book or membership to a local networking group that you are no longer involved. Every business situation is different but all benefit from occasional and careful review. Hold off on replenishing supplies or replacing staff unless necessary to the health of the business. Look for items you purchase or services at lower costs and shop around for more affordable prices.

Improve Your Businesses Curb Appeal
Once your business is on the market, prospective screened buyers will start to examine your business. Most buyers these days go straight to the computer to search for information. They will drive by your business, collect marketing materials and form an opinion of your business appeal before every hearing a polished sales pitch from the seller. A business for sale needs to make a good first impression. You want everything from your stationary to ads, brochures, uniforms, and bags, web pages to convey the same logo, color, message, and overall look. Consistency in marketing materials presents a strong brand to a buyer. Essentially selling a business, especially one that has foot traffic is just like selling a home, the curb appeal and first impressions of your location are very important to the outcome. Make sure things are clean and fresh, modern furnishings and some sprucing up can go a long way toward helping sell your business.

** from the book Sell a Business for Dummies by Barbara Findlay Schenck, Business Advisor & Sunbelt’s CEO John Davies

The post Strengthen Your Business Before Sale appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.

Todd Ruhkick represented the seller in the sale of Koppa’s Farwell Foods to Krishveer LLC. Ruhkick who is a former business owner himself, helps owners through the process of how to sell a business and find a qualified buyer. Krishveer LLC, the buyer, is an entrepreneur who owns several small businesses in Wisconsin. The business sale was finalized late February 2013 for an undisclosed price and terms. Small business lawyer, J.P. Fernandes advised on the closing transaction.

Read the full press release

The post Sunbelt Midwest Sells Beloved East Side Milwaukee Grocer and Delicatessen appeared first on Sunbelt Midwest Blog.