Sometimes, the Devil Really is in the Details
I know a gentleman who recently sold his business for $20 million. Are you impressed? You shouldn’t be, because he and his partners invested $35 million to get the business to the point that it was worth $20 million. Overall, they lost $15 million in that business, even though part of the “story” includes a sale of the business at a $20 million value. But I didn’t tell you that part of the story, so you just assumed the $20 million number was impressive.
You can’t determine if a business is successful just because it is called profitable, has a certain level of sales or was sold for a certain amount of money. You need more details.
In business (and in life) make sure you are getting the full story. Sometimes, it is the details that reveal the truth.
