Joseph Associates International, Inc. is an Illinois-registered business brokerage firm offering an integrated approach to mergers & acquisitions, brokerage, business valuation and consulting. Our main office is in the Chicago Board of Trade Building.

We help current and prospective business owners achieve their objectives using our patent-pending processes. Our team features an exceptional range and depth of talent, experience and education. Our president, Joe McCaul, holds the coveted designation of Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary from the M&A Source, the world’s largest organization of middle market intermediaries. He is also on the World Trade Center of Illinois' board of directors.

For Business Owners
We help business owners plan and implement their exit strategies, whether to insiders or third parties. Services include: third-party business valuations, consulting, brokerage and investment banking. Our licensed psychologist and executive coach assists with human issues. He is frequently retained to help owners and their spouses come to grips with stepping out of their business and into retirement. Other common themes for him are assessment of internal candidates for succession planning, addressing partnership disputes and team building.

Services for First-Time Buyers
Our patent-pending Credentialing® process that puts us in contact with an independent stream of prospective buyers. It is designed to help buyers confirm that entrepreneurship is right for them. If it is, we help them identify where they fit and provide them with the tools and professional support to best assure their future success.

Credentialing® is a 4-step process as follows:
- On-line entrepreneurial assessment
- One-on-one interview and coaching session
- How to Buy a Business seminar (Live and on DVD)
- SBA financing pre-qualification

Jim Critchfield attended the September 2004 How to Buy a Business seminar and elected to retain Joseph Associates International to perform a search to locate a business that was right for him. Hear what Jim has to say about our process.

How To Buy A Business Seminar is designed specifically for first time buyers. The attendees are typically seeking to exit the corporate world with a goal of becoming a business owner. This one day seminar will provide vital information on the key aspects of a business acquisition. You will learn how the process flows from beginning to end. Specific topics include: business valuation, 401K rollovers, private equity group sponsorship, business modeling, SBA financing, acquisition due diligence accounting and the legal aspects of a transaction.

Equally as important, the prospective entrepreneurs will be introduced to top professionals skilled in handling these types of transactions. You will meet talented accountants, financiers, business analysts and attorneys to recruit for your acquisition team. Buying a business is a team sport and we have the top draft picks assembled for you. If you are serious about buying a business, you can’t afford to set out unprepared. The contacts you make and the new information you learn will put you miles ahead.

The Seminar includes a catered lunch buffet for the enjoyment of all attendees.

Our primary focus is the Chicago metro area but our network of associates spans the globe.

We also assist foreign investors who would like to obtain permanent residency in the United States through a qualified business acquisition under the EB-5 Investment Visa program.

Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries, International Business Brokers Association, World Trade Center Chicago, The M&A Source, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, The Illinois CPA Society, Midwest Society of Professional Consultants, MBBI, Turnaround Management Association, The Midwest Entrepreneurs’ Forum, Financial Executives Institute MBBI and The University of Chicago GSB Club CEO Roundtable

Business Valuation: The Smart Approach

Whether or not you are planning to sell your business, you need to know its value. Owners of privately-held firms plan and implement strategy without being able to tie their actions to value. Why? Because they don’t measure it, nor do they understand how to calculate it. This stands in stark contrast to the management of publicly-traded companies who can monitor their market capitalization in real time.

Our staff can help you bridge this information gap. We collect the necessary data from you and your advisors, often working directly with your CPA. The assets and cash flow of the business are recast from a tax rendition to reflect a true economic reality. Depending on purpose and scope, our professionals typically recast historical performance or we might prepare detailed models with analyses and projections. Our first-hand experience as deal-makers gives us valuation insights that are simply not available to other players in the field. Those insights can significantly alter the ultimate perception of value.