Deal Challenges and How to Solve Them with Steven Hanson - Part 1
From Transaction Talk by Jennifer Fox and Eric Sigman
November 29, 2025 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 40
About this episode
In this episode, Jennifer and Eric discuss real-world deal challenges with guest Steven Hanson, exploring practical solutions for navigating business sales.
What happens when your "straightforward" business sale suddenly runs into nervous employees, bank surprises, shifting valuations, or a seller who is just exhausted by the process? In this episode of Transaction Talk, Jennifer and Eric are joined by Steven Hanson, Transworld Business Advisors owner and partner, to dig into real-world deal challenges and practical ways to solve them. Steven is an experienced business intermediary with more than a decade at Transworld, where he and his team help business owners navigate confidential sales, franchise growth, and mergers and acquisitions. In our conversation, Steven explains why every transaction has ups and downs, how brokers end up acting as both quarterback and coach for all the moving parts, and why you should never consider a deal done until the money is in the bank. Together they explore the impact of key employees on a sale, the pros and cons of when to loop staff into the process, what to do when valuations or lender decisions change late in the game, and how to manage the emotional toll of "deal fatigue." Steven also shares creative solutions he's used to keep deals alive and his simple but powerful tip for staying calm when…
People in this episode
Hosts: Jennifer Fox, Eric Sigman
Guest: Steven Hanson
Topics covered
- business sale
- deal challenges
- employee impact
- valuation changes
- deal fatigue
- creative solutions
Keywords
- business sale
- deal challenges
- employee impact
- valuation
- deal fatigue
- business intermediary
- mergers and acquisitions
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Transworld Business Advisors
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- Top 5 Deal Killers With Aaron Fox · April 29, 2026 · 25 min
- Inside the Buyer's Mind: Who's Buying & What Industries · April 13, 2026 · 24 min
- When Is the Right Time to Sell · March 30, 2026 · 21 min
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