Sample Client Testimonials

Below are a few representative, abbreviated testimonials from seller and buyer clients.  Contact us for more details and additional testimonials which are not posted online.

“I am happy to recommend VR Mergers & Acquisitions.  VR handled the sale professionally from the time we signed up until closing.  They brought us eight good offers on the business, from local, mainland, overseas buyers and private equity groups.  The sale was a complex one.  There were quite a few legal, tax and accounting issues to be handled, a variety of government agencies involved, SBA lenders, key employees, a difficult landlord, etc.  VR managed the process with precision and professionalism.”
Owner, Academia Language School, Educational Services

“I can with great confidence recommend VR Mergers & Acquisitions and Steve Abdalla to any Hawaii business owner considering the sale of his or her business.  VR brought qualified prospective buyers from all over the mainland, and from as far away as Japan.  During the 8 months we were working with VR, we received 6 signed offers, two of which were excellent and nearly full price.  VR is highly organized, professional, efficient and produce results.  Unlike some mainland brokers, VR generally doesn’t charge upfront fees that take away the broker’s incentive to get the job done.  The buyer has done a fantastic job with the business.  The customers, employees and suppliers are all very pleased." 
Owner, Custom Contractors, Inc., Specialty Contractor & Distributor

"Aloha VR & Grif. Many Mahalo's for introducing me to Richard & Nancy and Alaka'i Publishing. The opportunity is incredible the association will be personally rewarding. Thanks again for finding the right fit for my Life Quality (LQ) business."
Owner, Alaka's Publishing, Printing & Publishing

"VR - thank you very much for helping us with the successful sale of our business. After trying to sell it by owner for six month on our own we were very pleased to hire you to assist us in the sale. I was very happy that with your successful marketing, we received four offers within one week. I am confident that because of your specialized expertise we were able to obtain top dollar for our business."
Owner, Complete Rental Management, Property Management

“VR and Steve Abdalla provided excellent representation and obtained the full asking price we wanted for our business.  Steve is ethical, hard working and very competent.  The selling process is difficult and stressful and we found it invaluable to have VR helping us each step of the way.”
Owner, Military Nutrition, Distribution

“I put my blood sweat and tears into building my business for 19 years, and did not want just anyone selling it.   Steve Abdalla and VR Mergers & Acquisitions managed the marketing and sale in an extremely professional way.  Steve has an outstanding work ethic and was always responsive and helpful.  VR brought quite a number of buyers from throughout Hawaii, the mainland, Europe and Asia. 

The eventual purchaser was a Japanese executive and his wife who were looking for an immigration visa.   They paid the price I was looking for in cash.  We were concerned that the mall landlord would not approve the buyer as they had no prior retail experience.  However, Steve helped the buyer draft a detailed summary of his and his wife’s experience and how it would be relevant to the business, as well as plan for growth of the business that helped persuade the landlord to approve the buyer.  Steve introduced the buyer to an excellent immigration attorney who got the visa approved.”
Owner, Boutique A’propos, Apparel Retail

“VR did an exceptional job for us.  VR and its people have high integrity, and were willing to fight hard for critical issues.  They are exceptionally professional and really know their business.  As one example, they introduced us to a tax saving strategy used by only a few dozen business brokers nationwide.   They are persistent and relentless, never quitting and doing whatever it takes to get the job is done.  Although representing us, VR drafted a business plan for the buyer in two days to help him qualify for an SBA loan.”
Owner, King Sweep LLC, Commercial Cleaning

“VR sold my 20 year established construction company, and I can advocate for them with great confidence.  VR has an extensive database of buyers and incredible marketing network.  Within five weeks of hiring VR, they brought me a full price offer from a buyer from VR’s Japanese network.  VR also had several interested local buyers and an experience construction operator from Australia. 

The deal was not an easy one. On several occasions it seemed there was no way we would get to closing.  But VR helped us navigate all the obstacles and reach a great result.  The buyer has done a fantastic job with the company and is taking excellent care of my customers and employees, which was very important to me.  As for me, I’m enjoying retirement.”
Owner, Adon Construction, General Contractor

"I’m writing to express my gratitude to Steve Abdalla and VR Mergers & Acquisitions for selling my tax accounting business.  The buyers are great to work with, and the process went much smoother than I initially thought.  VR’s professionalism was quite impressive throughout the process.  Many thanks again!”
Owner, Reed Rohrer LLC, Accounting Practice

“I would recommend Steve Abdalla and VR Mergers & Acquisitions to anyone looking to buy or sell a business in Hawaii.   They were very helpful in finding equitable compromises and moving things forward in a professional, organized manner.  I was very satisfied with the knowledge and professionalism.”
Owner, Five Star Transportation, Distribution

“VR Mergers & Acquisitions did an excellent job selling my business, the FantaSea watch and jewelry store in Waikiki.  VR’s agents really know their business.  They were very skilled in brokering numerous compromises to get my business sold.  We had quite a few obstacles arise with the buyer, with review of financial information, problems with the landlord and transfer of lease, etc.  No matter what happened they found a solution to the problem and got the parties to work together.  They were very organized, professional and diligent from start to finish.  The buyers are a nice young couple that VR has been working with for many months.  They are Japanese nationals who need a business to get an immigration visa, which I’m sure helped with their motivation.   I’m happy to being retiring.  Best of luck to those of you still working!”
Owner, FantaSea, Retail Jewelry

“I am happy to recommend VR Hawaii to any potential business seller in Hawaii.  VR sold my business in less than three months during a down economy.  Its people are very skilled in overcoming the countless obstacles to selling a business.”
Owner, Mama’s Island Pizza, Restaurant

“As a first time buyer coming from the mainland, we can attest the process of buying a business was overwhelming.  After months looking for another type of business, VR suggested a cleaning business that turned out to be a perfect fit.  They were extremely helpful in finding a wide variety of critical resources (e.g., Attorney, CPA, marketing resources) that were invaluable during our due diligence and afterwards.  My wife and I am very pleased with our investment, VR and our move to Hawaii.”
Owner, Kawaii Hae Cleaning LLC, Commercial Cleaning

“I found the services provided by VR Mergers & Acquisitions to be effective and professional.  VR produced a very thorough, detailed and persuasive prospectus on my business that presented it in an attractive light.  The profile was introduced into the VR system, and several interested and qualified buyers were seriously evaluating my business within a few weeks.  We almost had a bidding war among three anxious buyers.  It took quite a bit of back and forth negotiations to select the right buyer and work through concerns about the business’s dependence on me.  While I didn’t get my “dream price” in the end, the price was in the high end of the range my CPA thought it would sell for.  The sale was closed quickly and professionally”.
Owner, Robert Krause & Associates, Furniture Distributor/ Representative

“Dear VR Mergers & Acquisitions:  This is just a short note to let you know that your expertise in making this complex, immigration related business sale for all parties involved is to be commended.  Do not hesitate to use me as a reference for future clients. I am very happy with the final outcome.”
Owner, NK & Associates, Architectural/ Graphic Design Services

“Selling a business is a critical decision and it’s important to pick the right broker.  Our business has supported our family for 15+ years and has 8 employees.  It was very important to us that the sale be kept confidential and to find a strong buyer that would take care of the business and employees after we left.   VR did an excellent job for us.  They sold our business for the full asking price to a highly qualified buyer identified by VR.  They skillfully managed the process from the initial valuation all the way through closing.  VR kept everything confidential; none of the employees or customers suspected the business was for sale.  We are very satisfied with the result and pleased to recommend VR Mergers & Acquisitions.”
Owner, BJ Genz, Plumbing Services

“VR Mergers & Acquisitions sold our business and did an excellent job overall.  We tried without success for months to sell the business on our own.  VR stepped in and took the detailed report we had written, spruced it up considerably and suggested clearer ways to present our financial results.  They even gave us suggestions for improving our web site.  VR gave us very broad exposure, and introduced us to a great number of buyers.  The sale was not easy as we had some losses in the recent past.  VR is quite professional and I can recommend them without hesitation.”
Owner, Hawaiian Island Eco Tour, Sports & Activities

“VR Mergers & Acquisitions sold my very successful retail business.  I honestly never would have sold the business, except my husband was being transferred off island.  Selling a business is a long and stressful process.  In our case, we had to not only get interested buyers, but the buyers had to get approval from a demanding landlord (General Growth Properties), licensor, and a bank for an SBA loan.    I can confidently recommend the services of Steve Abdalla and VR Mergers & Acquisitions.  VR was very diligent in his work from day one up until closing.  He worked effectively with buyers, and brought us three offers in total.”
Owner, Shanghai Tang, Retail Apparel

“If you are thinking of selling your business, you have found the right broker.  Fung Yang of VR Business Brokers sold my business, and I am very happy with the results. VR is professional in all its procedures and approach throughout the process.  They prepared an excellent and detailed profile for my business.  They marketed around the world in several different languages.   Yang is very knowledgeable, responsive and thoughtful.  He was always available to answer questions and help work through problems that arose.  Our sale was complex as we had a difficult landlord and challenges getting a lease assigned, but Yang helped us navigate through the issues and get to closing.”
Owner, Tobaccos Hawaii, Retail Tobacco

“I would urge anyone looking to buy a business in Hawaii to work with VR.  VR, and its broker Steve Abdalla, went above a beyond the call of duty to help me acquire a business.  They found me a great CPA, attorney, insurance broker and PR contacts.  Steve helped me draft a growth plan to impress the bank and persuade key employees to stay on after the sale.  He provided a variety of useful suggestions for growing the business.  He helped us overcome complex issues related to contracts, financial calculations, landlord negotiations and taxes.  Looking back, I must have received three hundred emails and calls from Steve over the three months leading to closing.  He was willing to do whatever it took within reason to make the deal happen.  I greatly appreciate his efforts and am thrilled to own a business in Hawaii.”
Owner, Academia Management Corporation, Educational Services

"I attended a breakfast meeting where Steve Abdalla of VR was a featured speaker and I was quickly impressed with his knowledge and insight on the business of selling businesses.  Because of his professionalism, experience, and confidence in being able to sell my business, I decided to use VR to sell my company.  

“Within a few weeks after posting my company for sale on the VR web site, I received several inquiries about my business and had a signed offer in place shortly thereafter.  Although that first offer did not go through, a second, more lucrative offer, came in shortly afterwards and we closed the deal within a few months.  Steve and his assistant, Stephanie, were always accessible to me the entire way, and their follow through was outstanding. I would highly recommend VR Mergers & Acquisitions to other entrepreneurs looking to sell their business.”
Owner, Projectors Hawaii, Technology Distribution & Sales

“Before I met with Fung Yang of VR Mergers & Acquisitions, I was actually thinking of just shutting my business down.  While it was profitable, there was only one or two employees in the business, one major account, and the was business was very dependent on me.  But Yang persuaded me to let them take it to market, and much to my surprise, he had a signed purchase agreement in less than 30 days.  But we were far from done.  There were a dozen or more real challenges that had to be overcome before closing.  Yang was invaluable in finding compromises and persuading the buyer to continue.  I highly recommend Yang and VR Business Brokers to entrepreneurs who are ready to sell.”
Owner, Oliver Tile Corporation, Specialty Contractor

“VR Mergers & Acquisitions - Please accept this letter as a quick thank you for your hard work in getting our business sold.  We got our full price and an all cash offer, which we are very happy about.  All the best.”
Owner, Chois Fish Market, Food Distribution

“Steve Abdalla of VR did an excellent job in selling my business.  His excellent knowledge and skillful advise resulted in multiple offers and a quick and satisfactory sale of my business.  I highly recommend VR to anyone wanting to sell their business the right and efficient way.”
Owner, PS Shop, Food Manufacturing & Retail

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to VR Business Brokers for assisting my wife and I in finding a business in Hawaii.  We are now the proud owners of a wonder clothing retailer.  We have visited Hawaii quite a few times from our home in Japan over the years and are thrilled to finally be living here. 

VR made the buying process as seamless as possible.  VR and the immigration attorney they referred to us were invaluable in making sure we secured our immigration visa through our purchase.  VR took us through every step of the process with a great deal of professionalism and in a very structured process. I am highly satisfied with their knowledge, effort and service.”
Owner, Kawamura Trading Hawaii, LLC

“I am writing this letter to recommend the services of Steve Abdalla, Stephanie Lau and VR Mergers & Acquisitions.  My wife and I purchase a well established jewelry store through VR during 2007.  Over the last few years I’ve looked at dozens of businesses listed by most of the brokers in Hawaii, and I can confidently say that VR’s are not only the highest quality, they are presented in a very detailed and professional manner that is useful for buyers. 

Steve and Stephanie were crucial in getting this deal done.  They helped get us information for our due diligence that the seller was reluctant to provide.  They skillfully located compromises with the seller and landlord when it looked like the deal was dying.  They kept thing very organized and the deal moving forward so we could close in the accelerated timeframe desired.  VR went far beyond what I would have expected from a broker.”
Owner, SHYS Kahala LTD

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