A valuation gap is a common occurrence in M&A. The seller may have a biased view of their business, and therefore value it higher than what the business appraiser actually deems its valuation number. Or, the buyer may be fixated on a business's flaws (or be strapped for cash), and may not want to pay the full business value. There are a number of ways to work together to bridge this valuation gap that do not involve having to walk away from a deal.

An entrepreneur with hopes of opening or owning a restaurant must put great thought into the variables involved in an eatery endeavor. In Part 1 of this series, we reviewed some of the questions an aspiring restaurateur must consider before diving in. The following five questions join the list of vital information one needs to collect before taking the leap.

Many people are fond of the Confucius quote, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." It's an inspiring idea, and one that has motivated thousands of foodies and aspiring chefs to entertain dreams of running a restaurant. Realistically, passion for the product is not enough to guarantee a restaurant's success. To avoid becoming a failure statistic, here are ten very important questions an entrepreneur must be able to answer before buying a restaurant.