Donald Trump is our president-elect, and his plans to “Make America Great Again” have been delivered without much meat on the bones, making it difficult to substantively assess the likely impacts of the election on the country’s middle-market companies and determine how business owners might best prepare and protect their interests.

There were 96 private equity deals closed in Florida in the first half of 2016, which is slightly down from the 103 deals closed the same time last year, according to a new report form Miami-based private equity and investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter & Co.

There were 96 private equity deals closed in Florida in the first half of 2016, which is slightly down from the 103 deals closed the same time last year, according to a new report form Miami-based private equity and investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter & Co.

Several timely issues and trends — today’s low interest and low growth rates, and the ultimate impact of Brexit — are making it critical for middle-market business owners to continually evaluate their businesses and implement the right strategies to protect their best interests.

For middle-market business owners thinking of selling their businesses, it can be easy to make a common — and costly — mistake: having the wrong valuation expectation. Influenced by hearsay and news reports of high valuations related to larger businesses and mega mergers and acquisitions, they develop overinflated expectations for the value of their own companies. As a result, they put themselves in a position of becoming disappointed, wasting time and resources, and missing opportunities.

What is the private equity environment like now? It changes in cycles. The industry is changing because of technology. If we had to do financial modeling 20 years ago it was very labor intensive, today tech gives you the ability to gather information much more easily. You still have to do a lot of work, don’t get me wrong, but technology has definitely made a different competitive environment.

The presidential candidates are discussing a myriad of key issues that could materially impact middle-market businesses, including everything from increasing operating costs to diminishing the local labor pool. As we make our voting decisions, it is critical for us to consider these and other issues and determine how our businesses may be affected.

During the past few years, the financial landscape in South Florida has changed significantly for the better. The market today is flush with capital, a trend that is expected to continue in 2016. Following is some insight into what we can expect to see this year.

As we move toward the beginning of a new year, it is helpful for middle-market business owners to look ahead at the emerging trends and other factors likely to affect their businesses and consider how to best position themselves for success.