In the day-to-day routine of running your business, it is easy to forget that eventually the day will come when you need to sell. The last thing that any business owner wishes to discover is that they are ready to exit, but they are hopelessly underprepared. One of the key ways to prevent this from happening is to prepare for the sale of your business as far in the future as possible. 1. Always Look Ahead...
Are you a first-time business buyer? If so, it is critical that you work with a business broker or M&A advisor. If you’ve never purchased a business before, you simply can’t anticipate all that is involved in buying a business. Buying a business is vastly different than buying a home, which is typically the largest purchase that most first-time business buyers have made. Sometimes buyers assume that since they have made large investments before, they will...
Deciding how the purchase of a business should be structured is no small task. If you are planning to help finance the sale of your business, you’ll want to tackle this issue very early in the sale process. When it comes to small business sales, a high percentage of deals include some seller financing. Here are some of the most important things you’ll want to think about beforehand. Interest Rates The simple fact is that interest rates...
You’ll often hear business brokers and M&A advisors say that the right time to prepare for your exit is when you first launch. By that they mean that it’s important to always be thinking about how to optimize your business so that it is streamlined for an eventual sale. Some of the savviest entrepreneurs and business owners are also thinking about partnering with those who will ultimately want to buy their businesses, even if the...
If you’re selling a business for the first time, you might have a preconceived notion of the type of buyer that’s most likely to purchase your business. However, the truth is that sellers often get competitive and attractive offers from buyers that they were not expecting to have an interest in their business. Let’s take a look at some of the variety of buyers you might encounter on the path to selling your business. Your Family...
Many buyers and sellers are not aware of the complexities that go into appraisals for businesses. To get the most accurate results, a business needs to be looked at from a variety of angles. When completing a business valuation, we look at everything from comparable businesses to EBITDA. There are a lot of nuances involved that are customized depending on the business at hand. Without looking at a wide range of factors, you could accidentally...
Experts recommend that sellers prepare years before they plan to put their businesses up for sale, and there are many good reasons why they make this recommendation. A wide range of factors can interfere with the sale of a business, ranging from life changes like divorce and burnout to a new competitor moving into town. Preparing to sell your business in advance will help prepare you for the day you need to sell, whenever that...
Selling any business can be complicated. Finding the right buyer is one hurdle that must be overcome. However, even once the right buyer has been found, there are still many reasons why a deal can collapse. Unpredicted Events It is important to realize that you can do everything perfectly and “acts of fate” can still intervene and impede the success of your deal. For example, one issue is that you might not be able to satisfy the...
No business is perfect, but when you are preparing your business to be sold, it is imperative that you lead with your strengths. That’s why it is important to work with a business broker or M&A advisor to identify, catalog and work to remedy any weaknesses. When presenting your business to prospective buyers, focus on your key selling points first and what makes you really stand out from the crowd. You want to sell a...
Truly understanding a business is much like understanding the condition of a car. It is necessary for a skilled mechanic to “pop the hood” to access the true condition of a car. In much the same way, you and your team of experts need to “pop the hood” of the business in order to understand the business’s long-term health and viability. Here are four things to consider before signing on the dotted line. Will You Enjoy...
If you’re buying a business, you might be feeling overwhelmed about all the details that are involved, especially if it’s your first business. Buying a business is certainly no small task, and that’s why you’ll want to dive into the process headfirst and make sure that you’ve carefully examined the business. Here are some of the most important elements to consider. While some of these aspects don’t immediately come to buyer’s minds, they should be high...
By spotting your company’s weaknesses you can take steps to remedy them and improve operations, however, this is only the beginning of the benefits derived from spotting these types of issues. You should be the world’s foremost expert on your company and the investment that it represents. Identifying and repairing any negative issues will pay dividends both today and potentially for the life of your company. There are many areas of weakness that companies may experience....
As an entrepreneur and business owner, your partnership agreement stands as one of the most important business documents you will sign. Business structures can be as complicated as the people that create those businesses. Quite often, business owners create businesses with friends or loved ones and, as a result, will not have a proper partnership agreement in place. It’s important to note that not having a partnership agreement in place is a mistake. There are too...
When the time comes to sell a business, any business, confidentiality must be placed at the top of the list. One of the quickest ways to damage any business that is for sale is for confidentiality to be breached. Once confidentiality is breached it can be difficult, or even impossible, to contain or repair the damage. No business in any industry is exempt from this rule. It is no accident that savvy and experienced entrepreneurs, business...
Business owners are usually too busy running their business to deal with the fact that retirement will arrive one day. Ultimately, every business owner walks away from their business. The sooner you start preparing for that day, the better off you’ll be. Whether it is an established location, relationships with customers and suppliers, or an understanding of a given industry, an established business has much to offer. Prospective buyers also know the benefits of buying a...
