"Exit strategies may allow you to get out before the bottom falls out of your industry. Well-planned exits allow you to get a better price for your business." … [Read more...]
Rating Today’s Business Buyers
January 11, 2012
Once the decision to sell has been made, the business owner should be aware of the variety of possible business buyers. Just as small business itself has become more sophisticated, the people interested in buying them have also become more divergent and complex. The following are some of today's most active categories of business buyers: … [Read more...]
Why Sell Your Company?
January 11, 2012
Selling one's business can be a traumatic and emotional event. In fact, "seller's remorse" is one of the major reasons that deals don't close. The business may have been in the family for generations. The owner may have built it from scratch or bought it and made it very successful. However, there are times when selling is the best course to take. Here are a few of them. … [Read more...]
Who Is the Buyer?
January 11, 2012
Buyers buy a business for many of the same reasons that sellers sell businesses. It is important that the buyer is as serious as the seller when it comes time to purchase a business. If the buyer is not serious, the sale will never close. Here are just a few of the reasons that buyers buy businesses: … [Read more...]
Rating Today’s Business Buyers
January 11, 2012
Once the decision to sell has been made, the business owner should be aware of the variety of possible business buyers. Just as small business itself has become more sophisticated, the people interested in buying them have also become more divergent and complex. The following are some of today's most active categories of business buyers: … [Read more...]
Today’s Business Buyer: A Profile
January 11, 2012
Today's independent business marketplace attracts a wide variety of buyers eager for a piece of ownership action. Buyers of small businesses are most likely replacing lost jobs or searching for a happier alternative to corporate life. Buyers of mid-sized and large operations are, typically, private investment companies seeking businesses to build and eventually sell for a profit. This is the broadest possible look at the types of buyers out there. Business owners considering putting their business on the market should be aware of the finer "distinctions" among buyers, as well as what they are looking to buy, and why. … [Read more...]
Why Do Deals Fall Apart?
January 11, 2012
In many cases, the buyer and seller reach a tentative agreement on the sale of the business, only to have it fall apart. There are reasons this happens, and, once understood, many of the worst deal-smashers can be avoided. Understanding is the key word. Both the buyer and the seller must develop an awareness of what the sale involves--and such an awareness should include facing potential problems before they swell into floodwaters and "sink" the sale. … [Read more...]
Buying (or Selling) a Business
January 11, 2012
The following is some basic information for anyone considering purchasing a business. Is may also be of interest to anyone thinking of selling their business. The more information and knowledge both sides have about buying and selling a business, the easier the process will become. … [Read more...]
Why Do Deals Fall Apart?
January 10, 2012
In many cases, the buyer and seller reach a tentative agreement on the sale of the business, only to have it fall apart. There are reasons this happens, and, once understood, many of the worst deal-smashers can be avoided. Understanding is the key word. Both the buyer and the seller must develop an awareness of what the sale involves--and such an awareness should include facing potential problems before they swell into floodwaters and "sink" the sale. … [Read more...]
Why is seller financing so important to the sale of my business?
January 10, 2012
Surveys have shown that a seller who asks for all cash, receives on average only 70 percent of his or her asking price, while sellers who accept terms receive on average 86 percent of their asking price. That's a difference of 16 percent! In many cases, businesses that are listed for all cash just don't sell. With reasonable terms, however, the chances of selling increase dramatically and the time period from listing to sale greatly decreases. Most sellers are unaware of how much interest they can receive by financing the sale of their business. In some cases it can greatly increase the amount received. And, again, it tells the buyer that the seller has enough confidence that the business can, indeed, pay for itself. … [Read more...]
