What Do You Need to Do to Get Your Business Ready to Sell?
In his recent article in Smart Business entitled, “How to get your business, and yourself, ready for sale,” author Adam Burroughs explores the key points of getting your business ready to sell. Burroughs points to the truism that, at some point, almost every business owner must sell his or her business. For this reason, it is critical to think about what it takes to get your business ready...Read More
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Selling Your Business, Taxes & Tax Structures
It is never too early to start thinking about what tax structure you should use when it comes time to sell your business. A simple, but undeniable, rule of life is that taxes matter and they can’t be overlooked. Author Tim Fries at The Tokenist has written an excellent and quite detailed overview article on what tax issues business owners need to consider before selling their business. His...Read More
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Improving Your Prospects for Selling
According to a Price Waterhouse Coopers survey of more than 300 privately held U.S. businesses that have been sold or transferred, the most common steps companies take to improve their prospects for a sale, prior to taking the company to market, include: Improving profitability by cutting costs Restructuring debt Limiting owners’ compensation Fully funding the company pension plan Seeking the...Read More
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Over and Above the Numbers
A close review of the financial statements is always in order when considering the acquisition or merger of a company. However, that is only part of what a buyer is acquiring. Other important assets are: Repeat customers or clients Patented product, government approvals, profitable copyrights Broad customer or client base (diverse & growing) Long-term contracts Recognizable brand or...Read More
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What Serious Buyers Look For
Obviously, serious buyers want to carefully look at the financials of a company under consideration and all of the other major aspects of the company. However, there are a few other areas that the serious buyer will investigate that sellers may overlook. The Industry – The buyer will want to take a serious look at the industry itself, the customers, the suppliers, the competition, etc. This...Read More
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Deal Structure: Thinking Outside the Box
The price gap between buyer and seller can often prevent a deal from closing. However, if the principals really want the deal to work, and their advisors really want to help, the following ideas might get the juices flowing so that all of the parties involved can think outside the box in order to make the deal work for everyone. If the seller owns the real estate, let him or her lease it to...Read More
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Should You Be Selling Your Company…Now?
The answer to the question asked in the title is, “It all depends!” There are all sorts of studies, surveys and the like suggesting that as more and more “baby-boomers” reach retirement age, the market will be flooded with companies for sale. The consensus is that with these privately-held company owners reaching and nearing retirement age, the time to sell is now. In one survey,...Read More
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Determining the Right Time to Sell
Determining when it’s finally the right time to sell can be a tricky proposition. If you are thinking about selling your business, one of the best steps you can take is to contact a business broker. A good business broker will have years, or even decades, of proven experience under his or her belt. He or she will be able to guide you through the process of determining...Read More
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Should You Sell Your Family Business?
When the complicating variable of family is added to the equation of selling a business, the situation can get rather messy. Family usually complicates everything and businesses are, of course, no exception. Ken McCracken’s recent article “Family business: to sell or not to sell?” 6 questions to help you make the right decision,” seeks to decode the complexities so often associated with...Read More
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Why You Should Focus on Proper Exit Planning
If you are like many business owners, you are primarily focusing on building your business. Yet, as we’ve covered here many times before, you should start thinking about what you’ll need to do to sell your business before you even officially launch. Many businesses can take years to sell or even fail to sell all together. For this and many other reasons, it is important to invest some time...Read More
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