Posted in Become a Business Owner, Buyers Articles

You’re a brand new business owner and you’ve successfully navigated the path of purchasing a business. You took your time and really delved in during due diligence. You paid close attention during training with the seller and took copious notes. You’re pretty sure you’ve got the hang of this new business, and that you know everything about it.

Until you don’t.

Suddenly there’s an unforeseen problem. Something you didn’t find during due diligence. Something that happened out of the blue.

What can you do?

It depends. If a seller purposefully withheld something like a fatal flaw you will likely have some kind of recourse. If this is the case, call your business broker and discuss what options are available.

What if it’s not a secret fatal flaw? Then what?

Roll up your sleeves and get to work. Business ownership is tough stuff, and sometimes no matter what’s being thrown at you – you just have to find a way to persevere.

For instance, say you just bought a restaurant. Shortly after you take over the whole staff quits because they can no longer get away with things the previous owner allowed. Although a potentially rough situation, it can be solved by working some shifts yourself while you hire new staff or temporarily limiting the restaurant’s hours until you can right the ship.

What’s important to remember when you hit those initial and inevitable bumps in the road is no business is perfect and no business is smooth sailing. You are going to encounter problems – your success or failure as a business owner depends on what you do when faced with those problems.

It is also important to remember that the buck ultimately stops with you. If you aren’t willing to work with a staff who wants to get away with whatever they want – it’s not the previous owner’s fault when that staff quits en masse. It’s yours. Deal with the fallout and do what you need to do to get a new staff in place. Business buyers who sit on their hands and blame everyone but themselves are probably going to have a hard time as entrepreneurs.

The message here is you can research all you want and learn all you can about your new business and still end up with unexpected problems right out of the gate. Just remember that with some thought and hard work you and your new business can overcome anything.

Are you considering buying a business and want to know what recourse you might have if a seller hides issues? Do you want to know more about how you can find and deal with potential issues during due diligence? Ask us! Please leave any questions or comments, we would be happy to help.

Michael Monnot

941.518.7138
Mike@InfinityBusinessBrokers.com
5111 Ocean Boulevard, Suite E
Siesta Key, FL 34242

www.InfinityBusinessBrokers.com

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Posted in Sellers Articles

Small business ownership can be tough.

We know because we’ve owned businesses ourselves. The long hours, the responsibility – sometimes you feel like just locking the doors. Add to that the current state of affairs. Shut downs, required social distancing and the like. It can be really tempting to just say “forget it” and walk away. 

Don’t do it! Walking away keeps you from getting a return on all of the investment of time, money and energy you’ve put into your business. Selling your business, no matter what state it’s currently in, gives you a chance at both continuing the legacy of what you’ve built by keeping it open after you’ve left – and walking away with some money in your pocket as well.

Yes, it takes patience – but you can see it through. It typically takes somewhere between 9 to 12 months to get a business from listing to closing – but this time frame is entirely dependent on the type of business, the buyers currently in the market, the efforts of the business brokers involved, the efforts of the seller and the characteristics of the business itself. Some businesses sell right away, others take longer than 12 months. The only way to know how long it will take to sell your business is to give selling a try.

It also takes flexibility and a good dose of reality. We’ve had clients walk away from decent offers – think hundreds of thousands of dollars – because the offer wasn’t for the full price of the listing or they were too burned out to go on. They locked the doors and left all of that money on the table.

Unbelievable, right? Walking away with something is far better than walking away with absolutely nothing. It is also far better to hang in there for a little while longer and walk away check-in-hand.

We’ve also known folks who refused to try to sell because they didn’t want to pay a commission to a broker. The amount of work it takes to get a business transaction successfully through to closing makes paying for a broker’s help invaluable and a completely sensible business decision. In fact, using a good broker is typically the difference between selling successfully and not selling at all.

Worried about how much the commission would be? Negotiating the broker’s commission rate is something you get to do before you list, so if you don’t like the number you can absolutely walk away. Before you do, however, realize that the chances of a business seller successfully getting to closing on their own is usually slim to none – and if you can’t sell on your own you will more than likely be leaving a lot of money on the table.

Don’t lock the doors. Call us instead.

Have you considered selling your business and want to know what businesses like yours have recently sold for? Would you like to know more about selling a business that is currently closed? Leave any questions or comments and we would be happy to help.

Michael Monnot

941.518.7138
Mike@InfinityBusinessBrokers.com
5111 Ocean Boulevard, Suite E
Siesta Key, FL 34242

www.InfinityBusinessBrokers.com

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Posted in Business Broker Why & How, Sellers Articles

Are you thinking about selling your business and having these thoughts? 

I’ve owned a business for years. I know what I’m doing, why would I need someone to help me sell it?

Guess what? You absolutely need someone to help you sell your business – especially now in these uncertain times. That person is a business broker and they will be pivotal to your success in the business-for-sale marketplace.

Why? 

You have put your blood, sweat and tears into your business to make it what it is today. When you sell your business, you want to get as much as possible for all of your hard work, and a business broker has the ability to do that for you.

Business owners are smart people, and they are great at what they do. Does that mean that they are qualified to sell their own business? Probably not.

A business owner has knowledge and expertise in their own industry, and the success of their business depends on their ability to focus on keeping the business going. A business broker has knowledge and expertise in the world of buying and selling businesses, and as a business seller you will need and appreciate this expertise throughout the selling process.

A business broker has the time to focus on selling your business, and the know-how to keep the whole thing confidential. This confidentiality is crucial if you don’t want to risk losing clients, vendors, and employees if the word gets out you’ve put the business up for sale. Brokers also have the ability to reach far more potential buyers than you could on your own. They belong to networks and have access to databases where they can market your business confidentially. Business brokers also know buyers who are on the lookout for specific kinds of businesses, so as soon as yours goes on the market, they will likely have people who may be interested. A business broker has a great deal of business marketing experience, and knows how to put together a marketing package that will bring the right kinds of buyers to you. They are then able to act as an intermediary between you and any potential buyers.

Most importantly a broker takes the pressure of the sale off your back so you can focus on doing what you need to do in order to keep the business moving in the right direction. 

Don’t take so much on your shoulders by trying to sell on your own. Get the right help.

Are you considering selling your business but still don’t think you need a broker? Would you like to know more about how a business broker helps you sell your business? Ask us! Leave any questions or comments and we would be happy to help.

Michael Monnot

941.518.7138
Mike@InfinityBusinessBrokers.com
5111 Ocean Boulevard, Suite E
Siesta Key, FL 34242

www.InfinityBusinessBrokers.com

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Posted in Become a Business Owner, Buyers Articles

These are interesting times, to say the least. Making the call to buy a business and jump into entrepreneurship was a difficult decision before the pandemic invaded all of our lives – now it seems like an impossible decision to make. 

Should I really buy a business right now?

If living through this madness has you rethinking all of your life choices and has you seriously considering making the jump – then you still can if you do so with the right planning and a good dose of flexibility. 

If you were seriously considering buying a business before the madness, the madness doesn’t necessarily mean you should stop. Whether entrepreneurship was the plan then or suddenly now, you should take another look at the businesses you consider and ask this question – will this business help me meet my goals for business ownership?

Defining your goals for business ownership will be pivotal to finding the right business for you – one where you can be successful and achieve the life you are looking for. Think about how much money you need to make to keep your life moving. Think about what you want your work week to look like. Think about how many hours you are willing to work everyday. Think about how much money you want to realistically spend right now. Think about jobs and industries where you think you would do well. 

These considerations will be very important, as will the ability to be flexible. You might have your heart set on a specific type of business, but buying that business will be an exercise in futility if that business meets none of the goals we discussed above. The current world we live in will also play a part in what business will meet your goals. For instance, if you are a buyer without a lot of free cash available, it’s probably not a good idea to buy a business that can be affected by shutdowns – you won’t have the cash to sustain it.

The message here is that business ownership is still in cards if you want it to be. There are good businesses for sale and with the right planning and forethought you can find one that will meet the goals you have for your life.

It probably also needs to be said that not only will you need to be flexible with your initial business choices, but also with the process. There are new protocols to keep everyone safe – so meetings will need to be planned ahead of time or take place via conference call or Zoom, masks will need to be worn for on-site visits, documents will be signed electronically instead of in person and requests may take a bit longer than they once did.

If you want to buy a business, you can. If you have questions – about the businesses that are currently for sale, about the changes to the business buying process, about how you can find a business that meets your goals – ask us! Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and we would be happy to help.

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Posted in Sellers Articles

Wouldn’t we all love to put our business on the market and get a full-price, all-cash offer on day one?

As you can probably guess, this isn’t how business deals go in the real world. As a seller you need to be prepared for flexibility if you really want to end up at a closing table.

The first thing you need to be flexible with? Price. You may have a number in your head, a dream amount that would make all of the personal investment of time, energy and money into your business worth it in the end.

Unfortunately, a business is only really worth what someone is willing to pay for it – so your dream number is probably a far-fetched fantasy. When you first talk with your business broker, pricing will be a big part of the discussion. In order to have a successful sale, you need to price your business right from day one. Overpriced businesses will get overlooked by good buyers and languish on listing sites indefinitely.

How do you set an appropriate price?

The price you set needs to be based on what the current market will support, what comparable businesses have actually sold for recently and the cash flow the business currently generates. The original retail cost of your ten year old equipment, the amount of money you spent on cosmetic improvements last year, how much it cost you to buy the business 15 years ago – these things aren’t going to contribute to a realistic price. The key here is to listen to your broker about what a sell-able listing price would be.

The second thing you need to be flexible about is financing. The all-cash deal is extraordinarily rare, and the vast majority of small business sales involve at least a bit of seller financing. The good news is in most seller financing deals the buyer is putting up a substantial down payment, so you won’t be financing the entire purchase price. The other good news is there is no set or absolute way that a seller financed deal needs to look (like there would be with a more traditional loan from a major lending institution), so you can negotiate a creative deal that makes everyone happy.

By offering seller financing you will also be opening up your business listing to far more buyers than demanding a full-price all-cash offer would allow. Deals that include seller financing also show buyers that you have enough faith in the future of your business that you would be willing to depend on that future to get paid. 

Are you thinking about selling your business and are wondering what an appropriate listing price would be? Do you have questions about what kinds of creative seller financing deals we’ve put together in the past? Ask us! Feel free to leave any comments or questions here.

Michael Monnot

941.518.7138
Mike@InfinityBusinessBrokers.com
5111 Ocean Boulevard, Suite E
Siesta Key, FL 34242

www.InfinityBusinessBrokers.com

No Comments »