Sellers Articles Archives - Page 22 of 29 - Infinity Business Brokers

Avoiding the Unravelling Deal: The Biggest Deal-Killers and How to Avoid Them – Impatience

Published October 28, 2013

Business brokers from all across the United States were asked what issues caused their deals to fall apart, and instead of a wide range of reasons, the same few came up time and time again. It can be very difficult to get a business deal all the way to the closing table, but knowing ahead of time what types of problems might derail your deal can help you to avoid them. What follows are a series of articles about the major deal-killing culprits and how you can avoid them in your own business transaction

Deal Killer #4: Buyers and Sellers Grow Impatient With The Deal and With Each Other

Business transactions are inherently complicated, and as the complications pile on, one or both parties involved might be inclined to get a bit impatient. If the deal is ever going to make it to the closing table everyone involved needs to take a step back and realize that with time and a little patience the deal will have a chance to go through.

One area where patience can be tested is during the due diligence phase. This is the buyer’s chance to get a really good look at the business and the books, and what tends to happen is the buyer wants increasing varieties and volumes of information as the due diligence phase progresses. This can seriously wear on the seller who is trying to continue running the business during the transaction and may have been unprepared for the additional workload.

Both sides of the deal need to understand that getting a deal closed takes time. The best way to keep impatience from killing your deal is to employ the services of a good business broker. A broker can act as a buffer between the buyer and seller if either (or both) get impatient with one another. A broker can also help to streamline the process as they are experienced with business transactions and most issues that may slow down the deal.

Are you a seller who has grown weary of the selling process? Are you a buyer who is frustrated with a seller? Do you have questions about making the business transaction process go smoothly? Leave us a comment or question here, and we will be happy to assist you with your business transaction questions.

Want to read Deal Killer #1: The Seller Tries to Hide the Skeletons in the Closet? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #2: The Business is Overpriced? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #3: The Buyer, The Seller (Or Both) Take Issues That Arise Personally? Click Here.

Michael Monnot

Avoiding the Unravelling Deal: The Biggest Deal-Killers and How to Avoid Them – Letting Emotions Get In The Way

Published October 28, 2013

Deal Killer #3: The Buyer, The Seller (Or Both) Take Issues That Arise Personally

As a seller, it can be tough to put a price on your business. For many entrepreneurs, their business represents a lifetime of work. Your business is your baby, and when you are trying to sell it can be difficult to separate the emotional ties you have with your business from the very impersonal world of business transactions.

It is important to remember that anyone looking to purchase your business is considering it purely as an investment. They are looking to own a business, and until the deal is closed, it may or may not be your business that they end up with. Be prepared to have buyers ask difficult questions about your financials and about why you do things the way you do. These are not personal attacks, they are just questions from someone who is considering a business investment. It is incredibly important to separate your emotions from the transaction and see all aspects of your business sale in an objective light. To do otherwise will certainly end in a dead deal.

As a buyer, it can be very easy to offend a seller – even if that was not your intention. The business holds no emotional value for you, so you look at it and at the price you are willing to pay for it with a completely different perspective than those who will be on the other side of the closing table. It is important to remember this aspect of business sales if you want to keep a deal moving forward.

For example, don’t make a lowball first offer. You might want to see how deep of a discount you can get on the listing price, but this almost always kills your chances of making a deal. A lowball price insults a seller, most of the time to the point that they will refuse to work with you. If you are serious about the business, make a serious offer and remember that this business probably means a lot to the seller.

For both sides it is important to remember the ultimate goal, which is to get to the closing table. Think and act both objectively and respectfully and you will have a much better chance of getting a deal done.

Are you a buyer who has inadvertently offended a seller who now refuses to work with you? Are you a seller who wants to know how to avoid lowball offers? Leave us a comment or question here, and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Want to read Deal Killer #1: The Seller Tries to Hide the Skeletons in the Closet? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #2: The Business is Overpriced? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #4: Buyers and Sellers Grow Impatient With The Deal and With Each Other? Click Here.

Michael Monnot

Avoiding the Unravelling Deal: The Biggest Deal-Killers and How to Avoid Them – Bad Pricing

Published October 28, 2013

Deal Killer #2: The Business is Overpriced

You may want the world for your business, but the reality is your business will only sell for what buyers are willing to pay.

So what are buyers willing to pay? They are willing to pay for what a seller can prove.

If you are a seller, seek the advice of a qualified and experienced business broker before you settle on a listing price for your business. The business market is a dynamic place and only a business broker will know how to use your financial statements, what you have in inventory and equipment, and what comparable businesses in your area have actually sold for to come up with the most realistic listing price for your business.

Using someone like your regular CPA or your regular attorney to price your business can be a big mistake. Their expertise lies in other areas of your business, so when the time comes to sell, find yourself a good business broker to get you listed on the market.

If you list your business too high, two things will happen. First, buzz on the market that your new listing generated won’t bring in the buyers you may have expected. Your listing will seem overpriced and therefore not worth looking at. Second, your business will stay on the market indefinitely. Do yourself and your business a favor and price it right the first time around.

If you are a buyer, be aware that just because a business is listed for a specific price, that does not mean the business will ultimately sell for that price. Look carefully at any business you are considering to try and figure out how the seller arrived at the price they are asking for. This is another good area to employ the services of a great business broker, as they can help you decide if the business is worth what someone is asking for it.

Are you a seller who wants to price your business right? Are you a buyer who has questions about how to decide if a business is worth what it’s listed for? Leave us a comment or question here, and we will help answer any questions you might have.

Want to read Deal Killer #1: The Seller Tries to Hide the Skeletons in the Closet? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #3: The Buyer, The Seller (Or Both) Take Issues That Arise Personally? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #4: Buyers and Sellers Grow Impatient With The Deal and With Each Other? Click Here.

Michael Monnot

Avoiding the Unravelling Deal: The Biggest Deal-Killers and How to Avoid Them – Hidden Issues

Published October 20, 2013

Business brokers from all across the United States were asked what issues caused their deals to fall apart, and instead of a wide range of reasons, the same few came up time and time again. It can be very difficult to get a business deal all the way to the closing table, but knowing ahead of time what types of problems might derail your deal can help you to avoid them. What follows are a series of articles about the major deal-killing culprits and how you can avoid them in your own business transaction

Deal Killer #1: The Seller Tries to Hide the Skeletons in the Closet

Everyone who is trying to sell their business wants to get the most money possible out of the deal, and for some, the fear of full discovery can lead to some sneaky behavior. Even though every business has some sort of skeleton in the closet, some owners might fear that disclosure will leave their failings as an owner exposed – never a comfortable proposition.

Due diligence occurs when a prospective buyer makes an offer on the business that the seller agrees to. The buyer then gets to peel back the exterior and get a really good look at the business’s books. This part of the selling process is not a problem if you are someone who was upfront about the reality of the business from day one. If you have disclosed everything and all, then there is no reason for concern.

However, if a seller tries to hide a flaw in the business (like a pending lawsuit, like the actual gross earnings, like an outstanding bill with the department of revenue) this flaw will more than likely come to light during the due diligence process.

Big or small, an attempt to hide anything from a buyer leads to mistrust in all aspects of the business, and often ends in a dead deal.

If you are a business seller, do yourself and your business a favor and be upfront from day one. All businesses have issues of one sort or another, and they are often something a buyer could deal with during the transaction – so long as they don’t find out about it on their own.

If you are a buyer, use your due diligence period wisely, as it will be your only chance to find any issues that were not presented to you. Seek professional advice from your business broker or your business transaction CPA if anything seems out of place.

Are you a seller who is afraid that revealing the issues within your business will keep it from selling? Are you a buyer who wants to know what red flags to look for during due diligence? Please leave us a comment or question here, and we will be happy to address any concerns you might have.

Want to read Deal Killer #2: The Business is Overpriced? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #3: The Buyer, The Seller (Or Both) Take Issues That Arise Personally? Click Here.

Want to read Deal Killer #4: Buyers and Sellers Grow Impatient With The Deal and With Each Other? Click Here.

Michael Monnot

Have Your Overlooked the Possibility for a Great Deal? What the E2 Visa Can Do for Your U.S.Based Business

Posted in Sellers Articles, Visa/Immigration

Published October 15, 2013

As a small business owner in the United States, you have likely never thought about the Visa process and how that process brings new entrepreneurs into the country who are looking to have their own version of the American dream. If you are a small business owner who is looking to sell, however, the Visa process can mean good things for your business.

Those looking to come to the United States have several avenues to choose from, but the one that impacts the small business community is the E2 Visa. This Visa allows those with enough capital to come to the United States if they purchase and run a small business. You, as the seller of a U.S. based small business can benefit by getting your business E2 Visa approved. This process comes with its fair share of red tape, but by using a business brokerage like ours with a great deal of experience and all the right contacts, the process can be quite successful.

Not all business qualify for the E2 Visa, but yours might. If it does, it will open your business to a pool of international buyers who typically close transactions with all-cash or very little financing. There are very few businesses who look into E2 approval, so it could give your business great appeal if you do.

How does your business get E2 approval? There are a number of factors like how many employees you have and how they get paid, how old your business is, and what your financials look like. We have had E2 approvals on businesses that had no employees, limited financials, and even some that were new. There are other factors that may contribute as well, the Visa process tends to work on a case-by-case basis.

The only way to find out if your business will have access to this fantastic pool of buyers is to ask. Get in touch with us today, and we can look at the possibility of E2 approval for your business. Please feel free to contact us, leave us a comment or question here- and we will be happy to help you consider the E2 Visa process.

Michael Monnot

Understanding Why Deals Fall Apart

Published October 15, 2013

The buyer and seller reach 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.

What keeps a sale from closing successfully? In a survey of business brokers across the United States, similar reasons were cited so often that a pattern of causality began to emerge. The following is a compilation of situations and factors affecting the sale of a business.

The Seller Fails To Reveal Problems

When a seller is not up-front about problems of the business, this does not mean the problems will go away. They are bound to turn up later, usually sometime after a tentative agreement has been reached. The buyer then gets cold feet–hardly anyone in this situation likes surprises–and the deal promptly falls apart. Even though this may seem a tall order, sellers must be as open about the minuses of their business as they are about the pluses. Again and again, business brokers surveyed said: “We can handle most problems… if we know about them at the start of the selling process.”

The Buyer Has Second Thoughts About the Price

In some cases, the buyer agrees on a price, only to discover that the business will not, in his or her opinion, support that price. Whether this “discovery” is based on gut reaction or a second look at the figures, it impacts seriously on the transaction at hand. The deal is in serious jeopardy when the seller wants more than the buyer feels the business is worth. It is of prime importance that the business be fairly priced. Once that price has been established, the documentation must support the seller’s claims so that buyers can see the “real” facts for themselves.

Both the Buyer and the Seller Grow Impatient

During the course of the selling process, it’s easy–in the case of both parties–for impatience to set in. Buyers continue to want increasing varieties and volumes of information, and sellers grow weary of it all. Both sides need to understand that the closing process takes time. However, it shouldn’t take so much time that the deal is endangered. It is important that both parties, if they are using outside professionals, should use only those knowledgeable in the business closing process. Most are not. A business broker is aware of most of the competent outside professionals in a given business area, and these should be given strong consideration in putting together the “team.” Seller and buyer may be inclined to use an attorney or accountant with whom they are familiar, but these people may not have the experience to bring the sale to a successful conclusion.

The Buyer and the Seller Are Not (Never Were) in Agreement

How does this situation happen? Unfortunately, there are business sale transactions wherein the buyer and the seller realize belatedly that they have not been in agreement all along–they just thought they were. Cases of communications failure are often fatal to the successful closing. A professional business broker is skilled in making sure that both sides know exactly what the deal entails, and can reduce the chance that such misunderstandings will occur.

The Seller Doesn’t Really Want To Sell

In all too many instances, the seller does not really want to sell the business. The idea had sounded so good at the outset, but now that things have come down to the wire, the fire to sell has all but gone out. Selling a business has many emotional ramifications; a business often represents the seller’s life work. Therefore, it is key that prospective sellers make a firm decision to sell prior to going to market with the business. If there are doubts, these should quelled or resolved.

Some sellers enter the marketplace just to test the waters; to see if they could get their “price,” should they ever get really serious. This type of seller is the bane of business brokers and buyers alike. Business brokers generally can tell when they encounter the casual (as opposed to serious) category of seller. However, an inexperienced buyer may not recognize the difference until it’s too late. Most business brokers will agree that a willing seller is a good seller.

Or…the Buyer Doesn’t Really Want To Buy

What’s true for the mixed-emotion seller can be turned right around and applied to the buyer as well. Buyers can enter the sale process full of excitement and optimism, and then begin to drag their feet as they draw closer to the “altar.” This is especially true today, with many displaced corporate executives entering the market. Buying and owning a business is still the American dream–and for many it becomes a profitable reality. However, the entrepreneurial reality also includes risk, a lot of hard work, and long intense hours. Sometimes this is too much reality for a prospective buyer to handle.

And None of the Above

The situations detailed above are the main reasons why deals fall apart. However, there can be problems beyond anyone’s control, such as Acts of God, and unforeseen environmental problems. However, many potential deal-breakers can be handled or dealt with prior to the marketing of the business, to help ensure that the sale will close successfully.

A Final Note

Remember these three components in working toward the success of the business sale:

Good chemistry between the parties involved.
A mutual understanding of the agreement.
A mutual understanding of the emotions of both buyer and seller.

Michael Monnot

Where Have All the Boomers Gone? Is the Time Approaching for the Greatest Generation to Retire From Small Business Ownership?

Published October 14, 2013

The business market may have expected the wave a decade ago, but the state of the economy left many wondering when the market would begin to see the mass-retirement of baby boomers from small business ownership.

The high point of the bubble in 2007 kept many boomers who may have thought about retirement in the game, trying to ride the positive wave for as long as possible to increase the money they would be able to pull out when they retired. Sadly, when the bubble burst many older small business owners either lost their businesses entirely or had to stick it out as values plummeted.

Happily, the market is making a slow turn around, and now the time is fast approaching when aging boomers will have to make the decision about what to do with their business when they decide to step away. The decision of when to sell can be an incredibly difficult one, but the right time may be sooner rather than later.

Many took advantage of the last gasp of capital gains breaks, deciding to sell at the end of 2012. For those that stayed in the game, an important fact to consider is the volume of businesses that are about to appear on the market. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration about 52% of the self employed in 2011 were age 45 to 65. This means there may be a huge number of small business owners within the range of retirement, and when they all decide that the time has come to sell the market will see a surge in new business listings.

This may be great news for those interested in purchasing a business, but for sellers the news may not be so great. It may be advantageous to be a business seller on the beginning of the wave of boomer-owned businesses that hit the market than one at the peak or the trailing end, as a saturation of any kind in any market is rarely a good thing.

Are you a member of the greatest generation who has considered selling your business so that you can retire? Do you want to get your business on the market while demand for new businesses is high? Please feel free to leave us a comment or question here, and we will be happy to help you get ready for retirement from small business ownership.

Michael Monnot

The Waiting Game: How Long Will My Business Be On The Market?

Posted in Sellers Articles

Published October 14, 2013

If you are interested in selling your business, you should know that the selling process is neither immediate nor easy, so you might need a bit of patience when you decide to begin. The average time for a business to stay on the market is between 9 and 12 months. Sure, some businesses sell immediately, but others stay on the market for longer than 12 months. The key is to keep your focus on your business instead of on how many days it has been since you listed.

Remember this: What aspect of the business sale process is the most important? Staying in business!

Selling your business as an existing business means much more money than you would get liquidating your physical business assets after the doors are closed. In fact, the last few months of owning your business are where you should push the hardest for better numbers. Better numbers might mean more money for you at the closing table.

If you are someone who is looking for an immediate exit, speak to a business broker about the reasons for taking your time when selling your business. A patient seller is likely to get a greater return on their business investment of time, energy, and money than someone who wants out today.

Are you someone who has sold a business in the past who understands the importance of patience? Are you concerned about how long it will take to get your business from listing to closing? Please feel free to leave us a comment or question here, and we will be happy to address any concerns you may have.

Michael Monnot

When Do Small Business Owners Need Help? When It’s Time To Sell Their Business!

Posted in Sellers Articles

Published October 14, 2013

As the owner and operator of your own small business, there isn’t anything business-related that you haven’t come across and been able to handle. What about when the time comes to sell your business? Surely you can go that alone too, right?

Not a chance. The knowledge required to be a great business owner does not give you the skills necessary to be able to successfully sell your business on your own. Why?

1. You think that going it alone (and all the extra work that entails) is worth it if you don’t have to pay a business broker a commission.

This is possibly the biggest error business owners make. Do they really have the time (or expert experience) to prepare a marketing package, create and place advertisements (which can cost a great deal of money), show the business to prospective buyers (even the ones who are not financially qualified to even consider buying the business) and clearly explain the business finances? Discretion and confidentiality are also out the window – consider some of the risks if your employees, suppliers, clients, and competitors figure out your business is for sale?

2. You think that selling a house and selling a business are the same. They’re not.

Trying to sell a small business is often a much more complex enterprise than a seller might anticipate. Each and every small business is unique and business brokers may need to cope with landlords, CPAs and franchisors, and also bankers. There could be licensing concerns, dealer and employment contracts, and tax considerations. There can also be quite a few legal issues which can impact a small business sale. A knowledgeable business broker can guide the seller through each one of these stumbling blocks and guard against post-sale difficulties.

3. You do not know how to correctly price your business.

What the seller paid for it, what various (and/or similar) other small businesses are marketed for, and what outdated rules-of-thumb that might have once applied may have no connection to today’s worth. Set the selling price high and really serious buyers will not even start looking, set the price low and you might lose out on hard earned capital gain. Good business brokers have access to the most recent statistics on small business sales and contemporary methodologies to deliver accurate evaluations.

Listing with a knowledgeable business broker ensures your company is marketed professionally by means of a multi-pronged advertising strategy (internet, database, print, direct mail) and negotiations are dealt with effectively to attain the greatest possible selling price together with the least amount of issues.

Do you have questions about what a business broker could do for your business sale? Have you tried going it alone without much success? Please leave us a comment or question here, and we will be happy to help you with your business sale questions.

Michael Monnot