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

941.518.7138
Mike@InfinityBusinessBrokers.com