When the day comes to sell a business, it is important that prospective buyers understand why you have made this decision. Buyer’s find this important and having a valid reason why it is time for you to sell can make your business more attractive to prospective buyers. After all, it is only natural that you will have to retire at some point even if the business is thriving. In fact, it is safe to state that buying a successful business from an owner that is retiring is just the kind of the situation that most buyers look for but they understand it can be for other reasons.
Owning a business and retirement, of course, is far different than retiring from a job. You likely have many friends ranging from vendors and employees to customers, clients and other business owners. It is vital that your departure does not disrupt the operation of your business and that prospective buyers understand that you have taken steps to ensure a smooth transition. In short, you want to create a situation in which everyone is happy once you have sold your business and everything continues as is.
Helping to ensure a smooth transition has many parts. One of those parts is finding a buyer who will treat your people well. It is also important to have thorough policies and procedures in place. Another key aspect of a smooth transition is to automate as much of your work as possible before you leave. No one knows your business as well as you do, which means that you are the best source to automate and simplify the processes of your business. Outlining what steps you’ve taken to automate and simplify your business will help make it more attractive to buyers.
A key aspect of streamlining, simplifying and organizing your business is to pick out, well in advance, your second in command. Once you have decided on which person would be the best candidate, it is important that you begin grooming that person so they can take over day-to-day operations once you leave. Having a capable person who is committed to staying is a very attractive commodity for prospective buyers. A capable second in command can prove invaluable not just during the transition period but also for the long term operation of the business.
Finally, you should have set up a retirement account on which you can draw upon. Statistics indicate that roughly 50% of business owners do not have a retirement account set up in advance. If you don’t have an account set up, don’t panic, instead set one up as soon as possible and plan on investing the funds from your sale. You may also need to carry a short term note or act as a consultant which can also generate income.
Working with a Certified Business Broker is one of the single best ways to handle the process of selling your company to make sure you are ready to sell.
A Business Broker can help you with everything from helping you prepare your business for sale, analyzing the financials to determine a value (business valuation), packaging your business properly so buyers have the information they need as well as confidentially marketing the business for sale to find prospective buyers, assisting with due diligence and managing the entire process from beginning to end. Keep in mind, selling your company is a complex, time consuming process so the sooner you begin working with a Business Broker, the sooner you can retire.
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