03 Oct Selling a Business Means You Should Expect the Unexpected
No one ever said selling a business was predictable. However, the truth of the matter is that every sale is different. Even the reasons behind a business owner deciding to sell his or her business vary tremendously. If you are getting ready to sell, it’s important to be aware of the various aspects that could catch you off-guard. If you are prepared for the unexpected, you’ll be mentally ready for the sales process, which often does not go as planned. Even the smoothest and most streamlined sales process encounters a few road bumps along the way.
Price Considerations
When it comes to the price and deal structure for a potential sale, many business owners have numbers in their minds that do not meet with reality. As a result, a potential offer could be far less than what they expected, and this causes conflict and delays. Our M&A team will prepare you with a valuation so you can have a clear idea of the likely selling price of your business. Be sure to ask any questions you have so that you feel fully informed when it comes to valuation and price.
Confidentiality
Throughout the sales process, confidentiality must be carefully guarded. Otherwise, this too can interfere with a sale. We have effective strategies to help maintain the highest levels of confidentiality. Even with the best safeguards in place, there is a small chance that a rumor could begin to circulate and word could get out to your employees, customers or suppliers. In case of an incident, it’s important to have a contingency plan to quell the rumors.
Your Stockholders
Oftentimes, business owners of privately owned companies forget that their minority stockholders have rights too. You will not be able to sell your business without dealing with all parties involved. Some owners may want a valuation or “fairness opinion” to convince the shareholders that the deal price and terms are reasonable. Even if your shareholders are members of your family, they will have to be successfully dealt with before the sale goes through.
Expect to Allocate Time
Even after you hire an experienced M&A advisor like Austin Dale Group, you should still be prepared to spend some time dealing with the sale of your business. You’ll be expected to do everything from prepare documents to meet with prospective buyers. The fact that selling will take up your time is particularly true if you haven’t begun making preparations years in advance. That’s why we advise clients to start working with us early on.
You’ll want to make sure that despite your need to focus on elements pertaining to the sale of your business, it is necessary to keep your business running smoothly. Otherwise, any signs of weakness could interfere with your potential sale and your efforts could backfire. This issue just stresses the advantage of preparing to sell months or years in advance.
Through the sales process you must still run your company as well as ever. You’ll want to make sure things are progressing nicely, even if you don’t plan to own the company in the near future. Obviously, your buyer will want things to look reliable and any dips can trigger a red flag.
