Chi-Financial

Why did the owners sell their business? The short answer is that most closely held businesses sell for human reasons, such as burn out, retirement, illness, partnership disputes, family issues or other personal reasons. Usually the business is fine but the human being running the business needs a change. To understand this better it is key to understand the other options for exiting a business.

Close the Business/Liquidation

Closing a business that is profitable never makes sense. Even if the assets are liquidated the price is likely to be pennies on the dollar versus selling the business as a going concern with employees, customers and a reputation that is intact. Not only does the business owner get the lowest value but the employees, vendors and customers are hurt by this type of exit.

Accident, Illness or Death

No one wants to exit their business this way, but many do. The loss of an owner not only creates tremendous issues for the family but also creates a leadership void in the business. Even the most competent management can struggle when a key business leader is lost to a serious accident, illness or death. No one plans for this type of exit but many end up exiting the business this way because they failed to create an alternate plan.

Succession

Succession by a family member or key employee has its benefits. They know the business, its product or service, employees, customers and vendors. Succession can be operationally successful for the exiting owner if they make sure the successor is carefully selected, qualified and groomed for the position. The owner must be careful not to make an emotional choice of a relative or favorite employee but instead choose the successor with the right skills to lead the company into the future. You are not seeking an “Employee” mentality but an “Owner” mentality. If that rare person can be found in the business who can make the transition to Owner, they often do not have the cash needed to purchase the business. They are also likely to want to pay less for the business as familiarity will blind them to many of the value drivers of the company. So although succession can be operationally successful it is rarely a financial success for the outgoing owner.

Sell

Closing or liquidating the business minimizes the value to the owner. Accident, illness or death forces the issue on the owner. Succession provided a very limited pool of options with limited financial reward.

Selling on the other hand allows the business owner to decide their ideal timing, maximize the value of the business they worked so hard to build, coordinate the use of the sale proceeds for financial planning and align their personal goals with the sale of a business. Selling the business allows the business owner to create a wealth event and often significant on-going passive income without having to run their business.

Whatever they are, human reasons are always pushing and pulling on a business owner. Burn out, stress, divorce, illness, partner disputes and limited growth capital are some of the human reasons that push owners out of the business. Retirement, enjoying life, relocating, a new business opportunity and passive income are some of the reasons that pull a business owner out. Whatever the motivation, the fundamental reason a business owner chooses a sale as their ideal exit plan is control. The business owner chooses to understand the value of their business and to proactively pursue the right buyer and the right price. By selling a business you choose to exit your business by choice, not by force.

Starting a business and making it successful encompasses a great deal of work, but sometimes it gets overwhelming and you feel that selling it is the best option for you. While the current business market is shaky with the global recession affecting everything, you still have a good opportunity to sell your business. Even if you decide to wait until the economy is in a better state, you can be preparing your business for sale.

Here are some things to consider while preparing to sell your business.

1.    If you have any problems within your business whatsoever try to get them resolved as soon as you can. Talk to any business partners about major decisions concerning the business and its sale, and make sure that a buy and sell agreement is in place before any sale is finalised to ensure a smooth transition.

2.    Work on getting all of your financial documents up to date and as accurate as possible. This is a great way to impress the buyer of the businesses acumen, and it will help convince them that the business is worth the price you are asking for it. It’s best to be up front and honest about all aspects of your business as well. Even if there is something negative in the businesses history, not revealing it could lose the sale.

3.    Be prepared to help finance the sale of your business, because the current economic conditions could keep the buyer from getting funding put into place. You can also start looking for a reliable business broker to help you in your search for buyers. They will be able to qualify the buyers for you based on their financial credibility and their ability to successfully run a business.

4.    Discuss with the business broker the price you should be asking for your business. They have all of the expertise needed to help you determine a price for your business that is based on the current economic conditions, how the marketplace is moving, and how a realistic price will help you sell your business instead of leaving you out in the cold because your price is simply too high.

5.    Stay in constant communication with your business broker throughout the preparation of the business for the sale all the way through to the finalisation of the sale itself. They know where to list your business for sale, who to contact and speak to during inquiries about the sale and ways to get the transaction completed in a reasonable amount of time.  They will act as your representative for the buyer and they can assess the offers that come into their office. They can also help you structure the final sales transaction, and by working with them consistently you can build a trusting relationship that will benefit your business.While waiting for the business to sell it is advisable to keep the business running as efficiently and profitably as possible, letting the business broker hand the sale for you. They are working on your behalf and by allowing them to handle all of the sales aspects for you; you can concentrate on making sure the business remains running at peak efficiency.

It is not easy for small businesses to get small business loans. Banks and other lenders require them to go through strict and complicated financial procedures with stringent requirements for qualification. After everything, credit approval is not even guaranteed. Even the financing for loans supported by the Small Business Administration (SBA) cannot meet the needs of the majority of small businesses. Although the amount of credit available for small businesses has reportedly been increased by 25% since March this year, it is not that easy to avail of the said small business loans. Small businesses seeking small business loans should know how to prepare the right kind of business plans that banks are looking for. To justify the loan, they should be able to show the banks in detail how they intend to use the money in business and how viable their plan is. Experts say lenders have specific points which they scrutinize applications for and applicants should know these points and tailor their submitted business plans accordingly. It is also said that loan applicants should first establish a strong relationship with the lending bank in order to increase the possibility of having a loan approved. Banks supposedly give more small business loans to businesses they have already known and trusted long term. Since small businesses are usually new businesses, this is quite difficult to do and it cannot be done in a hurry. How can a new small business with financial needs establish a good long term relationship with a bank in time to meet its current needs? Another requirement of lending institutions from small businesses applying for small business loans is a good credit history score.  A small business should first be deemed credit worthy by the bank before it can even be considered for loan approval. Again, small businesses that are stll young are at an immediate disadvantage here. How can they establish credit worthiness in time? The US Congress has also placed Congressional restrictions on eligibility for the Small Business Administration loans. Small businesses first have to prove that they are at least two years old and are both struggling and viable at the same time. They should present proof that they have had a positive cash flow in one of those previous two years in business. They should, however, be currently struggling with “immediate financial hardship” with a decrease in income that should not be less than 20 percent. At the same time, they should submit their projections for cash flow for the next two years, proving that they will be able to meet loan payments.A faster way to get small business loans would be through credit card services. Any small business should have credit card services. Credit card services enable a company to accept customer payments for goods and services via credit cards or debit cards, whether over the counter in brick and mortar settings, through the phone or online. Credit card services provide the hardware and software for this. Being able to accept payments through credit cards or debit cards can greatly enhance a small business’ income earning potentials. In addition to that, credit card services can provide the equivalent of small business loans with no need for any collateral. The amount of the small business loans are computed based on the average monthly income of the small business from credit card payments. The small business loans are then amortized through automatic monthly deductions of a certain percentage from the small business’ future credit card revenue. This means small businesses can almost automatically qualify for small business loans through credit card services, and will surely be able to pay such small business loans.