When it’s time to market your company, most business proprietors haven’t been advised about or planned with an exit strategy. I urge anybody considering selling their business to prepare yourself to help minimize unknown hurdles have a tendency to appear whenever using a ready, ready buyer.

Buyers spend considerable time dealing with Business Brokers searching for the best business. Once they think it is, they would like to negotiate a cost and contingencies from the purchase and move into the research process. That process by itself is complicated, time intensive and very emotional for seller and buyer. The final factor you’ll need is to increase the complication by not prepared, which potentially result in a qualified buyer just to walk. An average promising small to mid-sized, independently held business usually take 6-9 several weeks to shut along with a good Business Broker can help proprietors get ready for on that day.

There are lots of advantages of being in business. Small business owners have enjoyed individuals benefits for a long time or several generations. However, when you’re ready to sell, things that benefited you while running the company might cause issues when selling it.

A company is valued on its earnings and assets. Which should be justifiable to some buyer if you’re to maximise the sales cost of the business. Be completely honest and open together with your Business Broker about every aspect of your company to allow them to best support your time and efforts in selling the company for optimum cost with no last second surprises. When the earnings can’t be correctly proven to some buyer and/or expenses that won’t be related straight to the company can not be proven as “add backs”, you risk undervaluing the selling cost.

Another essential factor to think about is tax implications around the purchase of the business. With respect to the kind of business (i.e. Sole Proprietorship, S or C Corporation, Limited Liability Corporation, Partnership, etc), there might be different tax implications that you need to be ready for just before closing. Seek professional advice out of your accountant and/or tax attorney just before selling your company to prevent any last second surprises. Remember, when you sign a contract having a buyer to market your company, it may be far too late to modify your mind without penalty.

Lastly, just before selling your company, a great financial planner ought to be consulted to maximise your return from the proceeds and plan correctly for retirement.

Spend some time and talk with several trustworthy Business Broker in confidence to go over the possibility purchase of the business. They can explain the possibility hurdles you have to address just before selling your company. A great Business Broker is invaluable within the purchase of the business and aren’t compensated a cent until they offer it, so please refer to them as for any free valuation. Many also provide working relationships with legal, accounting, tax and financial planning professionals with whom they might refer you.

Billy Lerner