Selling your business can be a very complicated task, especially for those who don’t have any experience in that. However, by following our simple tips, you will be better prepared for this process and get more chances of actually selling your business to the right buyer for the proper price.
Here are some best practices to follow when you’re in the preparation stage to sell your business.
Understand your position in the market
The first important step is getting your business evaluated. You need to be ready that business valuation is no guarantee that you’ll receive this amount in reality. There are many factors that will eventually affect the final selling price of your company. These include:
- Macroeconomic business climate
- Most recent deals in your industry
- The activities and valuations of your competitors
With all these factors in mind, you need to make sure that you chose the right time to sell your business. Unless you have a certain compelling reason why you need to sell in the short term, it may be better to wait a bit for better opportunities and prospects.
Work to enhance the business value before the sale
If the performance of your business declines before all the documents are signed, it may serve as a sign for prospective buyers to make an offer that is significantly below your set price.
If that’s your case, then you should be working on enhancing business value before putting it on the market. You can raise profits, increase sales, improve workflow, expand market reach and customer base, etc.
Identify target buyers
Identifying target buyers will increase your chances of successfully selling your business. In general, there are two types of M&A buyers:
- Financial buyers. This type of buyer treats the purchase as an investment. Their main goal is knowing the potential returns they can achieve. When they reach an acceptable ROI, they’re more likely to sell the company themselves or take it public with an IPO. Financial buyers use debt to finance their purchases, and they precisely check the company’s history, as they want to see solid growth and strong results in financial statements.
- Strategic buyers. They look to make purchases that fit into their long-term business strategy. Typically, strategic buyers are willing to pay more for their purchase, as they can immediately benefit from economies of scale.
Use a virtual data room
A virtual data room is a secure cloud-based repository that serves as a tool for storing and sharing confidential documents and critical business information.
Data room is a must for those who want to sell their business, as it can facilitate the due diligence process. The data room software offers a variety of useful features, including:
- Advanced search functionality to quickly find the right document
- Watermarking to avoid file leaks
- Strong encryption for better data protection
- User permissions to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to certain files
- Document management and secure data management features
- Mobile device support
- Ability to upload a large amount of data
Whether your business is successful, you’ve decided to move on to another venture, retire, or any other reason for selling a business, you need to be ready that it will require a lot of preparation, effort, and patience. You should expect the entire process of selling your business, from preparing to signing the documents, to take up several months. The average time is from 6 to 10 months.
