One big advantage of “preparing” a business for sale is to prevent giving any ammunition to any prospective purchaser to reduce the offer during the due diligence review. Professional firms who use our services respect us for this honesty to clients.
It would be all too easy to take instructions and market the business and deal with problems later on. This is a very expensive way of doing things for the client. We take pride in giving the very best independent advice to maximise the businesses value.
Why sell?
Contemplating selling your business is probably one of the biggest decisions you are ever going to take. Getting it right is a delicate process.
Anyone who suggests selling a business is easy or straight forward may be fooling themselves or someone else! You should therefore ensure you are committed to the idea. That does not necessarily mean you have to sell if you do not get the right deal but either way it can be a time consuming process once begun.
What’s the rush?
There may be numerous reasons for wanting to sell and once the decision has been made to sell there may be many reasons why you may want to rush.
There will no doubt be many advisers who will encourage you to rush. They may even suggest they already have a buyer for your business. This could be a ploy to get you signed up to a long term contract. We have seen many such examples and so have most of our professional contacts. That is why we apply our “no pressure” philosophy. We want clients to be happy with the advice we give and we want them to take their time in ensuring they are happy with us.
We do not encourage clients to rush into marketing their business. We have advised numerous businesses to wait and prepare for sale in order to maximise the attractiveness and value of the business. We believe timing is a vital key to a sale strategy. There are many factors to consider and every business is different.
When advising in relation to a sale we assess the prospects of sale and we assess the readiness of the business.
How much is it worth?
Some agents may also lead you to believe that your business can be sold for far more than you ever thought possible. This is not a problem if it is true but what about all the adverse implications if it is not true? This is a common problem in the industry and it only seems to be getting worse because when someone tells a proprietor that they can get an overly inflated figure for the business then the incentive is there to rush and fall into a potential trap.
We provide a bespoke service to a limited and select number of clients. We work with trusted advisers to ensure the outcome is what you anticipate. No false claims, no pressure and no sales gimmicks. Your business is worth what someone will pay for it. We can advise on business value if necessary.
If you want to see how we negotiated the sale of a company name for £700,000 have a look at our case studies: “Businesses may have different values”
How should it be marketed?
We have access to some of the most comprehensive and sophisticated data bases available in the industry to analyse and research potential acquirers.
We can research millions of businesses and investors to come up with suitable targets to approach.With a structured marketing strategy targeting potential purchasers/investors we aim to assist you in getting the best deal for your business. We also have access to many professional firms who themselves have client bases with potential targets. We also work with a variety of consultants who are experienced in selling the more specialist businesses.
When we approach targets who may be interested in acquiring your business we will get a feel for how interested they may be. We have the tools to do some due diligence to ensure they have the means to purchase your business before negotiations commence. We report back to you and let you decide whether further information should be released to the party (subject of course to confidentiality undertakings being signed).
In conjunction with you and your advisers we also prepare an Information Document. This document has more additional information to allow the target to fully consider all the details before proceeding. Getting the right balance as regards what detailed information is provided to a serious interested party is vital so that everyone does not waste their time and/or get involved in unnecessary communications. The possibility of management buy-in or buy-out is also worth considering and we can help you assess the potential strategy.
Have you considered franchising?
Rather than dispose of a business by outright sale some businesses are capable of being franchised.
It may provide a solution for certain business owners who do not have the resource or energy to grow their businesses on their own but would with the right support and structure of a franchise operation.
Why use us?
Our bespoke service is for select clients the majority of whom are referred to us by professional firms. We work with you to help you get the right deal.
Many clients use us our services to for a multitude of reasons. We have for example assisted various solicitors and accountants in resolving divorce issues before costs escalate and get out of control. Our unique style is recognised by some leading professional practices and we have many testimonials to demonstrate our effectiveness.
British Franchising Association:http://www.thebfa.org/
Take your time
Believe it or not, we rarely come across businesses that are ready to sell. This may sound strange but it is in no-ones interests marketing a business that is not "sale ready". We have developed a process to ensure businesses are made ready.
Anyone can "advertise" or send thousands of "spam" emails to notify others about a business for sale but our approach is discreet and we market the business in a highly confidential manner. We have access to comprehensive databases and professional networks allowing us to work with you to identify the best targets for your business.
You save on costs, avoid long term exclusivity contracts, avoid paying up front fees and avoid over-zelous sales pitches. This is why professional firms choose us to advise their clients.
So if you want to know how we helped negotiate a sale of a just a company name from an offer of around £15,000 to £700,000 just have a look at our case studies.
