It could be from the founder to children, from the owner to employees, the results of divorce or death or the most common scenario; sold to a total stranger.
Is it time to sell my Colorado business?
It’s a major decision and to have the advantage, or at least an opportunity to get to the closing table, you must see the business through the eyes of a buyer and lender so you’re prepared for the incoming fire that will inevitably come your way. Buyers and sellers are at cross-purposes when it comes to terms and conditions of a sale so knowing how to proceed once the swords are crossed is critical.
The best time to sell your small business is:
- When you’re ready and
- when the recent history and near future are positive within your business, your industry and your region and most importantly
- when you have 3-5 years of steady, manageable growth in both revenues and earnings. There should also be a strong likelihood that this trend will continue.
What your business did 5-10 years ago, in a completely different economy, has little bearing today.
The old saying, trends are a friend is true for one party or the other in a deal.
When a seller says the business is likely to grow, just look at my history, it’s very credible. If you have just one down year in your recent history, you’ll spend forever trying to explain that one period to buyers and lenders and it’s exponentially harder to sell.
In summary, here’s how to sell a business:
- Establish a defensible value;
- Show it to the right buyers;
- Demonstrate transparency and close the deal.
Selling a business is one of the most misunderstood and poorly managed processes in small business today.
This is unfortunate too, because a lot of high-energy, risk-taking entrepreneurs have spent years bare-knuckle brawling with lenders, suppliers, employees, competitors and governments to provide for families, create wealth and provide jobs and service to their communities and one might think exiting for other opportunities or the golden years would be rewarding.
Item 1, What’s it worth, is it ready to sell?
The first question almost every seller asks is: “What is my business worth?” It’s the obvious question.
Remember… An appraisal is not about what it’s worth in the current owner’s hands; it’s about the company’s transferrable value.
It doesn’t make any difference what your accountant, attorney, partner, friend or lover thinks the business is worth, or even what you want for it or what you owe, it boils down to an equitable deal between a willing buyer and willing seller.
Start with a defensible estimate of value (which is the same thing as an appraisal).
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on an appraisal, but you must be able to defend your asking price. Otherwise, buyers and lenders won’t take you seriously. Even if you start with a simple rule of thumb, it has to make sense. Use caution though, if you value your business with math a 10-year old can do in their head, you may be in for a rough ride.
Make sure your records are in order. You simply can’t sell (or even appraise) with poor records. Make sure your business tax returns are not extended, that any professionally prepared records (such as tax returns) are reconciled with your in-house system and your accounting system is up to date. Good financial records reduce the chances for a buyer to work the price down during due diligence.
A few advantages of appraisals:
- Is the value high enough? Let’s face it, we all believe in sweat equity, but it doesn’t exist in a sale. An appraisal provides an informed opinion about the business value, so a seller can decide if the asking price will be enough to move on from the business.
- You can see the business from a neutral, 3rd party perspective, which is how a buyer and lender will see it.
- It acts as a financial health check-up identifying strengths and weaknesses that can aid in long-term planning.
- Saves time and money. Wouldn’t you rather know now? There is cost and time required to get an appraisal, but the advantages far outweigh not getting this done.
If you go the appraisal route, choose an appraiser who has transaction experience. If they learned to appraise from a book, it’s likely pretty, but it should also be realistic. Also, choose someone who is independent… would you buy a business based on an appraisal done by the company accountant who is also the owners 20-year drinking buddy.
Most common docs you’ll need:
- Four Years Profit & Loss Statements and Balance Sheets
- Interim year-over-year (aka “comparative”) Financial Statements
- Four Years Business Federal Tax Returns
- List of Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (might be in the tax return)
- Facility Lease and lease-related documents.
- Copy of any Franchise Agreement, if applicable.
Btw, it likely goes without saying but everything should be electronic. No one has file boxes, fax machines or Windows XP anymore… if you do, you might want to assess your tech a bit, just saying…
Item 2, Create a compelling story!
You’ll need a marketing package.
For Small Business transactions, its normally called a Confidential Business Review (CBR) which, after the buyer signs the NDA, acquaints the buyer with the business.
Sometimes, they’re called a teaser, offering memo or confidential information memorandum but regardless of the name, it should be detailed enough to answer most questions about the business including detailed discussion of the following topics:
- History of the business.
- Owners involvement.
- Products and services.
- Marketing programs.
- Financial recasting and records.
- Discussion of Owner Perks.
Market the Business for Sale
Think Internet… obviously.
Print is obsolete, expensive and just doesn’t work. Social media is right there with print… ineffective! I know, young people will argue social media is totally lit but remember dude, social media crazies don’t buy. You have to appear where the buyers look which is not on Facebook or some real estate MLS, but legitimate business for sale websites. There are dozens of sites to choose from.
Who are the Buyers?
The Individual Buyer
This type of buyer is solely a small business or “Main-Street” buyer (because of lack of resources). This buyer usually seeks a business with a value range of $100,000 to $1,000,000. Additionally, this type of buyer is usually buying or replacing a job and wants to: a) control their own destiny, b) not work for someone else, and c) leverage their talents, skills and abilities to make more money. Because the buyer will be working in the business, pride of ownership and other psychological and emotional factors are usually involved in the buying decision. Most importantly, this type of buyer is a down payment driven buyer.
The Financial Buyer
This type of buyer is usually an individual as well, but of substantial means, i.e. this buyer is not just buying a job. (S)he is influenced not only by the return on investment and salary the business offers, but also its scalability and potential to accumulate wealth by taking it to the next level which is likely the private equity market. This buyer often buys Small Businesses but also larger businesses on occasion. This type of buyer is also a down payment driven buyer.
In summary, the most likely buyer of a Small Business is the individual buyer for the reasons stated above. They typically search for a business with an asking price of 4 to 5 times their down payment ability knowing they will leverage the cash they have on hand.
Buyers Buy Cash Flow (you need to remember this saying!)
Appearances Do Count
Need to sell your business in Denver CO, it’s best to show during business hours so the buyer can see the operation. If it’s a confidential sale, then there’s nothing wrong with showing after hours or on a weekend. At some point however, the buyer will want to see the operations and meet the staff, but it doesn’t have to be at the first meeting.
Be organized and clean… unfiled / unscanned documents, obsolete or overstock inventory, equipment in disrepair and clutter in general reflects poorly on management. It’s much better to start the meeting talking about an award or plaque on your wall than with an apology about being too busy lately to tidy up.
Be honest, but not modest. If there’s something about the business that could be improved, it doesn’t hurt to talk about it, they will likely discover it anyway. You should not feel pressured to have a perfect small business, there’s no such thing.
Item 3, demonstrate transparency and close the deal
Long before you put your business on the market, eliminate the surprises!
Review every facet of the business and remedy any problems that could appear during the sale process. No one likes surprises – most of all potential buyers. Whether legal, accounting, environmental, or anything else – solve it now.
Due Diligence is a review, investigation and confirmation process designed to corroborate the representations of a business owner about the true status of the business with the intent to uncover material variance.
Sounds hard-core, right? Well… it is. So when you ask how do I sell my business in Denver. Remember, the buyer is always the most nervous party in a transaction and by far, has the most risk. There is a legitimate need for access to accurate, timely records to help manage the risk and provide some level of assurance that the seller’s representations are materially true and correct.
About half of all deals fall apart during the due diligence process and it’s usually because the buyer (or an advisor) finds the earnings were overstated. When this happens, most buyers walk away mad with the encouragement of their lender, but some will ask you to cut your price to account for the discovery. Avoiding this pitfall can be simple…conduct an internal due-diligence examination as you prepare the business for sale. This is helpful in several ways…1) it will allow you see the business from a buyer and lender perspective, 2) will refresh your memory and identify problems and 3) confirm to a buyer and lender that the business is well managed.
Common Deal Killers…
In the Small Business arena, deals go south… a lot. Here are some of the more common reasons we see (outside of the obvious overpriced business):
- Poor financial records; they have to instill confidence.
- Lack of transparency; be open and honest.
- Lack of Seller financing.
- Your business requires too much working capital.
- Excluding assets that are used in the business.
- Business is too dependent on the owner, a customer, an employee or supplier.
- Landlords; make sure your lease is transferrable to a Buyer.
- Employees won’t stay after the sale.
- Non-compete issues.
- Revenue starts to decline during the sale process.
- No recurring revenue.
- You are in a commoditized business, nothing differentiates you.
- Professional advisors; most people think attorneys kill deals and while it does happen on occasion, it’s usually the accountant. Know the tax consequence of a sale!
- Make sure you have a good deal team that specializes in Small Business transactions.
- Lenders; the Buyer will need to have experience in the field being bought which is rare.
As mentioned, all Businesses change hands at some point. It could be from parents to kids, owners to employees, taken over by a creditor or the most common transaction; sold to a complete stranger.
Whichever transaction works best for you will require planning…. advance planning. You simply can’t wake up on your 65th birthday and decide to sell, there are too many outside forces (the economy, your recent trends, etc.) to consider. Realistically, the process should start 1-2 years in advance. Selling a small business in Denver to Durango or Pueblo to Grand Junction, it doesn’t matter where, you need to plan ahead.
As stated earlier, you must take a close look at your business from a Buyer’s perspective which is quite simple to do. When you go to work tomorrow, look at your facility as your drive up; are you impressed? Go in and tell your assistant to print a YTD financial statement and last year’s federal tax return; did you get it within about 5 minutes? How does it look? Are sales trending up? Are you able to read it without being interrupted? Get the picture?
Selling a Small Business is hard to do because they’re risky investments. This is evidenced by lenders who want a guarantee from the government just to loan money on them or at least have tangible collateral like real estate to back it up. They will also want the earnings to be at least 125% of what it will take to pay the debt and draw a livable wage. They’re not being difficult, they’re managing risk.
Though risky, there are a lot of people who want to control their own destiny and build a better life through entrepreneurship which gives you a good chance you can sell if you are reasonable, transparent and patient.
