Ein Unternehmen zu verkaufen, ist eine emotionsgeladene Entscheidung. Sie kann aufregend, stressig und sogar beängstigend sein. Bevor Sie diese Entscheidung treffen, sollten Sie sich mehrere Fragen stellen, vor allem: Wollen Sie das wirklich?
The first thing to do is to assess the state of your business. What are its assets and liabilities? What are the company's growth prospects? What price could you sell it for? These questions will help you determine whether the time is right to sell your business.
If you are ready to sell your business, the question is: do you want to find a buyer who will continue to run the business as it is? Or should it be a candidate who is likely to take it in a new direction?
If you want to sell your business, you also need to have a good idea of what it is worth. You can get an estimate by doing some research on similar companies in the same industry. The more information you have about these companies, the better you will be able to negotiate with potential buyers.
You should also consider other factors such as the size of your market share and how your competitors are doing. Once you have a rough idea of what your business is worth, you can start looking for potential buyers.
To do this, you should turn to professionals who specialise in selling companies. A good partner is not ‘just’ an agent for you to find a buyer and negotiate on your behalf. They will also help you in advance to ensure that your company is as ready as possible to be sold. You will have to pay them a commission for their services. However, this is lower than the profit they make from this approach.
You Know the Value of Your Business Best
Maybe you want to start a new business, invest in real estate, or just enjoy life. But most of all, your goals should align with the value of your business.
Take advantage of your opportunities. You can sell your business in its entirety, or retain some equity in the business. Your proceeds depend on several factors, such as:
- the attractiveness of your industry, the position of your company and the expertise of your management team;
- the value of your company's assets, your personal financial health;
the strength of your customer base, the contracted volume and the value of intellectual property; - the value of the company brand, the reputation of your company, your business plan.
Identify the Target Group for the Company Sale
You should have a clear idea of who is predestined to buy your company and for what reasons. Then you should understand your target group to find out what the buyer is looking for. From this, you can deduce not only what price you can ask for, but also what is best for you and your company.
While it's important to know as much as you can about potential buyers and their motivations, it's equally important to be realistic about how much they're willing or able to pay for your business. If you end up getting less than you expected, ask yourself: is it worth continuing? Are there other options? What does this mean for your personal financial future?
The best answers to these questions are provided by market research. Find out at what price other companies like yours are selling and what the average sale price of start-ups in your industry is. This will give you a better idea of what you can expect from buyers and whether they are willing to negotiate based on market data. This will help you determine whether the sale is worthwhile or whether there are other options that may be more profitable.
Understanding Potential Buyers of Your Business
If you are thinking about selling your business, remember: it's your business. You have been the driving force behind its success, and if you don't believe in its value or believe in yourself, no one else will either.
In other words, focus on yourself. If a potential buyer can see how much passion and energy you have put into building your business from the ground up, it will influence their perception of its value. If they are an entrepreneur at heart, they will identify with your company more quickly.
Secondly, remember that it's not just about you, but also about the buyer. Selling a business is a big decision and while it may be tempting to focus on your own needs first, you should put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. If they are investing a lot of time and energy in this transaction (which probably involves more than just buying the business), then they want to feel confident that they are doing the right thing. You need to make sure you are aligned on the post-sale development. You should be able to show the buyer the way to get started with their new company and make them understand how it works in practice.
The third point is: you have to take on the active role of a salesman. You may not consider yourself a skilled salesman, but if you want to sell your company, this is one of the most important roles you will play throughout the entire process.
You have to sell your company to the buyer, but also yourself. This means that you need to be able to clearly and distinctly explain why this company is great and why it should be bought over all other options. You have already done some of this when you prepared your financial records and marketing materials, but now it's time to present yourself as well.
Think About the Future of Your Employees
The future of your business is in the hands of your employees. It is important to keep them happy and motivated as they are the ones who keep your business running. And this can be even more important during a sale.
Even if you are selling the company, you will still be involved in the day-to-day running of the business until the deal is completed. Your employees need to know that there is no guarantee that everything will remain the same if they continue to work for the company after the sale. If an employee is unsure whether they will still have a job after your company is sold, they are likely to look elsewhere. They may be concerned about their career development or other aspects of their lives that are not solely related to income or benefits.
It can be difficult to tell your employees that you are selling the company, but it is important to do so as early as possible. Let them know that there is no need to worry and that everything will be fine even after the sale has been completed. This will save a lot of worry and stress.
However, you should also be prepared for employees to leave if they know the company is being sold. It is important to keep your employees informed. Let them know what is going on at all times – even if it means telling them that they will be made redundant as a result of the sale. This will help to reduce the stress of those who are worried about their jobs for no reason.
You may also consider offering a bonus or a raise to your employees, especially if their salary hasn't changed in a while. You may want to offer them some kind of incentive to stay with the company for another year or two.
Talk to an Experienced Advisor
Once you've made the decision to sell your business, it's best to find an advisor who has experience guiding sale processes.
One important quality that any potential adviser should have is trustworthiness – you may be giving them access to sensitive information about your finances and personal life. It is vital that they are trustworthy enough not to use this information to your disadvantage when negotiating or dealing with other parties involved in a transaction (such as lawyers or accountants).
A good consultant can help you get a good and fair price for your business. Therefore, you should inform yourself well before hiring someone. If possible, talk to several potential consultants and ask them about their experience in selling similar businesses. You want someone who will give you honest information about the state of your business and can advise you on the best way to proceed with the sale.
A four-dimensional approach to selling your business
If you want to sell your business, you need to take many factors into account.
1. Financial considerations: If you want to protect yourself and your family during the sales process, you should consider the following financial aspects before signing on the dotted line:
- The value of your business;
- The price of comparable businesses in your industry that have recently been sold;
- your financial needs in order to retire or invest in another project.
2. Emotional considerations: Selling a business takes time and effort, so don't rush into it without weighing up all the aspects of this important life decision. Take your time to think about it. It may be helpful to ask close friends and family for their opinion on this transition in their lives.
3. Operational considerations: Selling a business requires careful planning. First and foremost, you need to ensure that a proven management team can continue to run and develop the business without you in the future. You need to make sure that your employees are well looked after and that they know they will keep their current jobs if you sell the business. When selling a business, you should also consider how this decision will affect your community and the local economy.
4. Legal considerations: There may be various legal implications to exiting a business, such as contractual obligations, labour law, tax implications, intellectual property, liabilities and debts, and the formal dissolution process. It is therefore advisable to seek advice from legal and financial experts.
Conclusion
Selling a business is a big deal. It's a decision that will impact your life and the lives of many others. It's important to consider all of these aspects before making a decision, but don't let it distract you from running your business.
Want to Learn More?
If you are interested in this topic, I would be happy to discuss it with you.
Just leave me a message and I will contact you.
