For an owner who was simply considering exiting their business, it almost seemed too good to be true when the telephone rang. It had been a business broker who had a potential customer that was thinking about buying a business exactly like his.
This appeared like a perfectly timed telephone call. However, the decision started a chain of events that eventually put the business enterprise owner in an environment of pain, because he had not been sure if the broker had the owner’s needs in mind.
First, a headlong rush right into a complicated process.
The task is this business proprietor had only started considering selling his business and had done hardly any to prepare the business enterprise for sale. The business enterprise broker could answer most of the owner’s questions, specifically what his business was worth in today’s market. It was an excellent call to get.
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Excited and relieved, encouraged and optimistic, the entrepreneur quickly gathered all his data. This included trying to arrange and seem sensible of his financials, come up with a listing of assets, customers and suppliers, pricing lists, rental agreements and more.
There is a feeling of urgency and enthusiasm. The energy was high and, without all of the data was ready or absolutely accurate, the belief was the broker can evaluate it and present it in a manner that made sense. Everything seemed reasonable, right? Well not necessarily, you see a few of the information he provided he shouldn’t have offered when he did. Firstly, it had been ill prepared, and secondly, he hadn’t even had a confidentiality agreement signed.
Predicated on the information he previously provided, the broker remarked that the business enterprise was actually worth significantly less than expected and predicated on the current market it had been still regarded as a good deal. Owner was left angry, frustrated and disappointed.
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Then, numerous realities hit home.
- The business enterprise broker was doing work for the buyer not owner. The broker had a vested interest to greatly help the buyer get yourself a great deal.
- Rushing to get ready the financials, the customer hadn’t accurately portrayed the way the business was actually doing.
- The lease agreement for his premises had just a few months left before expiring and because he was renting from an excellent friend, the offer for the brand new buyer was not apt to be the same.
- The dog owner had not really considered how much cash he had a need to sell his business for or what his business really was worth.
- His business needed a bit more work to create it saleable on his terms.
They are just some of things that became apparent. Luckily the seller’s accountant found that it was wii deal and strongly advised owner never to accept the offer. A couple of months down the road, his business started looking more appealing to potential buyers. Understanding that there is nothing much better than having several interested parties arriving at the table, he’s now in an improved position to negotiate a far greater deal.
Related: Selling Your Business? The way to get the Most for this.
Continually be clear who someone is doing work for. A great way to do this is to comprehend explicitly how they stand to take advantage of the advice you’ll get. <