Thursday, January 28, 2010

Build your Business with the End in Mind

Most business owners do a very good job of planning and executing their business strategies. Few, however, think about what to do when they can no longer continue to manage the business.

Ted Thomas of Sun Exit Advisors offered his insights on this topic in a interview with Mark Goodman of SCORE Chicago. Ted had three suggestions to aid in the planning of the eventual transition of your business.

1. Clear, up-to-date accounting practices.
Understand where your cash is coming from and where it is going. For some businesses, the only time when the financial situation is understood is the one day a year that taxes are filed.

2. Create operating systems that are documented and repeatable.
What is the sales process? When does inventory need to be replenished? How are invoices paid in order to avoid late payment fees? Who authorizes payments if the owner is not available?

3. Identify a second in command.
Who will be in charge if something happens to the owner? This information can be known to employees and partners or can be kept private. However, pushing a spouse or child into a role that they have not been prepared for can create significant difficulty at a very difficult time.

The above are only some of the important phases in preparing for an eventual sale. Click here to see Ted's entire interview or contact Ted directly.

The question is not IF your business will be transferred but, rather, will you transfer it on your terms and realize the maximum value for a life's work.

Friday, January 15, 2010

When Is It Time to Sell

As a business broker who's been involved in hundreds of deals, I can tell you with certainty that the best time to sell your business is when it's doing well. I can also tell you that this is exactly when most business owners have the hardest time pulling the trigger on a sale. If things are going so well, they ask, why should they sell and potentially leave money on the table?

An entrepreneur's dream is to build a successful and profitable business, so to many owners it might seem illogical to walk away. Using a recent example involving a client, let me illustrate how it can pay off to sell when things are good.

This client hired our firm to determine the value of his business and market it to potential buyers. This company had all the attributes buyers are seeking--a great track record, increasing revenues and profits, long-term clients, key employees, a niche product, and very healthy margins. In fact, this business was just wrapping up a record year, and the future prospects were outstanding. At first glance, this was a model seller who had made the tough decision to sell when things were going well.

As anticipated, our firm generated multiple offers--several of them well above the value placed on the business. This was great news, and we thought the toughest part would be deciding which of the many qualified buyers the owner would choose. Wrong.

Because of all these offers, the owner began to second-guess the value of his business and became convinced that the buyers were undervaluing it. As such, we could not get a deal done, and the buyers went on to pursue other deals. Just four months later, the business started to slow. Today, it's not as valuable as it was when offers were on the table, and it will be some time before it regains its previous value.

The timing of a business sale can be a nebulous thing, especially in the current environment. Many people are surprised to hear that there are plenty of businesses performing well and generating healthy returns. There are great opportunities to successfully sell a business right now and maximize your investment. Even if sales are currently flat, don't misread that as a bad sign. Many analysts and economists like to toss around the phrase "flat is the new up." So if your business is holding its own--or if sales are slightly up or slightly down--consider it good news in this economy.

Selling a business has always been an individual decision, and timing the sale right can be tricky. It's always best for sellers to plan their exits so they can leave when they want and under the circumstances they want.

As such, it would be wise to plan an exit strategy even as you launch your business, but most people can't fathom taking that step just as they are getting started. What follows is a 10-year timeline to help you plan for the eventual sale of your business.
Let's assume you're thinking of retiring and selling your business when you turn 65. (That number could be 55 or 75, of course.) This timeline, a rough guide, will help you put the pieces in place to prepare your business for sale. If you create a plan from day one, most of your time will be spent running the day-to-day operations of your business so you won't need to scramble when you're ready. It also helps you better calibrate the best time to sell so you can get top dollar and achieve your personal goals.

7 to 10 Years Before Selling

This is the education and reading stage. Learn about successful business transitions, attend seminars on how to sell a business, and talk to retirees who have sold a business. Essentially, get familiar with the notion of what you'll need to do as the process continues. Take your time; this phase can last for several years.


3 to 5 Years Before Selling

Start to assemble a team of advisors (accountant, attorney, wealth manager, insurance agent, business broker and exit planner) for the express purpose of designing a plan that will meet your needs post-sale. These advisors may be different than the people you use to help you manage your business, and they should be well-versed in business transactions, tax planning and wealth maximization. An experienced exit planning professional should be retained to quarterback this process and ensure that all the parties involved are working toward a common set of objectives and goals. The outcome of this process can range from minor tweaks to your financial record-keeping and legal structure to significant changes in your business operations to ensure that you maximize the value of your asset.


2 Years Before Selling

At this stage, you should be revisiting the exit plan every six months to a year to ensure you are on pace to achieve your goals. If so, you can begin the window dressing necessary to prepare for a sale. If not, you may have to consider a course correction, modification of your goals, a delay in your exit or any combination thereof. If things are on track, this is the time to firm up your vendor and client agreements and ensure key employees are in place and that you have a complete operations manual that documents all processes and procedures.


1 Year Before Selling

Make sure you can answer this question with clarity: Why are you selling? That will be the first question every potential buyer will ask. By now you know what your business is worth and you have prepared all other aspects for a sale. Work with your business brokerage firm to start developing the "go to market" strategy. Ensure that you have a mix of strategic and financial acquirers identified, as well as a broad-based marketing plan to attract the largest number of buyers. Finally, when everything is ready, take a step back. Just focus on managing the business so it's running smoothly and let your brokerage firm manage the life cycle of the business transaction. This will lead to a graceful and profitable exit.