Nine Steps to selling your business

Selling your business can be daunting, but with the right approach, you can set yourself up for success. It’s essential to take a step-by-step approach to ensure that you’re not leaving anything to chance. After all, you’ve poured your heart and soul – not to mention your time and money – into your business, and you want to maximize the value of your investment. By following a proven process, you can help ensure a smooth and successful sale. So, what are the steps you need to take? Let’s dive in and explore the nine practical steps to selling your business.

Step 1

Planning

Our journey begins with planning. To ensure a successful exploration, it’s crucial to have a solid plan in place. This starts with analyzing the fundamentals and assessing your resources. Getting your finances in order is a critical first step. This may mean cleaning up your financial records or creating a budget. Whatever it takes to get organized, do it. With a clear plan, you’ll be better equipped to tackle any obstacles that come your way as you embark on your adventure. Let’s get started!

Step 2

Business Value Appraisal

Appraising the value of your business requires more than just a gut feeling. While the sweat and tears you’ve poured into your venture are undoubtedly valuable, the worth of your business ultimately depends on what a potential buyer is willing to pay for it. To ensure a fair assessment, it’s essential to enlist the help of a professional business broker who can accurately appraise your company’s value.

Step 3

Documentation

In order to attract buyers, it’s equally important to create a thorough and honest Information Memorandum that presents all the pertinent details about your business. Selling a business is a complicated process, but with the right guidance and preparation, you can achieve a successful outcome.

Step 4

Identifying Buyers

Simply setting the right price is not enough to find your ideal buyer. Access to a robust database of qualified buyers will create greater competition, leading to a higher sale price.

Step 5

Marketing

Effective planning and execution of a marketing campaign is crucial to the success of your business. A well-planned campaign can increase visibility and attract more customers, while a poorly executed one can leave your business sitting on the market for too long. In this case, the listing will become stale, and the perceived value of your business will plummet. Ensure your marketing strategy is carefully thought out and implemented to ensure your business’s success.

Step 6

Qualifying the buyers

Determining your potential buyer’s motivation and ability to complete the purchase is crucial. With an inexperienced buyer, you risk wasting valuable time and potentially missing out on the perfect transaction. Entrusting this process to an experienced business broker will save you time and lead to a successful settlement. Don’t underestimate the importance of this vital step in the process.

Step 7

Sale and Purchase Agreement

Gaining the trust and confidence of a buyer is crucial for business success. When a buyer signs a Confidentiality Agreement, they will thoroughly scrutinize your IM with the assistance of their advisors as they evaluate your business. If everything appears favourable, a Sale and Purchase Agreement will be drafted detailing the sale’s terms and conditions and a due diligence clause. The business is considered “under contract,” and the buyer must submit the deposit payment at this stage.

Step 8

Due Diligence

Before the sale of a business is finalized, the buyer will conduct a thorough review and validation of all the details provided. This due diligence process is critical, and surprises could derail the deal. Therefore, it is vital to meticulously plan your sale beforehand, ensuring that you have covered all critical aspects of your business. Once all the conditions in the agreement, including due diligence, have been met, the business will be declared unconditional. So, even though you may have signed the Sale and Purchase Agreement, much work must be done before the business is officially sold.

Step 9

Settlement

Solicitors will expertly tend to all legal documentation, while a comprehensive stocktake will be conducted in preparation for the final settlement of the sale.

It’s time to rejoice! Your dedicated efforts have indeed paid off. It is time to move onto the next chapter in life’s journey.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach and contact David at 022 305 6024 or send an email through the contact page. Click here.

David supports his clients through the 9 step process Specialising in Christchurch City and the Canterbury Region Focused on selling Trades, Automotive, Transport and Agri Sector Businesses Highly professional and integrity based ethos Contact David today to discuss how to sell your business