7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Buying a Business
Buying a business is a significant investment that requires careful consideration. To make an informed decision and reduce risks, you need to ask the right questions. Below are seven essential questions every buyer should ask before finalizing any deal. These will help you understand the business’s true value along with potential risks.
Table of Contents:
- 1. What Are the Biggest Challenges the Business Is Facing?
- 2. How Did You Arrive at the Asking Price?
- 3. Are There Any Legal Issues or Pending Lawsuits?
- 4. How Well Are the Business’s Financials Documented?
- 5. What Skills or Expertise Are Required to Run the Business?
- 6. How Dependent Is the Business on Key Customers or Vendors?
- 7. What Will Happen to the Employees After the Sale?
1. What Are the Biggest Challenges the Business Is Facing?
Understanding the current challenges the business is facing is vital. Whether it’s cash flow problems or potential competition out there in the market, knowing these challenges allows you to assess the level of effort that will be required. It can also give you insight into potential opportunities for improvement and growth after the acquisition.
2. How Did You Arrive at the Asking Price?
It’s a good idea to understand how the seller determined their asking price. Was it based on straightforward financial metrics like revenue and assets? Or was there some other rationale? You need to figure out if the asking price is fair, and you’ll certainly want to know if there’s room for negotiation.
3. Are There Any Legal Issues or Pending Lawsuits?
Lawsuits or legal disputes can have a significant impact on the business’s value and your future responsibilities. Ask if there are any ongoing or potential legal issues, such as lawsuits, intellectual property concerns, or other legal challenges. This will help you avoid future complications and unexpected costs that could arise post-sale.
4. How Well Are the Business’s Financials Documented?
A business’s financial health is the cornerstone of any successful transaction. Ask how the seller documents the business’s financials. Are the records clear and organized? Request to see tax returns, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets for at least the last three years. Well-documented financials ensure transparency and will help you make an informed decision.
5. What Skills or Expertise Are Required to Run the Business?
Every business requires a unique skill set to operate effectively. Before moving forward, consider whether you have the skills, experience, and knowledge to run the business. If not, are you prepared to hire or train someone who can fill that gap? Understanding the skill requirements will help you assess whether the business is a good fit for you.
6. How Dependent Is the Business on Key Customers or Vendors?
A business that relies heavily on a small number of customers or vendors can be risky. Losing one or more key clients or suppliers could significantly impact the bottom line. Ask about the business’s customer base. If a few clients account for a large percentage of revenue, it’s essential to evaluate the risk of losing those relationships.
7. What Will Happen to the Employees After the Sale?
Employees are often a key asset in a business. Before buying, ask what will happen to the employees after the sale. Will they stay on? If so, will their roles, salaries, and benefits remain the same? Understanding the status of the staff is critical for a smooth transition.
Asking these seven essential questions will help you uncover critical details about the business you’re considering purchasing. The more information you gather, the better prepared you’ll be to make an informed decision, minimize risks, and ensure that your new acquisition is a sound investment. This process will help you avoid headaches down the road.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
The post 7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Buying a Business appeared first on Deal Studio.
Why Should You Buy an Established Business?
A pre-existing business is a proven commodity. A new business, regardless of how great your idea may be, will always have a future that is uncertain. You can hire many consultants and plan meticulously. Yet, even with the best ideas and most experienced consultants, your newly minted business could still quickly fail. A business with a long track record of success provides you with a degree of security and certainty.
It’s also important to note that an existing business has a myriad of established relationships, which are invaluable. Business is all about cultivating strong relationships and developing a positive reputation. An established business will have those relationships set up and ready to go. This can be tremendously beneficial and save you a lot of time and energy.
Whether it is suppliers, customers or key employees and management, this track record can help ensure your success. It will bring with it long-term customers, as well as an established and proven supply chain. Supply chain issues should not be overlooked as a key factor in successfully operating a business. Many new businesses find themselves in ruins over unforeseen supply chain issues. Opting for an established business can help safeguard against an array of potential disruptions.
Another advantage of buying a pre-existing successful business is that it will have a proven cash flow. Statistics¹ show that 82% of businesses fail due to cash flow mismanagement. Even with exceptional ideas, it can take years for a new business to take flight, but an established business should have positive cash flow from day one. No matter how well you plan, there is no way to know with certainty that your new business will generate the revenue you expect it to. An established business can provide proven cash flow, and that is so critical for the success of any business.
Finally, a business is only as strong as the idea and people behind it. An existing business will already have key people in place. You should look for one that has proven and reliable people.
Hiring from scratch is often much harder than it sounds. All too often a resume fails to tell the full story about a potential hire. When you opt for an established business, the previous owner has already vetted key team members for you and they have experience working in the industry and performing a certain role.
Again, new businesses fail way too often. Working with a business broker or M&A advisor and choosing to buy a proven and time-tested existing business will eliminate many headaches. This approach will dramatically boost your overall chances of success and provide you with peace of mind in the process.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
¹ https://www.score.org/resource/blog-post/1-reason-small-businesses-fail-and-how-avoid-it
The post Why Should You Buy an Established Business? appeared first on Deal Studio – Automate, accelerate and elevate your deal making.
Not All Buyers Are Created Equal: The Mindset of the Serious Buyer
Just as every person is different, the same invariably holds true for buyers. No two buyers are the same. Further, no two buyers have the same mindset, emotional makeup, or approach to business. The simple fact is that buyers opt to buy businesses for a very wide range of reasons. The bottom line is that it is up to business brokers and M&A advisors to find serious buyers so as not to waste everyone’s time. In this article, we will examine how we zero in on serious buyers.
A serious buyer, one that wants to achieve success and isn’t just window shopping, will want to understand both the business they are considering buying and the industry as a whole. Consider this rough analogy for a moment. Someone serious about winning a game will work to understand the rules before jumping in and playing. You’ll want to look for a buyer who wants to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a business. He or she will also want to comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of competitors as well as potential industry-wide problems both now and in the future.
Savvy business people realize that wages and salaries make up a huge percentage of the typical business’s operating costs. A serious buyer will endeavor to understand not just the wages and salaries of employees, but also additional related costs. These can include retirement-related costs, the cost of training new employees, the rate of employee turnover, and more. Smart buyers are looking for stability throughout the business, and that includes its employees.
The kind of buyers you want to attract are the ones who are not just “thinking about buying” a business. You’ll want to only deal with buyers who have carefully thought through what it means to buy a business. A key aspect of buying a business, as simple as it sounds, is to fully understand what is being sold. For example, serious buyers will dive in and understand capital expenditures. They will also examine and evaluate machinery and equipment so that they understand what kinds of equipment might need to be repaired or replaced. Replacing and repairing equipment can mean substantial costs. That’s why quality buyers can be expected to evaluate all equipment extremely carefully.
Buyers who understand what it means to buy a business will even go beyond evaluating the stability of employees and the state of machinery and equipment. You can expect a serious buyer to want to know if there are any environmental concerns; they will check and evaluate the lease, and they will want to inspect the state of all buildings. They will want to know who the key clients and key suppliers are and determine if those relationships are stable or if they put the business at long-term risk.
At the end of the day, the kind of buyer that you’ll want to work with is a buyer who is proactive. Quality buyers will be assessing every aspect of a business to determine its long-term viability. A buyer who goes far beyond “kicking the tires” is exactly the kind of buyer you want.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
The post Not All Buyers Are Created Equal: The Mindset of the Serious Buyer appeared first on Deal Studio – Automate, accelerate and elevate your deal making.
How Can You Tell If a Potential Buyer is Really Serious?
When you’re trying to sell your business, the last thing you want is to waste time dealing with buyers who aren’t qualified and are unlikely to actually make a purchase. After all, you will not want to reveal details about your business to someone who may be looking to take advantage of the situation. Let’s take a closer look at how you can weed out legitimate buyers from those who are just kicking the can down the road.
Legitimate buyers will ask the right questions. They will have a keen interest in your industry and are seeking to gain more information. They will also be likely to ask intelligent probing questions about your customer base and the strengths and weaknesses of your business.
The best buyers will also ask logistical questions about your inventory and cash flow. It goes without saying they will want to know details about profits that are generated. Real buyers will also be concerned about wages and salaries. Their goal will be to ensure that your employees are taken care of and will be unlikely to quit.
Another area that you can expect serious buyers to ask about is capital expenditures. They will evaluate any equipment and machines involved in the business. They will also likely inquire about inventory that is unusable due to the fact that it is outdated or problematic. After all, if they are truly planning to buy the business, they would inherit any headaches.
A good rule of thumb is to imagine yourself in the shoes of the prospective buyer. What kinds of questions would you ask? If you find that a buyer is only asking the bare minimum of questions that only scratch the surface, odds are that they are not really interested. You can expect the legitimate buyer to ask about everything from environmental concerns to details about your competitors.
The best way to evaluate buyers is to turn to the experts. Your Business Broker or M&A Advisor will have years of experience in talking to buyers and will have a leg up on evaluating who is worth your time and energy.
Further, you would likely be overwhelmed with the process of handling buyer inquiries while you are still trying to effectively run and manage your business. A good brokerage professional will handle your incoming inquiries and only notify you of buyers who are suitable, qualified candidates. They will ensure that the highest standards of confidentiality are held along the way.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
The post How Can You Tell If a Potential Buyer is Really Serious? appeared first on Deal Studio – Automate, accelerate and elevate your deal making.