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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.

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.

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The post 7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Buying a Business appeared first on Deal Studio.

Before you begin your business, you should be thinking about how you will hand that business over to someone else.  No one runs a business forever.  Whether you sell your business or let a relative inherit it, at some point you will need to step away. 

When you finally do separate from your business, it is critical that you are certain that it is worth handing over.  In his January 2019 article in Forbes magazine entitled “Make Sure Your Business is Worth Handing Over,” author Francois Botha dives in and explores this very topic.

In this article, Botha emphasizes that family businesses should not “fall into the trap of prioritizing job creation for their children.”  Instead, that the priority should be to perpetuate the business.  Botha cites the co-founder and chairman of The Leadership Pipeline Institute, Stephen Drotter, who feels that the main goal of any business needs to be its suitability.

Drotter established five principles designed to assist family businesses as they seek to prepare for succession.  The first principle is to “Identify and Fix Your Problems.”  Current ownership should deal promptly with any business problems before passing a business on to a new generation.

The second principle Drotter covers is to “Adjust Your Management to the Strategic Evolution of Your Business.”  Businesses evolve from the creation of a product to sell to focusing on sales, marketing and distribution to finally addressing a plateau in sales which facilitates the need for multi-functional management.

The third principle cited by Drotter is “Talk to Your People About Them.”  In this principle, communication with employees is key.  Getting to know and understand employees is vital.

“Be on the Lookout for Talent Everywhere,” is the fourth principle.  There is no replacement for skilled and motivated employees, and you never know where you may find them.

Finally, the fifth principle, “Provide Development” emphasizes that “almost everything is learned, and somebody often taught that which is learned.”  Employee skill must be seen as a key priority.

Making sure that a business is ready for transition to the next generation involves careful preparation and a good deal of advanced planning.  The sooner that you begin asking the right kind of thoughtful questions about the current state of your business and what will benefit it moving forward, the better off everyone will be.

Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.

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Every business has to be concerned about maintaining confidentiality.  In fact, it is common for business owners to become somewhat obsessed with confidentiality when they are getting ready to sell their business.

It goes without saying that owners don’t want the word that they are selling to spread to the public, employees or most certainly their competitors.  Yet, there is something of a tug of war between the natural desire for confidentiality and the desire to sell a business for the highest amount possible.  At the end of the day, any business owner looking to sell his or her business will have to let prospective buyers “peek behind the curtain.”  Let’s explore some key points that any good confidentiality agreement should cover.

At the top of your confidentiality list should be the type of negotiations.  This aspect of the confidentiality agreement is, in fact, quite important as it stipulates whether the negotiations are secret or open.  Importantly, this part of the confidentiality agreement will outline what information can be revealed and what cannot be revealed.

Also consider the duration of the agreement.  Your agreement must be 100% clear as to how long the agreement is in effect.  If possible, your confidentiality agreement should be permanently binding.

You will undoubtedly want to outline what steps will be taken in the event that a breach does occur.  Having a confidentiality agreement that spells out what steps you can, and may, take if a breach does occur will help to enhance the effectiveness of your contract.  You want your prospective buyers to take the document very seriously, and this step will help make that a reality.

When it comes to “special considerations” category, this should be elements that apply to the business in question.  Patents are a good example.  A buyer could learn about inventions while “kicking the tires,” and you’ll want to be quite certain that any prospective buyer realizes that he or she must maintain confidentiality regarding any patent related information.

Of course, do not forget to include any applicable state laws.  If the prospective buyer is located outside of your state, then that is an issue that must be adequately addressed.

A confidentiality agreement is a legally binding agreement.  And it is important that all parties involved understand this critical fact.  Investing the money and time to create a professional confidentiality agreement is time and money very well spent.  An experienced business broker can prove invaluable in helping you navigate not just the confidentiality process, but also the process of buying and selling in general.

Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.

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Pepperjam CTO, Greg Shepard recently published “Planning Your Exit Should Begin When You Launch” in Entrepreneur magazine.  In this article, Shepard puts forward a variety of thought-provoking ideas including that entrepreneurs should be thinking about partnering early on with those they believe will ultimately want to buy their business.

Thinking Ahead

Much of Shepard’s thinking centers around the fact that a large percentage of startups end in acquisitions.  In particular, he notes that in 2017, “mergers and acquisitions accounted for 93 percent of the 809 ventures capital-backed exits, yielding a total of $45.6 billion in disclosed exit value.”  Not too surprising, he also points out that according to a recent Silicon Valley Bank survey, over 50% of all startups are “hoping for an acquisition.”

For this reason, Shepard points out that entrepreneurs should be thinking about who may potentially acquire them from day one.  In particular, startups will want to build their companies in such a way that they will be attractive for acquisition at a later date.

Making one’s startup attractive for acquisition means thinking about such details as the Ideal Customer Profile, Ideal Employee Profile, and Ideal Buyer Profile.  This will help startups build the most attractive acquisition friendly company possible.  According to Crunchbase, exit opportunities frequently present themselves well before a company’s Series B funding.

Building Successful Strategies

Startups simply must understand who their customer is and why their particular product is attractive to that customer.  Likewise, having the right kind of employees with the right kind of training and know how is key.  Hiring the best talent is definitely a way for a startup to make itself more attractive for a potential future acquisition.

Shepard believes that once you understand your customer and have the right team to support your vision, you’ll want to focus in on companies that are most likely to be interested and construct an “optimal buyer pool.”  Finding this optimal buyer pool means finding businesses that serve similar markets and then making sure that your product, as well as your business model, both address an overlooked need within the existing customer base.  Combine all of these variables together, and your company will be more attractive for an acquisition.

Let Innovation Drive You

Another key point in Shepard’s article is that startups will want to provide products or services that potential buyers are currently not providing to their customers.  Additionally, he states that “Disruptors should seek out companies that are truly driven by innovation-perhaps those that have already established or partnered with innovative labs or accelerators.”

Ultimately, it is critical for startups to understand where they could fit within a larger organization.  Understanding this will help entrepreneurs make their company more acquisition friendly.

Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.

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