Missouri biz to sell – Angel Consulting (314) 221.4378

When you sell your Missouri business, and your first opportunity to qualify the small business buyer, will usually be by phone. It’s important that you control this conversation by asking the buyer a series of qualifying questions. But in fairness, you will have to answer a few questions from the prospect as well. Otherwise, they will not feel comfortable moving ahead with the process. Explain the absolute necessity of confidentiality and tell them you have prepared a Selling Memorandum which they are welcome to read after signing a confidentiality agreement.But you can give some general answers to the most basic questions now.Here are some questions you should be prepared to answer when you first talk with your prospect:

1.) Why are you selling?
2.) What is your price? Will you finance? What down payment are you looking for?
3.) How long has this business been in existence?
4.) How long have you been the owner?
5.) Will you stay on for a training period? / Will you be available after the sale for consultations?
6.) How much income can a new owner expect in the first year?
7.) What are the opportunities for growth? / Why is this business unique or special?Much of this information will have already been provided in your advertisement, but if you are talking to a buyer who was referred by your account, lawyer or some other source, this may be new information to them. Still, you should try to answer these most basic questions without divulging any confidential information.Question #1 is perhaps the most important question. A lot of the advice buyers read and hear them to be skeptical of an owner’s reasons for selling. After all, why would anybody want to sell a thriving business? Missouri buyers don’t have the right to know all the details about personal issues like health or a divorce, but you do need to have some prepared response to this question (health, retirement, pursuing new opportunities) that sounds reasonable and positive.

Hopefully question #7 will be the focus of the entire conversation. If you haven’t already done so, take some time right now to list some of the positives about your business.Taking The Next Step: After answering a couple of questions, try to get an e-mail address or fax number where you can send the confidentiality agreement. Let them know that once you have received this form, you will send them your Selling Memorandum with more detailed information.Any viable, professional and reasonable candidate should be perfectly agreeable with this process.Anyone who wants you to give them detailed and personal information about your business without signing a confidentiality agreement is being unreasonable.
If they are unreasonable now, they will be that way throughout the entire process.You can save yourself a lot of time and frustration by cutting them loose right now.

One Other Piece Of Advice: In all your phone conversations take notes. Your prospects will give you clues on how to sell them – if you get them talking about their goals and priorities.

It may be weeks before you meet in person and you’ll forget too much valuable information in the interim if you don’t take notes.Notes about what?Their goals, their aspirations, their experience, the names of their spouse and children, why they want to own their own business, those aspects of your business that most interested them, etc. etc.The selling process begins the moment you first speak with your prospect. Start to learn as much about them and what makes them tick as you can. It will pay dividends as you move into the negotiating phase of the sale.

Selling Your Business to a Buyer in Missouri

Some owners have a figure in mind of what their business is worth; often it's inflated because of their emotional attachment. On the other hand, many owners undervalue their business because they do not understand the technicalities of the various valuation methodologies and which of these is most appropriate for their specific business type.Experience has shown that there is also a large percentage of business owners who do not know what their business is worth, nor how to go about establishing its true market value. Link uses many of the established valuation methodologies, often using a range of different options in combination to establish the most accurate figure. This figure is then further scrutinised by comparing the theoretical value with current and historical sales information from the Link database. This ensures that the valuation appraisal accurately represents what a purchaser will pay in the current market.Profitability and RiskMost businesses are valued based on a combination of assets and the cash surpluses generated. The risk factor of the specific business is also taken into account. This is the degree of threat from existing or potential competitors, changes in technology or consumer trends and many other factors that may affect earnings or costs."Barriers to Entry" is another issue that is taken into account and involves evaluating the degree of difficulty or barriers a competitor may face should they decide to establish a similar business. For example, businesses which require minimal capital investment or technical knowledge are said to have a very low barrier to entry and consequently, may have a lower value.Most businesses are valued on a "going concern basis" rather than the value of company shares. Purchasers are reluctant to buy company shares for a variety of reasons including the unknown possible future tax, credit or legal liabilities, or the danger of inheriting contingent liabilities based on historical trading. The price of the business is usually made up of three components:1. Intangible assets.The future earning potential of the business reflective of historical earnings potentially including intellectual property (IP), right to products or services, benefits of a lease, contracts, techniques and procedures as well as goodwill.2. Tangible assets.The fixtures, fittings, plant and equipment used by the business to generate its income. This component is normally calculated according to its depreciated book value.3. Stock. Stock purchased by the business for resale or manufacturing purposes. It is valued at the historical cost price. An allowance may be made for old or obsolete stock.Valuation MethodologiesGenerally, two or more of the following methods are used to appraise the value of a business:1) Industry Ratios2) Asset Based3) Earnings Based4) Market BasedThe appraised value is then subjected to the "sanity test". Some businesses are in a growth industry where their track record is well established and their projections solid. Other businesses may be in what is known as a sunset industry where projections are less optimistic. Many factors affect the true market value of a business, including business sector, economic conditions, business cycles, interest rates, labour availability and a whole host of other influences. Similarly, the value of trademarks, brands, intellectual property and goodwill is not always easy to quantify. Balancing all these factors with the book valuation of businesses establishes the true market value.1. Industry RatiosThe value of the business is based on its sales record compared with industry averages. This method is often used for small businesses and franchises where there is an established track record within a specific industry. It may also use a formula of multiples of weekly sales or an average derived from sales of similar businesses.2. Asset BasedIn businesses where there is history of low earnings or perhaps even losses, the Asset Based approach is generally used. Using this method, the value of the collective assets (both tangible and intangible) will determine the value of the business. In many cases there will be an element of goodwill payable, even where a business is not trading profitably. Although the assets alone may be purchased on the open market, there is often value in purchasing assets as a going concern, which may include customer lists, relationships with suppliers, an assembled workforce, brand awareness and reputation, among others. Calculating intangible assets, including goodwill requires some subjective judgement coupled with experience and the use of market comparisons.3. Earnings BasedGenerally the earnings based approach is used for larger businesses and places emphasis on earnings rather than assets. There are various methods used when employing the Earnings Based approach to appraisals. Return on Investment (ROI) or capitalisation of earnings is common, as is the application of earnings multiples.Earnings Based value is determined by considering:A. The level of return that could be expected by investing in the business in question, taking particular account of the perceived level of risk and realistic costs of management.B. The "industry average" multiplier on true earnings. This multiplier is market driven and varies according to perceived industry risk factors, perceived earnings sustainability and historical comparisons. The multiplier used most often in this approach is EBIT (Earnings before interest and tax) but others are frequently used and it is critical that you are comparing "apples with apples" when discussing multipliers.C. The fair market value of the unencumbered tangible assets of the business e.g. plant, fixtures, fittings, equipment, stock and the tangible and intangible assets which may include intellectual property.EXAMPLE OF ASSETS BASED METHOD A dry-cleaning business has been breaking even and the owners would like to sell and move on. The business has tangible assets with a total book value of $135,000, $5,000 of stock (all saleable), no bad debts and will pay all creditors. The fair market value of the tangible assets has been assessed as $110,000 and intangible assets and goodwill at $15,000. Therefore the fair market value of this business is calculated as follows: $110,000 (tangible assets) %2B $15,000 (intangible assets and goodwill) %2B $5,000 (stock) = $130,000.EXAMPLE OF ROITom's manufacturing company produced an adjusted net profit of $160,000 (EBPITD). The net assets (Valuation of plant and stock) for the business were $240,000 and a fair salary for Tom (owner) is $70,000. If someone was looking to invest in this business they could expect a 25% ROI, as this business offers a low to medium-risk investment opportunity.To calculate the ROI value for Tom's business:Business profits (EBPITD) ...........................$160,000Minus owner's salary ....................................$70,000Profit ............................................................$90,000Return on InvestmentProfit of .........................................................$90,000Divided by desired return ......................................25%Valuation appraisal ...................................... $360,000 4. Market BasedThere will be certain instances where no amount of sound theory or application of complicated methodologies alone will suffice. It is not uncommon that a willing buyer and a willing seller will agree on a value that defies all traditional appraisal methodologies. In other cases the use of traditional appraisal approaches produce unrealistic values that have no bearing on market realities. It is important in any appraisal to overlay relevant market data and multiples achieved in similar businesses "in the real world". Unfortunately the level of information available in Australasia is not as sophisticated as that available in other parts of the world.How will taxes affect your pay out?There are tax issues you may need to consider when selling your business. For instance, if you sell the plant and equipment (or company car) for more than the depreciated book value, you may have to pay back some of the tax you claimed when the items were depreciated (depreciation claw-back). Other tax liabilities may be incurred on the profit of land and buildings if they are included in the sale. It is vital that you fully understand your tax position when selling your business, and professional advice should be sought."Any desktop valuation involves a substantial amount of subjective judgment. The real test of the value of a business enterprise, like any asset, is what a buyer is prepared to pay."

If you are a business owner, there will come a day when you look at "how to sell my business" as the main question you ask yourself and perhaps the first thing to type in the search box in Google or your favorite search engine.When you type in "how to sell my business" I am sure you will find all kinds of information on just that. I have compiled 7 of the things most business owners don't know about or don't think about before that day (or the day of) that would certainly make the day you do sell your business a more profitable one.Most companies who visit with us are looking to find out what their business is worth first. Most business owners have no idea what their company is worth. Wouldn't you like to know about what it is worth before you hire a broker (we're not brokers, by the way).Before I go into all that let's look at the 7 biggest mistake business owners make when they get to the point of asking "how to sell my business"1. They assume they "know" what their company is worth and make up a price - Look the first problem with this approach is that your business is usually "your baby". If you have owned your business for a long time you know that you have spent more time with it than perhaps even your family, spouse and kids! It's always there, even in the back of your mind.........and sometimes it is hard to understand why someone can't see your business worth the way you see it. That's okay, but it is better to have a certified 3rd party give a certified opinion or appraisal of your business.Look at it this way, if you and I were going to go downtown and buy the Hilton Hotel, we would find a qualified appraiser to give us his professional opinion, wouldn't we? We certainly wouldn't take the owner's word for it or even their accountant's word for it. We would want an independent opinion and official analysis.But you say, hey my business isn't worth that much to justify the cost. What? Even if your business is only worth $25,000, at least you would have an official 3rd party appraisal and a "floor" price you could start at. And with the discounts available when you go through someone like valuationbroker.com, you could literally add thousands if not tens of thousands to your sales price, and only pay a small percentage to have it done.I would not even consider selling any business without this step, no way, ever.You see, most business buyers are smart, like you, they have done a lot of right things to get where they are and unless they have recently inherited the money, they are sophisticated to a degree and will do their homework when looking for a company to purchase. The real advantage to having your company appraised first (by an independent 3rd party certified appraiser) is that you are the one driving the appraisal, not the buyer.2. They ask their accountant what their company is worth and use that number - You accountant is probably a very smart individual, however when coming to valuing a business or having one in on the sales process, I have one rule. I make sure they have been in on at least 10 business sales in the past 12 months, no exceptions. I have seen more deals killed by well meaning accountants. Don't make this mistake.I don't care what your accountant thinks your business is worth. I don't care what MY accountant thinks your business is worth. I want to know what the market tells me. So that's why I want an independent look from a qualified third party to tell me the current "market value". I have seen hundreds of business owners make this mistake and it can (and has) literally meant the difference of getting only half of what they could have! Half!What's also most interesting about accountants is that they tend to favor using the book value of your business as a starting point and not the market value. Big big mistake. You'll leave a ton on the table this way. Don't do it!3. They take the number off their balance sheet and say that's what their company is worth - You balance sheet tells you the hard value of the assets you have, that's it! It doesn't take into consideration what the value of your assets are that have already been depreciated or your blue sky value, or good name, or customer base..........all things that can add tremendously to the bottom line value of your business!4. They read a few articles in INC magazine and guess a number (even saying something like "companies in my industry are selling for 3 Times earnings") They may even refer to their latest tax return for a number - Don't be fooled by this! There are so many variables even with similar businesses in the same industry. The true value of your business is NOT the same as the guy down the street, even if you do the same thing!The true value of your business is NOT like real estate, where you can compare with the property down the street.That is like saying the space shuttle is like a bicycle. True they are both forms of transportation, but one is a bit more complicated than the other. Again, have it appraised by a "market appraiser". Best money you will EVER spend. Ask ANYONE who has EVER sold a business!5. They trust a FREE tool on the internet to give them the value of their business - While these free tools are valuable to help obtain a "range of value" (we have one too), they are not the complete answer and you can't use them to justify your asking price. If you have a properly done market appraisal, it will include a "justification of purchase price" section that says, "this is what your business is worth in this market, and here is why it is worth that"That is such an important step. Buyers are smart and want to know how you came to the price you did. Now you know what to do so you can stand behind your price. Plus you will know just what the market is doing. It isn't the accountant or the balance sheet or your uncle attorney that dictates the price, it's the market! So knowing this, it is important to know just what the market price is. I have seen market prices be twice what the accountant says the business is worth!6. They haven't made their business run without them - This is a no-brainer, yet many business owners don't think of it. Your business will be worth a lot more if it can run without you there. Otherwise whoever buys it will be buying a "job". Nothing wrong with that, but realize, those businesses just are not worth as much when you go to sell them.7. They hire the wrong attorney to help them with the final paperwork (the wrong attorney could be their best friend) - This is just like the accountant, unless the attorney you use has closed 10 or more deals within the past 12 months, don't use them! So many well meaning attorneys have killed countless deals, UNNECESSARILY!I wish you well and hope you take these things to heart (and action). I have seen so many sellers walk away with a lot less than they could have, had they JUST used these few tips!Good Luck, I wish you continued success! (don't forget to get a certified third party, independent report for your business BEFORE you list it to sell) You'll be glad you did!Buying a business? Use the same concepts!Cheers!

Missouri