Three Overlooked Areas to Investigate Before Buying

Before you jump in and buy any business, you'll want to do your due diligence. Buying a business is no time to make assumptions or simply wing it. The only prudent course is to carefully investigate any business before buying, as the consequences of not doing so can in fact be rather dire. Let's take a quick look at the three top overlooked areas to investigate before signing on the dotted line and buying a business. 1. Retirement Plans Many buyers forget all about retirement plans when investigating a business prior to purchase. However, a failure to examine what regulations have been put into place could spell out disaster. For this reason, you'll want to make certain that the business's qualified and non-qualified retirement plans are up to date with the Department of Labor. There can be many surprises when you buy a business, but this is one you want to avoid. 2. 1099's and W-2's Just as many prospective buyers fail to investigate the retirement plan of a business, the same … [Read more...]

What is EBITDA and Why is it Relevant to You?

If you've heard the term EBITDA thrown around and not truly understood what it means, now is the time to take a closer look, as it can be used to determine the value of your business. That stated, there are some issues that one has to keep in mind while using this revenue calculation. Here is a closer look at the EBITDA and how best to proceed in using it. EBITDA is an acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. It can be used to compare the financial strength of two different companies. That stated, many people don't feel that EBITDA should be given the importance that is frequently attributed to it. Divided Opinion on EBITDA If there is disagreement on EBITDA being able to determine the value of a business, then why is it used so often? This calculation's somewhat ubiquitous nature is due, in part, to the fact that EBITDA takes a very complicated subject, determining and comparing the value of businesses, and distills it down to an easy to … [Read more...]

5 Tips for Buyers of International Businesses

The decision to buy an international business is no doubt quite serious. There are numerous factors that must be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not an international business purchase is the right move. Let's take a closer look. Tip #1 – Relocating Vs. Hiring a Manager Buying an international business can also mean a substantial life change. Before jumping into the process, it is critical that you know whether you will be relocating or hiring a manager to run your newly acquired business. Obviously, owning a business is a substantial responsibility and you'll want to ensure that you know exactly what is going on with your new acquisition. Sometimes that means actually being there. The bottom line is that you will either have to relocate or hire a manager. Tip #2 – Regulations Understanding regulations, taxes and customs are another must for buyers of international businesses. A failure to factor in these elements can literally undo one's business or at the very … [Read more...]

5 Reasons Buying a Business is Preferable to Starting a New One

If you are considering running your own business, one of the first questions that might pop in your mind is: should I start a new one or buy an established business. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the age-old dilemma of buying an existing business verses starting a new one from scratch. 1. An Established Concept The benefits of buying an established business are no doubt huge. At the top of the list is that an existing business will have an established concept. Starting a business from scratch means taking a big risk in the form of a new idea. Will it really work? If the business fails, why did it fail? Both of these stressful questions need not be asked when you buy. An established business, especially one that has been around for years, has already shown that the concept and all the variables that go into it do, in fact, work. 2. Proven Cash Flow Another massive benefit of buying an existing business is that an existing business has proven cash flow. You can look at … [Read more...]

Family-Owned Businesses Do Have Choices

Family-owned businesses do have some options when it comes time to sell. Selling the entire business may not be the best choice when there are no other family members involved. Here are some choices to be considered: Internal Transactions Hire a CEO – This approach is a management exit strategy in which the owner retires, lives off the company's dividends and possibly sells the company many years later. Transition ownership within the family – Keeping the business in the family is a noble endeavor, but the parent seldom liquefies his investment in the short-term, and the son or daughter may run the company into the ground. Recapitalization – By recapitalizing the company by increasing the debt to as much as 70 percent of the capitalization, the owner(s) is/are able to liquefy most of their investment now with the intent to pay down the debt and sell the company later on. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) – Many types of companies such as construction, engineering, and … [Read more...]

Who Is Today’s Buyer?

It has always been the American Dream to be independent and in control of one's own destiny. Owning your own business is the best way to meet that goal. Many people dream about owning their own business, but when it gets right down to it, they just can't make that leap of faith that is necessary to actually own one's own business. Business brokers know from their experience that out of fifteen or so people who inquire about buying a business, only one will become an owner of a business. Today's buyer is most likely from the corporate world and well-educated, but not experienced in the business-buying process. These buyers are very number-conscious and detail-oriented. They require supporting documents for almost everything and will either use outside advisors or will do the verification themselves, but verify they will. A person who is realistic and understands that he or she can't buy a business with a profit of millions for $10 down is probably serious. They must be able to … [Read more...]

Why Deals Fall Apart — Loss of Momentum

Deals fall apart for many reasons – some reasonable, others unreasonable. For example: • The seller doesn't have all his financials up to date. • The seller doesn't have his legal/environmental/administrative affairs up to date. • The buyer can't come up with the necessary financing. • The well known “surprise” surfaces causing the deal to fall apart. The list could go on and on and this subject has been covered many times. However, there are more hidden reasons that threaten to end a deal usually half to three-quarters of the way to closing. These hidden reasons silently lead to a lack of or loss of momentum. This essentially means a lack of forward progress. No one notices at first. Even the advisors who are busy doing the necessary due diligence and paperwork don't notice the waning or missing momentum. Even though a slow-down in momentum may not be noticeable at first, an experienced business intermediary will catch it. Let's say a buyer can't get through to the seller. The buyer … [Read more...]

Personal Goodwill: Who Owns It?

Personal Goodwill has always been a fascinating subject, impacting the sale of many small to medium-sized businesses – and possibly even larger companies. How is personal goodwill developed? An individual starts a business and, during the process, builds one or more of the following: • A positive personal reputation • A personal relationship with many of the largest customers and/or suppliers • Company products, publications, etc., as the sole author, designer, or inventor The creation of personal goodwill occurs far beyond just customers and suppliers. Over the years, personal goodwill has been established through relationships with tax advisors, doctors, dentists, attorneys, and other personal service providers. While these relationships are wonderful benefits, they are, unfortunately, non-transferable. There is an old saying: In businesses built around personal goodwill, the goodwill goes home at night. It can be difficult to sell a business, regardless of size, where personal … [Read more...]

The Three Ways to Negotiate

Basically, there are three major negotiation methods. 1. Take it or leave it. A buyer makes an offer or a seller makes a counter-offer – both sides can let the “chips fall where they may.” 2. Split the difference. The buyer and seller, one or the other, or both, decide to split the difference between what the buyer is willing to offer and what the seller is willing to accept. A real oversimplification, but often used. 3. This for that. Both buyer and seller have to find out what is important to each. So many of these important areas are non-monetary and involve personal things such as allowing the owner's son to continue employment with the firm. The buyer may want to move the business. There is an old adage that advises, “Never negotiate your own deal!” The first thing both sides have to decide on is who will represent them. Will they have their attorney, their intermediary or will they go it alone? Intermediaries are a good choice for a seller. They have done it before, are good … [Read more...]

Due Diligence — Do It Now!

Due diligence is generally considered an activity that takes place as part of the selling process. It might be wise to take a look at the business from a buyer's perspective in performing due diligence as part of an annual review of the business. Performing due diligence does two things: (1) It provides a valuable assessment of the business by company management, and (2) It offers the company an accurate profile of itself, just in case the decision is made to sell, or an acquirer suddenly appears at the door. This process, when performed by a serious acquirer, is generally broken down into five basic areas: • Marketing due diligence • Financial due diligence • Legal due diligence • Environmental due diligence • Management/Employee due diligence Marketing Issues It has been said that many company officers/CEOs have never taken a look at the broad picture of their industry; in other words, they know their customers, but not their industry. For example, here are just a few questions … [Read more...]