When you have owned a business for any significant amount of time, you might be at a point where change is on your mind.
That said if selling your business is the focus, how best to go about it?
From the ideal price to taking care of any employees you may have, make sure such a sale goes according to plan.
With that thought in mind, will the sale you follow through on be what you want?
What Do You Think Your Business is Worth?
In deciding you want a change in your business routine, the first piece of the puzzle is the price.
So, what do you think your business might be worth? The last thing you want happening is you get much less for it than it is valued at.
Know that you can work with pros to not only help you get the word out your business is for sale, but also what it can be worth.
One thing to look at would be what your company assets and liabilities are.
Do you have any major debt hanging over the business? Are you and the business involved in any notable legal issues now? These are but two things you will want to delve into.
In looking at your business assets, you may well be seeing good financial times of late. If so, you might decide now is a good time to sell. That is while the going is good and your business attracts the right attention.
No matter what your company finances are now, don’t get lowballed when selling the business.
If selling your company is in the works, get as much for it as possible. By doing so, you will feel better at the end of the day.
Are Employees in the Mix?
Except for those small businesses where the lone employee is the owner, most have workers.
That said whether you put a startup on the market or a business that has been around, what happens to any employees?
Put yourself in their position for a moment.
Odds are you’d want to be in the loop as much as possible if a company you worked for as an employee was looking to sell. So, do all you can to keep your team in the loop.
Among possible options for the workers could be:
- Being a part of the sale and working under new ownership.
- Going with you in the event you open another business.
- Taking new jobs elsewhere and starting fresh.
No matter what is next for your team, treat them the way you’d want to be treated in their shoes.
Learn from Your Business Ownership
Last, it would behoove you to learn from your time as a small business owner.
Even if you do not go on to own another business the rest of your working days, draw on experiences you have had as an owner.
More than likely, such experience will prove beneficial to you in and out of the workplace.
That said is it time for a change?