Not every business offered for sale is worth buying. And that’s not only because a business may have dim prospects; sometimes, it’s just not the right one for you and would be better off in someone else’s hands.
Making the correct choices when purchasing a business is key to reaping optimal rewards while avoiding getting pulled into a money pit.
Yes, buying a business is an exciting prospect filled with possibilities. Unlike the numerous unknowns that come with starting a new business from scratch, buying a business means someone else has already done a lot of that hard work and tested its viability.
But buying a business can certainly be complex. And you have to plow in substantially more cash upfront than you would if you were starting your own. You must spend plenty of time mastering the internal workings while hoping no major problem is lurking beneath the surface.
This detailed checklist can serve as a guide in choosing the business that is in your best interest. It is important to note, however, that it isn't a strict checklist. Entries do not carry equal weight. For example, legal documentation and financial statements are much more important than some granular marketing information.
Further, no two opportunities are identical and no transaction is completely devoid of risk. A key goal of due diligence is to accurately gauge the risk versus the opportunity.
On top of that, when you buy a business through us here at Beacon, we shoulder a lot of the burden for you pre-emptively. We conduct due diligence for our buyers by assessing each business before we list them - and we only accept high quality listings.
Is success tied to the owner’s identity? This is important for certain small service-based businesses such as legal or medical-related businesses. Transitioning clients could prove difficult. Does it match your skills, experience and industry knowledge? Is it the right size and in your ideal location? Do you want a sole proprietorship or would you rather oversee a management team? Is demand for the business’ products likely to remain for years to come?
You can search for businesses for sale in multiple ways. More often though, you will find one using one the following channels.
Online marketplaces for buying and selling businesses, i.e. business-for-sale sites Craigslist Newspaper ads (‘Businesses for Sale’ section in the classifieds) Word of mouth in your social circle Attending industry conferences or professional association meetups Business brokers
Plenty of good, healthy and growing businesses are sold each year. But you want to be certain that the owner is not selling for reasons that could come back to haunt you later on. Some of the questions you should ask include:
Reasons that should give you some peace of mind include the owner’s retirement, illness, relocation or pursuit of a new challenge.
On the other hand, you should tread cautiously if the reason for selling is low sales, outdated inventory, looming lawsuits, shrinking market share or industry turmoil. A struggling business is not necessarily an unviable business. You just need to have the full picture beforehand.
The owner might not divulge everything about their reason for selling. Therefore, seek out or corroborate the reason by other means. Where possible, talk to customers, employees, vendors, regulators and nearby non-competing businesses. Run a search of the business and its main products to see if any damaging news shows up.
Either way, include a ’Representations and Warranties’ section in the purchase agreement where the owner guarantees that the information they have provided is accurate and complete.
Determining the purchase price for a business is often based on factors such as cash flow, financial projects, assets and expected return on investment (ROI). The following are some of the more common approaches to valuing a business. Note that these techniques are not mutually exclusive. You can use two or more to come up with a price that best reflects the value of the business.
Remember to take expected ROI into consideration as well. While this varies from one business to the next, you can expect a 10-30% annual return on your investment for an SMB and a 5-10% return for a large business.
You could contract an independent valuation service to help you determine what the business is worth.
Once you agree on a price and what will be included in the sale, the seller should issue a letter of intent (LOI) which is a working draft of the final sale agreement. The LOI should contain a price proposal as well as the terms and conditions of the sale. The LOI is a statement that the owner is serious about selling the business and is therefore a license for you to forge ahead with due diligence.
Due diligence is the single most important aspect of buying a business. You will often be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement beforehand just in case you opt not to proceed with the transaction. Financial considerations are the core of due diligence and play an important role in determining the best price to pay for the business or whether to proceed at all.
Elements of financial due diligence include the following (preferably for the last three or more financial years):
Due diligence does not end at financial considerations. Many things could pose an existential threat to the business even though they do not make it to the business’ financial statements. These include:
It is unlikely that the first price you bid will be accepted. There will almost certainly be some negotiation as you and the seller look to come to a mutually acceptable agreement.
To make sure all your key bases are covered, have the right advisors on your team during negotiation. At the minimum, you should have an attorney and an accountant. An appraiser and an industry expert would come in handy as well. And if you intend to finance the purchase with a loan, get your banker on board too.
Advisors will cost you but such fees pale in comparison to the consequences of making a wrong buy decision. If you are considering buying a business, sign up for our buyer program for access to value-added services, valuation advice and even assistance with getting bank financing.
Once you have identified a business you want to buy, you must think about how you will pay for the acquisition. There are multiple options.
Personal savings or family money Seller financing – Paying the business’ owner in installments for a fixed duration. At Beacon, we expect the business owners we work with to be comfortable with seller financing 10% or more of the selling price if the transaction involves an SBA or term loan. For smaller transactions, we expect 20-30% seller financing. In cases where the seller is the sole debt source, seller financing could be as high as 60% of the purchase price. Partnership – Partnering with someone else to buy the business.
Concluding the transaction will typically involve signing or taking ownership of the following.
Buying a business instead of starting your own can be a smart financial decision or a disastrous choice. From the get-go, you need to be clear about what it is you are getting into - from start to finish. The more thoroughly you step through the stages, the better your chances of having made the right decision.
