What Makes A Business Attractive To A Buyer? Buyers purchase businesses for a return on their investment. Sellers base the business value on past performance, while buyers place the value on the future potential profits and risk level to achieve them. When the seller puts themselves in the buyer's shoes, it will be easier for them to understand what buyers are looking for and why, and be better prepared for a successful transaction. Read on to find out what buyers are looking for and what steps you can take as a business owner now, to prepare yourself and your business for a sale in the future.

"Co-brokering in business sales is unfortunately one of the most confrontational and contested subjects in the business brokerage industry", Jim Parker, President, Business Brokers of Florida. Transworld Business Advisors (the largest business brokerage in the world right now) globally, has a philosophy of co-brokering, but that is not true of most business brokerage firms.

What The Experience Shows In our combined twenty years of experience doing deals, we have worked with many attorneys. They are all different, some really great, and we have learned a few things along the way that are helpful for buyers and sellers to be aware of. First and foremost, It is critical to buyer and seller when selecting an attorney, to work with those familiar with mergers and acquisitions. Transaction attorneys have experience with buying and selling businesses and know what to look for to protect their client while keeping the deal moving forward. We recommend that attorneys review offers to be sure that what buyer and seller think the offer stipulates is represented clearly. Second, we recommend that you get your broker involved so they can develop a relationship with your attorney from the beginning to keep a continued open line of communication between them.

If you're looking to sell your business in the next five years, then the following podcast is for you. You'll hear a panel of entrepreneurs and business owners tell their stories on how they navigated selling their businesses during these challenging times.

is a broker worth the expense? Hiring a business broker may seem like an unnecessary expense to a business owner who wants to see the highest return when selling their business. But according to research from industry associations the IBBA and The Exit Planning Institute, only a small fraction (10%) of businesses for sale actually sell. Because the business broker's sole responsibility is to sell businesses, and they are doing it every day, they can help increase your chances of a more timely and successful sale for the highest price to qualified buyers.

Maximize Value How can I maximize the value of my business? As a Transworld Business Brokerage, we are asked this question frequently. There are steps and strategies a business owner can employ when preparing to sell a business. The key is preparation – the better prepared your exit strategy is, the higher the selling price it will command, and the more likely it will sell. A few minor enhancements can dramatically increase the marketability of your business.

THE LENDING ENVIRONMENT HAS CHANGED Like most things, the lending environment has changed recently due to COVID-19, and it is taking buyers and sellers by surprise. Underwriting timelines are being impacted and loans are taking longer to process. Banks are now less likely to flex their requirements to help people qualify for a loan. Why is this happening? There are several reasons. 1. Earning and revenues are coming down and banks are weary. 2. Few lenders process loans under $150,000 and those few lenders are now getting inundated with volume. 3. Because the same people that processed PPP loans are also processing business loans, this is impacting banks' ability to assess and close on new 7A loans. 4. Banks now have a lot of capital tied up in PPP loans. 5. Banks are now doing more due diligence and requiring more documentation, so underwriting is taking longer than in the pre-COVID environment. 6. Staff are being impacted by COVID and distancing guidelines so there are fewer people on location to work with underwriters and get loans processed. 7. We now have less than 40 business days before the September 27th deadline to take advantage of the SBA principal and interest payment benefit so loans not currently in process will likely not meet that deadline. 8. Banks want collateral in the form of equity in real estate. 9. Banks are looking for more post-closing liquidity. 10. Banks are looking for industry experience. 11. Banks are looking MORE at the 5 C's: Collateral, Credit, Capacity, Character, and Cash. 12. The strength of a buyer from a financial perspective is really important right now.

A great deal I got a call from someone who was in the process of purchasing a business from an Uncle. The Uncle wants a million dollars for the business which includes real estate, and is willing to sell to his niece on a contract for deed. The niece would pay for the business over time with the proceeds of the business. The niece, who currently works in the business, would eventually be the owner, without having to get approved for a bank loan or provide cash for a deposit. Seems like a win-win, right?