Business Exits By Industry
Selling a Certified General Accountants Business
Business sellers have diverse personal and professional goals for the sale of their companies. But no matter what you expect from the sale of your certified general accountants business, it's in your best interest to maximize the sales price through the application of proven sales techniques.
Dire economic forecasts have forced many certified general accountants business sellers into hibernation. Instead of listing their companies now, they're hanging back until they see signs of an economic recovery.
There is no simple way to sell a business. But the most prepared certified general accountants business sellers are achieving fair market value and more for their companies through persistence and the application of sound selling techniques.
Workforce Concerns
As a business owner, you want to keep you employees informed about your plans; as a seller it's in your best interest to keep your employees in the dark for as long as possible. You're concerned about confidentiality, and rightfully so. But sooner or later, employees will begin to suspect that something is up, especially when you start parading prospective buyers through the business. So at some point you will have to resign yourself to the idea of telling some or all of your employees that you have listed the certified general accountants business on the market. Maintain a positive tone in your conversations and answer your employees questions as completely as you can without jeopardizing the sale.
When the Sale Goes Off-Course
Many certified general accountants business are tempted to save brokerage fees by selling their businesses on their own. Although there are exceptions, solo sales typically take longer and are less productive than brokered sales. If you decide to go solo and your business has been on the market for more than six months without a single buyer inquiry, it's time to hire a professional business broker. Lack of buyer enthusiasm or persistence indicates that something is wrong. The remedy is professional brokerage or a consultation with more experienced sellers.
Before You Sell
There is a lot of work that needs to be done before you're ready to sell your certified general accountants business. Perhaps the most important pre-sale consideration is to right-size your expectations to the realities of the market. After you have consulted with a business broker to right size your expectations, you'll need to add several items to your checklist, including financial statement preparation, pre-sale appraisals, financial planning, market positioning and other tasks designed to communicate value to prospective buyers.
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