Exit Planning Tips

Selling a Harvesting Business

Market perceptions play a role in your ability to sell a harvesting business. Yet great values are always received well in the business-for-sale marketplace. All it takes is a strategy to identify solid prospects and convert them to buyers.

Business sellers are notorious for second-guessing themselves about the right time to put their companies up for sale.

Yet what many sellers don't appreciate is that a down economy can present the perfect opportunity to sell a harvesting business.

Sale Costs

In a harvesting business sale, pricing is based on a number of factors, including the costs incurred during the sale. Good brokerage takes a 10% success fee off the top of the final sale price. Professional consultations can also represent a significant expense during the course of a harvesting business sale. If you need to compensate employees to assist with the sale, their services should also be considered.

Family Issues

Many sellers embarked on their harvesting business sale without adequately considering the impact it will have on their families. Unfortunately, families often experience turmoil during a sale even when the primary owner is convinced it's the right decision. The sale of the business will likely result in new family dynamics. The decision to sell a harvesting business often begins with a family conversation and a mutual decision to move on the next stage of life.

Preparing Your Employees

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. On the one hand, confidentiality is critical for a successful harvesting business sale. 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 harvesting business on the market. Above all else, it's imperative to encourage your workers to maintain a positive attitude and work ethic. If you're having trouble navigating the employee minefield, consult a business broker for advice.

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