Exit Planning Strategies
Selling a Vending Machine Merchandise Business
We hear from a lot of business owners who are timid about listing their vending machine merchandise business. Despite the mood of the market, we think there are still opportunities to receive a good price for your vending machine merchandise business. Here's what you need to know . . .
Selling a vending machine merchandise business isn't as simple as listing a power tool on eBay. These days, the business-for-sale market is a hostile place for inexperienced and uninformed sellers.
The business-for-sale market is extremely dynamic. Knowledgeable entrepreneurs understand that market timing isn't nearly as important as other factors in a vending machine merchandise business sale. The key is to go into the sale with your eyes open and with complete awareness of market condition.
Advantages of Hiring a Broker
A good broker can offer several benefits to business sellers. Right out of the gate, brokers know how to help their clients properly prepare their businesses for a sale. More importantly, brokers have the ability to identify serious buyers and maintain confidentiality throughout the sale process. Brokerage isn't cheap. But even though you can spend as much as 10% of the sale price on a good broker, you'll likely achieve decent ROI through an improved final sale price.
Average Preparation Time
There are no effective shortcuts for selling a vending machine merchandise business. Since buyers prefer to see evidence of future cash flow, you'll want to to strategically lock in cash flows and increase profits before you list the business. Next, the business will need to be documented in professional financial statements and manuals that facilitate the ownership transition. Since all of this takes time and effort, a vending machine merchandise business can rarely be ready for the marketplace in less than six months. If you can afford to wait, we recommend investing a few years in improving your business's financial position before you put it on the market.
Selling a Vending Machine Merchandise Business to an Employee
Employee sales have pros and cons. A faithful employee may have the motivation and ability to continue to operate the business. If you need to sell quickly, the timeframe is condensed in an employee sale because you don't need to track down a buyer. However, some employees feel they are entitled to special treatment and pricing, especially if they have played a key role in the company's success. Seller financing is one way to get around the capital deficit of an employee-based vending machine merchandise business sale, as long as you are willing to vet the employee's credit worthiness the same as any other buyer.
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