Exit Planning Advice By Market
Selling an Airline Ticket Agency
Looking for shortcuts? You won't find them when you sell an airline ticket agency. In this industry, a business sale takes time, effort and dedication. We'll tell you how to thrive in the middle of it and get top dollar for your company.
The economy isn't the only thing that is uncertain these days. So are airline ticket agency buyers, many of whom are waiting to pull the trigger on their next acquisition.
The economy hasn't squashed the market for airline ticket agencies. Like always, unprofitable and poorly positioned businesses struggle to find buyers while sellers who have invested time and effort to prepare their sale are being rewarded in the marketplace.
Leveraging External Resources
Rarely, if ever, do owners sell an airline ticket agency without outside assistance. Brokers can be an important resource for your sale, especially if you are unfamiliar with the business-for-sale marketplace. Additionally, you may want to hire professionals for legal, valuation and other functions before you put your business on the market. In most cases, your sale strategy will call for the assistance of outside professionals at various stages throughout the process. Early recruitment makes it easier to execute your strategy without unnecessary interruptions.
Selling an Airline Ticket Agency to an Employee
There are both benefits and drawbacks to selling an airline ticket agency to an employee. There are some perks to selling the business in-house. Since the worker already knows the ins and outs of the business, due diligence should be a breeze, not to mention the fact that you won't have to wait months or years for the right buyer to emerge on the open marketplace. Yet most employees lack the means to buy their employer's business at or near the asking price. A seller-financed deal may be necessary unless the employee has significant assets or investor backing.
Average Timeframes
From the day they decide to sell their company, the question that plagues many owners is how long it will take to sell their airline ticket agency. Although asking price and other factors contribute to sale time, it's difficult to predict how long your business will be on the market before you locate the right buyer. Before you can list your airline ticket agency, you'll need to invest as much as a year in preparing it for prospective buyers. Even though it's conceivable that an attractive opportunity could sell in weeks, an immediate flood of offers could indicate that the business is underpriced.
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs