World Class Mergers & Acquisitions  |  For Companies $5 Million to $250 Million in Revenue

Is This the Right Time to Sell Your Business?

More and more business owners are asking me that question these days.  Given the recent performance of the US economy and stock market, it’s a very fair question.

My answer is generally in two parts.  First, for most business owners, determining the right time to sell your business depends upon a great many factors, including your health, your spouse’s health, your retirement plans and retirement savings, your management succession plan, the current financial health of your business and its immediate prospects for the future, and last but not least, the state of the overall economy, just to mention the most obvious factors.  Clearly, this is not a question that can be answered without a careful analysis of many, interrelated factors.  Equally clearly, there is no one time that is right for every company and owner.

The second part of my answer goes something like this: Now that the US economy is back on its feet again and beginning to surpass previous records, and now that bank financing for business acquisitions is more available – and still at historically low interest rates –  this could be a particularly good time to sell your company.

While there is almost always a market for a really well run company with a proven track record of generating above average cash flows, and with bright prospects for continued future growth, most companies sales and cash flows have generally returned to the high levels they achieved prior to the Great Recession.

If you’re nearing retirement age, for sure you’ll want to think seriously about selling before the next major economic recession. Strategic buyers, private equity groups, and family offices all seem to be in a strong position to fund their deals and are actively looking to source new deals to add-on to their existing platforms and to form new platforms.

In view of the above, a better question might be: What can I be doing now to maximize the value of my company when I’m really ready to sell?

We’ve addressed some specific strategies to maximize business value in previous articles. Now may be the perfect time, when the business is not yet stretched to its limits, to invest in actually implementing those value improvement ideas.  As the economy continues to improve, most business owners will once again be so busy trying to keep up with the growing demand for their products and services that they will quickly complain that they simply don’t have the time to make needed improvements.  This time around, commit to yourself that you won’t fall into that mental trap.

If you’d like to receive a complimentary copy of our whitepaper entitled:  Value Drivers to Maximize the Selling Price of Your Business, contact me at: mertel@lmaallc.com

By: Mike Ertel, Transworld M&A Advisors