Exit Phase

Selling a business is not easy

THE STAKES ARE HIGH

You might expect the sale of your business to fund your retirement, a new business venture or your family’s financial future

EXPERIENCE IS LOW

Most of us only sell one or two businesses in our lifetimes. With little experience, it is no surprise that many business owners overlook key steps in the exit planning process. We don’t know what we don’t know.

EXPERT ADVICE IS IN SHORT SUPPLY

Many advisors will tell you that determining the value of your business is as simple as applying a multiple to your historical earnings, whilst ignoring what creates the true value that buyers are looking for

No surprise, many businesses fail to sell ...

Market Facts

In FY18 over 300,000 SME businesses were sold in Australia
Another 200,000 were offered, but failed to sell (40% of total)
Of those that sold, almost half sold for less (many for considerably less) than the owners originally expected
The growing stockpile of unsold businesses is putting downward pressure on prices.
This downward pressure will increase for as long as supply exceeds demand

Stand out from the crowd

Between 2019 and 2024 the number of Australian businesses that are offered for sale is expected to grow every year, as an increasing number of baby-boomers (aged 60-plus) attempt to exit the market.

With stagnant demand and increased supply, the forecast influx of businesses for sale means that an increasing number and proportion of businesses will fail to sell. And that the accumulated inventory of unsold businesses will grow exponentially each year.

As supply continues to exceed demand and the inventory of unsold businesses grows, further downward pressure will be exerted on price – making it even harder for business owners to achieve the sale price they expect.

In these conditions it is essential that would-be-sellers find a way to stand out from the crowd.

Start preparing now!

Buyers determine business value. So what?

In the current market, the task of ensuring that your business is one of the minority that achieve a sale price that meets (or exceeds) owner expectations is difficult, but not impossible. The key is to focus on the buyer’s needs.

BGC will help you achieve the desired outcome by following a proven process:

We will help you understand the market and position your business to capitalise on emerging trends
We will help you to identify your prospective buyers and understand what they want and value in an acquisition (beyond past profit performance)
We will help you to build the value of your invisible balance sheet to meet the needs and aspirations of your prospective buyers
We will help you formulate and implement an Exit Ready Plan to boost your chances of achieving an optimal exit outcome
We will help you to anticipate and address the key obstacles that might delay or deter your prospective buyers
We will help you present your business to stand out from the crowd and make it an irresistible choice

Invisible Balance Sheet

Your Team (Competence, culture, policies and procedures)

Your Operations (Manufacturing process and controls)

Your Brand (USP, positioning, awareness and reputation)

Your Marketing (Assets, social media profile and SEO ranking)

Your Customers (Lifetime value, loyalty and retention)

Your Pipeline (Leads, conversion process, automation and CRM)

Your Database (Size, segmentation, permission, responsiveness)

Your IP (Patents, trademarks, systems and innovation pipeline)