Tackling Growth Delusions When Buying a Business
There is no doubt about it, it can be exciting to buy a new business. However, in the process, it is very important that you don’t become unrealistic about future growth. Keep in mind that in the vast majority of cases, if a business is poised to quickly grow substantially, the seller would be far less interested in selling.
Richard Parker’s recent article for Forbes entitled “Don’t Be Delusional About Growth When Buying a Business” seeks to instill a smart degree of caution into prospective buyers. Parker notes that when evaluating a business and talking to the owner, many buyers come away with a sense that enormous growth is just “sitting there” waiting to be seized. In particular, Parker cautions those buyers who are buying into an industry that they know nothing about; those individuals should be very careful.
When buying into an industry where one has no familiarity, there can be a range of problems. The opportunities that you see may not have been tapped into by the existing owner for a range of reasons. You couldn’t possibly guess what these reasons might be without more of a knowledge base. Since you are an outsider, you likely lack the proper perspective and understanding. In turn, this means you may see growth opportunities that may not exist, as the seller may have already tried and failed. Summed up another way, until you actually own the business and are running it on a day to day basis, you simply can’t make a proper assessment of how best to grow that business.
The seductive lure of growth shouldn’t be the determining factor when you are looking for a business. A far more important and ultimately reliable factor is stability. The real question, the foundation of whether or not a business is a good purchase option, is whether or not the business will maintain its revenue and profit levels once you’ve signed on the dotted line and taken over. You want to be sure that the business doesn’t have to grow to remain viable.
As Parker points out, the majority of small business buyers will buy in a sector where they don’t have much experience, and that is fine. What is not fine is assuming that you can greatly grow the business. Of course, if new buyers can achieve that goal, that is great and certainly icing on the cake. But don’t depend on that growth.
In the end, everyone has some ideas that work and some that don’t. You may take over a business and, thanks to having a different perspective than the previous owner, are able to find ways to make that business grow. But realize that many of your ideas for growing the business may fail completely.
A professional business broker will be able to help you determine what business is best for you. A business broker will help keep you focused on what matters most and steer you clear of the mistakes that buyers frequently make when buying a business.
A Closer Look at 3 Major Factors to Consider When You Buy a Business
The simple but undeniable fact is buying a business is one of the single greatest financial decisions a person can make. Buying a business can lead to great financial success or great financial failure. This fact helps to underscore why it is so important to work with an experienced broker who can help guide you through the often labyrinthian process of buying a business.
In a July 2019 article from Smallbusiness.co.uk, author Kyle Carins explores three key factors that everyone should consider before they buy a business. The first factor covered in Carins’ article, “3 Things to Consider When Buying a Business,” is appeal vs. viability.
Appeal Vs. Viability
Not surprising, the most important variable for most prospective owners is that the business is indeed viable. Not being able to differentiate between an appealing business and one that is viable can lead to financial disaster.
As Carins points out, “Do you want to make money or do you want to fulfill a dream?” Sometimes those two variables can intersect, but not always and not often. In the end, it is vital to know whether a given business is, in fact, potentially lucrative.
However, as Carins points out, it is also important that you choose a business that you will enjoy. Nothing can be more spirit crushing than running a business that you truly hate, even if it is lucrative. Selecting the right business for you is something of a balancing act that must take in a variety of often competing variables.
Considering Hidden Costs
The second factor that Carins looks at is the issue of “hidden costs.” One of the key reasons that it is so important to work with a business broker is that a business broker understands these kinds of factors that you might otherwise overlook. Due diligence is amazingly important. For those who have never bought a business before, working with a business broker offers substantial protection against making a potentially serious mistake.
Second Opinions
The third factor examined in Carins article is “Getting a second opinion.” For Carins, getting a second opinion is actually linked to due diligence. He feels that additional opinions regarding a given business should go beyond working with professionals and should also include talking to friends and family who know you well. Additional opinions can help one see angles that might otherwise be missed.
Again, buying a business is complicated and will take up a good deal of one’s time and mental energy. Your friends and relatives, understand your personality and your wants and desires. Their input can be particularly beneficial.
Finding an experienced business broker can help you do more than simply establish whether or not a given business is a “good deal.” Brokers with years of proven experience can also help you determine whether or not a specific business is a good fit for you and your lifestyle.
Do You Know What Kind of Business Owner You Really Are?
Does your business have real, long-lasting longevity or is your business a temporary entity that will vanish the second you stop working on it? In his insightful article in The Business Journals entitled, “Are You Living for Today as a Business Owner or Building Value?” author Kent Bernhard asks a very important question of readers, “Are you a lifestyle business owner or a value accelerator?”
Many business owners have never stopped to ask this very important, yet basic, question regarding their businesses. So, let’s turn our attention to this key question that all business owners must stop and ask at some point.
As Bernhard points out the core issue here is how a given business owner defines the idea of success for him or herself. As Chuck Richards, the CEO of CoreValue Software notes, “At the end of the day, a lifestyle business is just a job.”
Richards goes on to note that this is fine for many people. But if this is the case, it is a choice that one is making. Therefore, lifestyle business owners should be aware that they are, in fact, clearly making a choice.
Business owners who are lawyers, consultants and accountants often fall into the category of those with a “business as a job.” They fail to accumulate enough assets for their business to really be more than a job. Summed up in another fashion, the business generates enough revenue to provide a comfortable lifestyle. However, it does not have the infrastructure or equity to remain profitable, or even in existence, once they walk away. As the owner and operator of the business, they are vital to its very existence. This means that the business only has value so long as the owner is working in the business on a regular basis. As a result, the owner may never really be able to exit the business.
As Bernhard points out, “To build a business as an asset, you have to become a value accelerator who looks beyond whether the business’ profits are sufficient to maintain your lifestyle. It means looking at the business as an entity outside yourself.” Those who fall into the value accelerator category, focus on figuring out creating value for the business as a financial asset that can operate independently.
Making sure that your business can continue on without you means that you have to build it, and that involves having a coherent and focused plan. Plan in advance and know how you will exit your business. To ultimately create value for the business entity itself, a plan must be in place that allows for your successful exit.
Business Buyers Can Leverage SBA Lending
Finding the money to start your own small business can be a challenge. Over the decades, countless people have turned to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for help. A recent Inc. Magazine article, “Kickstart Your Business Dreams with SBA Lending,” by BizBuySell President, Bob House, explored how SBA lending can be used to the buyer’s advantage.
The article covers the basics of an SBA loan and who should try to get one. House notes that the SBA doesn’t provide loans itself, but instead facilitates lending and even micro-lending with a range of partners. The loans are backed by the government, which means that lenders are more willing to offer a loan to an entrepreneur who might not typically qualify for one. The fact is that the SBA will cover 75% of a lender’s loss if the loan goes into default.
Entrepreneurs can benefit tremendously from this program. In some cases, an SBA loan even means skipping the need for collateral. SBA loans can be used for those looking to open a business, expand their existing business or open a franchise.
House points out that getting an SBA loan has much in common with receiving other types of loans. For example, it is necessary to be “bank ready.” By “bank ready,” House means that all of your financial documentation should be organized, clear to understand and ready to go.
Next, a buyer would need to check that he or she qualifies, find a lender and fill out the necessary SBA forms. In order to be eligible for an SBA loan, it is necessary that the business is a for-profit venture and that it will do business in the United States. Once the necessary forms have been submitted, it can take between 2 to 3 months for an application to be processed and potentially approved.
The simple fact is that the SBA helps thousands of people every year. If you are looking to buy a business or expand your current business, then working with the SBA could be exactly what you need. Of course, business brokers are experts on what it takes to buy. Working with a broker stands as one of the single best ways to turn the dream of owning a business into a reality.
How Employees Factor into the Success of Your Business
Quality employees are essential for the long-term success and growth of any business. Many entrepreneurs learn this simple fact far too late. Regardless of what kind of business you own, a handful of key employees can either make or break you. Sadly, businesses have been destroyed by employees that don’t care, or even worse, are actually working to undermine the business that employs them. In short, the more you evaluate your employees, the better off you and your business will be.
Forbes’ article “Identifying Key Employees When Buying a Business”, from Richard Parker does a fine job in encouraging entrepreneurs to think more about how their employees impact their businesses and the importance of factoring in employees when considering the purchase of a business.
As Parker states, “One of the most important components when evaluating a business for sale is investigating its employees.” This statement does not only apply to buyers. Of course, with this fact in mind, sellers should take every step possible to build a great team long before a business is placed on the market.
There are many variables to consider when evaluating employees. It is critical, as Parker points out, to determine exactly how much of the work burden the owner of the business is shouldering. If an owner is trying to “do it all, all the time” then buyers must determine who can help shoulder some of the responsibility, as this is key for growth.
In Parker’s view, one of the first steps in the buyer’s due diligence process is to identify key employees. Parker strongly encourages buyers to determine how the business will fair if these employees were to leave or cross over to a competitor. Assessing if an employee is valuable involves more than simply evaluating an employee’s current benefit. Their future value and potential damage they could cause upon leaving are all factors that must be weighed. Wisely, Parker recommends having a test period where you can evaluate employees and the business before entering into a formal agreement.
It is key to never forget that your employees help you build your business. The importance of specific employees to any given business varies widely. But sellers should understand what employees are key and why. Additionally, sellers should be able to articulate how key employees can be replaced and even have a plan for doing so. Since, savvy buyers will understand the importance of key employees and evaluate them, it is essential that sellers are prepared to have their employees placed under the microscope along with the rest of their business.
5 M&A Myths and How to Deal with Them
Where your money is concerned, myths can do damage. A recent Divestopedia article from Tammie Miller entitled, Crazy M&A Myths You Need to Stop Believing Now, Miller explores 5 big M&A myths that can get you in trouble. Miller points out that many of these myths are believed by CEOs, but that they have zero basis in reality.
Myth 1
The first major myth Miller explores is the idea that the “negotiating is over once you sign the LOI.” The letter of intention is, of course, important. However, this is by no means the end of the negotiations and it is potentially dangerous to think otherwise. The negotiations are not concluded until there is a purchasing agreement in place. As Miller points out, there is a great deal that can go wrong during the due diligence process. For this reason, it is important to not see the LOI as the “end of the road.”
Myth 2
Another myth that Miller wants you to be aware of is that you don’t have to take a company’s debt as part of the purchase price. Many business brokers, such as Miller, recommend that buyers don’t take seller paper.
Myth 3
A third myth that Miller explorers is a particularly dangerous one. The idea that everyone who makes an offer has the money to follow through is, unfortunately, simply not true. Oftentimes, people will make offers without securing the money to actually buy the business. No doubt, this wastes everyone’s time. As the business owner, it can derail your progress. If you are not careful, it could actually prevent you from finding a qualified buyer.
Myth 4
Another myth is built around the notion that sellers don’t need a deal team in order to sell their business. Again, this is another myth that has no real foundation in reality. While it may be possible to sell your business without the assistance of an experienced M&A attorney or business broker, the odds are excellent that doing so will come at a price. According to Miller, those working with an investment banker or business broker can expect, on average, 20% more transaction value!
Additionally, there are other dangers in not having a deal team in place. A business broker can handle many of the time-consuming aspects of selling a business, so that you can keep running your business. It is not uncommon for business owners to get stretched too thin while trying to both run and sell a business and this can ultimately harm its value.
Myth 5
Miller’s final myth to consider is that you must sell your entire business. It is true that most buyers will want to buy 100% of a business, but a minority ownership position is still an option. There are many reasons to consider selling a minority stake, so don’t assume that selling your business is an “all or nothing” affair.
Ultimately, Miller lays out an exceptional case for the importance of working with business brokers when selling or buying a business. Business brokers can help you avoid myths. In the end, they know the lay of the land.