Why Your Business May Not Be Listed by Business Brokers
Whenever you wish to sell a business, it’s always a good idea to count on the assistance of a good business agent.
However, you should not expect the business broker to take care of all the problems. Some Long Island business brokers can be overly picky when deciding to list a business for sale, which is highly understandable once we consider the complex regulatory framework that must be complied with, coupled with overload owing to the recent spike in demand for business brokers.
Simply put, you would have to convince, not only a prospective buyer but, at times, even your own Long Island business brokerage firm that your venture is worth dealing with. Good brokers can offer assistance to companies with specific and workable management glitches, but that doesn’t mean that they alone can turn the tides in your favor without your input. In several situations, they could simply decline to list your business to protect their reputation and save time and money.
These are, in a nutshell, the main reasons your business may not pass muster in the eyes of a Long Island business broker:
Attitude
For one, business brokers sift out clients who are overly intransigent or emotional when it comes to their business’ valuation. We find this point worth elaborating upon:
In terms of business valuations, feelings are not weighed into the market value of an asset, but it’s the market that ultimately determines how much said asset costs. As a business owner, you may think your business is worth a given amount, but, bluntly speaking, the market doesn’t care about your subjective estimation.
It’s the role of a Long Island business broker to give an objective assessment and to inform sellers of how much the market is willing to pay for their business so as to not give false hopes or expectations. By doing that, brokers are behaving in their clients’ best interests, because a fair valuation ensures a quick and successful sale.
Another factor to keep in mind is the willingness on the part of the client to provide pertinent documents and information to the broker in a timely manner.
Brokerage firms require the most accurate data possible about the companies they sell. To that effect, they should be able to ask tough or uncomfortable questions (just as a lawyer would) to satisfy potential buyers who would also likely ask those same questions and, in consequence, secure the best outcome possible for their clients. If brokers are denied this possibility, they’ll reasonably see no point in going forward with listing a company they have no knowledge about.
Shady Accounting
This goes without saying, but it bears highlighting. Business brokers appreciate transparency in a company’s dealings. In that sense, clients must have clean books and regular access to comprehensible financial statements, and the broker must rest assured that the owner has a good relationship with the IRS and is not prone to engage in tax evasion.
By keeping your business in order, financially speaking, you’ll boost the confidence of not only the broker but also the potential buyer, for they will feel more comfortable entering a deal with a law-abiding citizen.
Good Management
Poorly-managed businesses are instant deal-breakers for Long Island business brokers and buyers. By poorly managed, we don’t just mean businesses that trade at a loss, but also those that are wholly reliant upon the owner’s permanent engagement and that operate in an improvised fashion.
A prospective buyer should have access to a comprehensive and detailed manual about how the company operates on a daily basis and should verify that the company can survive without the owner for at least a month. Brokers will likewise demand their clients to have these instruments handy and will oversee that these conditions are met.
Owners may know what transpires inside their companies down to the most minute detail, but they shouldn’t expect buyers or brokers to acquire the same knowledge the hard way. Good business brokers could provide guidance as to how processes, systems, and manuals should be laid out, but they’re not required to do all the heavy lifting. If these issues are not fixed, a broker is not bound to list a business that is, for all intents and purposes, unsellable.