You may not have considered selling your business and moving onto the next project, as perhaps it is growing at an acceptable pace and you have no pressing reasons to sell. Nevertheless, it may be worth considering an exit if you can identify with any of the following:
Your Business is Making you Exhausted
There are a number of reasons why your business could be making you exhausted. Perhaps you only started it for the money and you don’t love what you do, or the lifestyle of an entrepreneur hasn’t met your expectations. Whichever way, you feel apathetic towards the business and dealing with it is tiring.
While you have no need to sell, if you feel burnt out by your business it is worth considering doing so – you are doing the business no favours by sticking it out as the business could suffer as a result of not having someone at the helm who wants to drive the business forward.
Business Growth
If your business is steadily growing, then it may be a good time to consider an exit. A buyer is likely to pay over the odds for your company if it is on a growth curve as they can reap the rewards later down the line.
Equally as attractive to a buyer is a business operating within a growth industry. Even if your business is not seeing the growth, if the industry you operate in is thriving, a buyer could be interested due to the opportunities available.
You’ve Received an Offer You Can’t Refuse
A buyer has approached you and offered to buy your business for a handsome sum of money. You weren’t thinking of selling but, as you might not receive an offer like this again, this is perhaps a good indicator that you should sell.
Nevertheless, it’s always beneficial to take your business to market even in the event of such an offer, because if one party is willing to offer this for your company, then there’s no reason why others wouldn’t value your business the same, or maybe even higher.
You Want to Take Advantage of Low Capital Gain Tax
Capital gains tax is at historically low levels; therefore, it is a good time to sell. While this is not the only reason you should sell, if you feel yourself identifying with other reasons on this list, then now may be a good time to take advantage of this.
You’ve Been Offered a Better Job Opportunity
This might seem strange – you are your own boss and now you are going to be an employee. However, there are many merits to being an employee – for example, a regular, and probably better, income and being free from the demands and liabilities involved in running your own business.
You Don’t Have the Correct Skills to Grow the Business
As a business grows, more and different skills are required to keep the business growing than when you initially started. For example, you might be a great salesperson, which was extremely beneficial when setting up the company but, now, leadership is required in different areas. You could possibly learn these skills, or employ more people to take on these new leadership roles, but if you feel like you don’t have the energy to carry on with the business, this may be another indicator that it’s time to move on.
While the above points may be a good indication that it’s time to move on, it’s unlikely that one of these alone will compel you to sell. Instead, you might decide to sell because of a mix of these reasons, coupled with other factors such as economic conditions. When this time does come, Benchmark International can help by discussing your exit strategy and assisting you in finding the best buyer for your needs.
WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE
Call Benchmark International today if you are interested in an exit or growth strategy or if you are interested in acquiring.
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