Building your own business is tough work. That’s why many entrepreneurs prefer to buy an existing business instead of ranging from scratch. But how are you able to avoid sinking all of your resources into a business that’s bound to fail? What do you have to look for? What do you have to avoid? this text will assist you to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of shopping for an existing business, also as provide you with some tips that ought to help guide you as you create what’s sure to be one among the foremost important decisions you’ll ever make.
Building your own business is tough work. That’s why many entrepreneurs prefer to buy an existing business instead of ranging from scratch. But how are you able to avoid sinking all of your resources into a business that’s bound to fail? What do you have to look for? What do you have to avoid?
This article will assist you to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of shopping for an existing business, also as provide you with some tips that ought to help guide you as you create what’s sure to be one among the foremost important decisions you’ll ever make.
Good reasons to shop for …
There are several advantages to purchasing an existing business as against starting your own. Most obviously, you save time. Suppose you would like to start out a retail business. it’s going to take months for you to create an adequate inventory. Opening your own restaurant means creating your own recipes and menus; building a producing business from scratch can take years. But once you purchase an existing business, the “dirty work” has already been done.
Related: Protect Your New Business with a Business purchase contract
If the business you would like to shop for offers a product or a service, you’ll evaluate the operating history and better understand the demonstrated market. Are people buying the merchandise or service? What are they willing to pay? What sort of advertising has been the most effective? once you start your own business, it can take a few years of trial and error to determine your market. Purchasing a business can alleviate this process.
Buying an existing business will allow you to gauge its income and operating expenses, supplying you with a far better idea of what proportion investment capital you’ll need. once you start your own business, these numbers are far more difficult to estimate, and investors consider start-up businesses higher risk than existing ones with operating histories and proven track-records.
Perhaps the most important advantage of purchasing over starting a business is that the existing business’s potential. you’ll see growth opportunities the present owner doesn’t, or even you’ve got a superior business plan. Your enthusiasm and excitement for the business can revive it and help it to grow, and sometimes relatively minor changes in advertising, personnel, or procedure can greatly improve profitability.
But, there’s a downside…
Of course, there are disadvantages to purchasing a business, and you want to weigh them seriously against the benefits. for instance, unless you propose to exchange all of the prevailing staff, you’ll have employees working for you whom you probably did not hire and whom you are doing not know. they’ll be immune to the changes that you simply make. you’ll find it difficult to motivate employees who became complacent under the old management or that there are personality conflicts between new and existing employees.
Evaluating the present operations of any business are often a frightening task, and once you consider buying you want to do that thoroughly and with diligence. Heath inspections, building inspections, financial analysis – the list goes on, and you want to be prepared to try to to it all before you sign the line. this will become costly, especially if you’re comparison-shopping.
Remember, the vendor may attempt to downplay any business problems. He or she might not be honest about operating expense or profits, and there’s the likelihood that the “books are cooked.” that’s why you want to have a capable financial expert explore all records thoroughly.
Additionally, confirm you understand the present customer base. Financial records indicate only the amount of sales or clients, not the extent of customer satisfaction. What if you inherit a dissatisfied customer base? Or, conversely, what if the customer base purchases the merchandise or uses the service just because they need a relationship with the present owner? This problem can happen particularly if the business you buy may be a closed corporation, a small-town business, or in many cases, both.
Then, there’s the difficulty of lower potential for returns. Whenever you invest in anything, no matter what it’s, the overall rule is a smaller amount of risk equals lower returns. Buying versus starting your own.
Should you buy a franchise?
Franchises offer their own set of benefits and drawbacks. once you buy a franchise, you’re purchasing a recognized name without an existing customer base within the area. So, unless you buy a franchise that’s already up and running, you’re handling a mix of issues.
Buying a franchise are often tons like starting your own business. you’ll likely have a construction or, at least, remodelling costs. However, unlike starting your own business, you’re not on your own. you’ll have a parent company to instruct you thru the start-up process, and later to guide you in your operating procedures. But ask yourself: are you willing to require direction and to follow procedures you probably did not create? Oftentimes, entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs because they need to be independent and can resent not being in total control.
However, some business owners find franchises offer the simplest of both worlds – the independence of running your own business without jumping into the entirely unknown. Frequently, the brand-name recognition and therefore the lower wholesale purchasing costs related to running a franchise appeal to new business owners. Just watch out for multi-level marketing and pyramid-type franchises.
Tips for moving forward
If you’ve already decided that buying a business is the right choice for you, you’ll still have questions. Namely, how does one proceed? Here are some suggestions to assist you to begin on your path to profits and success.
Consult a business broker. Business brokers, like real estate agents, have expert knowledge of the buying and selling process. They even have real-world experience and may offer good advice. But beware! They typically get paid commission, so you would like to seek out one you’ll trust.
Check credit history. The second edition of Small Business for Dummies recommends that you simply run a credit check for the person selling the business. Why? Non-payment of bills may indicate hidden problems with the business.
ask the purchasers. this may offer you a pity the business itself.
ask the owner. The more you chat with the present owner, the more information you’re sure to get around the business and why they’re choosing to sell.
ask employees. this may help acquaint you with the culture of the corporate, the attitudes of employees, and ultimately with people that may soon be working for you.
Evaluate, investigate, research, and explore. check out every nook and cranny, figuratively and literally. The more you recognize about the business, the more educated your decision whether to shop for or not are going to be. most significantly, take some time.
Negotiate the simplest deal possible. Ask the present owner to contribute to equipment, office supplies, even company vehicles. If he or she is keen to sell, you’ll find yourself an excellent many extras you would possibly otherwise have had to get separately.
Make it legal. For your own protection, don’t attempt to complete the sale without the assistance of your tax advisor and a legal advisor with experience in small-business transactions.
You bought the business, now what?
Make sure you disclose the transfer of ownership to all or any the business’s creditors. If possible, attempt to arrange for a piece of writing to be published within the local paper. this may accomplish the two-fold task of creating the transfer of ownership public and may function free advertising for the business itself. Inform employees of your business plan, but take time to implement major changes.
Last but not least, attempt to confine touch with the prior owner. You never know once you may need an issue or maybe need advice.
Buying a business is tough work, but patiently and good legal advice, the diligence should go hand in hand with satisfaction and success.
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