6 little things that make a big difference to the value of your company

Here is a list of six little details to get right, before you put your business on the market:

  1. Find your lease. If you rent space, you may be required to notify your landlord if you intend to sell your company. Read through the fine print and ensure you’re not scrambling at the last minute to seek permission from your landlord to sell.
  2.  Professionalize your books. Consider having audited financial statements prepared to give a buyer confidence in your bookkeeping.
  3.  Stop using your company as an ATM.  Many business owners run trips and other perks through their business, but if you’re planning to sell, these treats will artificially depress your earnings, which will reduce the value of your company in the eyes of a buyer by much more than the value of the perks.
  4.  Protect your gross margin. Oftentimes, when leading up to being listed for sale, companies grow by chasing low-margin business. You tell yourself you need top-line growth, but when an acquirer sees your growth has come at the expense of your gross margin, she will question your pricing authority and assume your journey to the bottom of the commoditization heap has begun.
  5.  If you’re lucky enough to have formal contracts with your customers, make sure your customer contracts include a “survivor clause” stipulating that the obligations of the contract “survive” the change of ownership of your company. That way, your customers can’t use the sale of your company to wiggle out of their commitments to your business. Have a lawyer paper the language to ensure it has teeth in your jurisdiction.
  6.  Get your Sellability Score. Take 13 minutes to answer the Sellability questionnaire now. You’ll see how you performed on the eight key drivers of sellability and you can identify any gaps you need to fill before taking your business to market. https://www.sellabilityscore.com/b2b-cfo-1/frank-mancieri

Selling a business can be an all-or-nothing affair. Get it right and you will walk away a winner.

Frank Mancieri, Chief Growth Advisor, GT Growth & Transition Strategies, LLC
401-651-1585, frank@gtGrowth.com, www.gtGrowth.com

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Do you know what drives value in your business?

The Sellability Score is a quantitative tool designed to analyze how sellable your business is.  You may not be thinking of exiting your business now, but it is always a good idea to know its strengths and weaknesses and improve on the overall value before a major event takes place.

  • Absolutely Free
  • Confidential
  • 13-minute survey

After completing the questionnaire, you will immediately receive a Sellability Score out of 100 al
ong with instructions for interpreting your results. An advisor will contact you to arrange a review of yourSellability Score full report.

Click here to learn more about the survey and/or to take the survey

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