Many owners only start preparing once they’ve decided to sell, but it’s better to begin earlier so you can find and fix problems before a buyer does. Finn’s Sale Ready Service is built to help with exactly that.
When it comes to selling a business, the work you do before you go to market can have a significant impact on the result you ultimately achieve.
After over 20 years of selling businesses, one thing we see regularly at Finn is owners waiting until they’ve decided to sell before they start preparing.
Ideally, you want to start earlier.
The best time to discover an issue with your business isn’t after a buyer has found it. It’s beforehand, while you still have time to do something about it.
That’s exactly what our Sale Ready Service is designed to help with.
Start by Knowing What Your Business Is Worth
For many owners, their business is one of their largest financial assets. Yet they may not have a clear understanding of what that asset could be worth in the current market.
Sale Ready starts with a market valuation appraisal, giving you an indication of where your business sits today.
From there, the important question becomes: what could you do now to make your business more attractive and potentially more valuable when it comes time to sell?
Look at Your Business Through a Buyer’s Eyes
As an owner, it’s natural to look at your business in terms of how well it works for you. A buyer looks at it differently.
They want to know whether earnings are sustainable, how easily the business can transfer to a new owner, how dependent it is on you, what risks might exist and whether they can confidently finance the purchase.
After over 20 years of selling businesses, we understand the questions buyers ask, what financiers look for and the issues that can create uncertainty during a sale.
That experience helps us identify areas you may be able to improve before a buyer ever sees the business.
It might mean getting your financial information better organised, reducing owner dependency, addressing something that could raise questions during due diligence, or simply presenting aspects of the business more clearly.
Getting Sale Ready isn’t about changing everything. It’s about identifying the improvements that could actually matter to a buyer.
Your Sale Readiness Report
We bring our findings together in a practical Sale Readiness Report, giving you clarity around:
● what your business may be worth in the current market;
● the key areas worth addressing before going to market; and
● opportunities to better position the business for buyers and financiers.
You can then implement the recommendations yourself, or the Finn team can work with you to help get the business ready.
And having time on your side can make a real difference.
If you identify something six or twelve months before selling, you have an opportunity to improve it and potentially demonstrate the results. If the same issue only comes to light once a buyer starts due diligence, your options can be much more limited.
Prepare Now, Sell Better Later
Ultimately, getting Sale Ready is about putting your business in a stronger position before it reaches the market.
When your information is organised, potential issues have been addressed and the business is presented properly, buyers can assess the opportunity with greater confidence. That can help attract serious buyers, make the sale process smoother and put you in a stronger position to work towards a great result.
And you don’t need to be ready to sell tomorrow to start preparing.
If selling your business is somewhere on the horizon – whether that’s six months away or a couple of years away – now is a good time to understand where you stand.
Talk to the team at Finn about our Sale Ready Service and find out what your business could be worth, where you could improve it and what you can do now to prepare for a better sale.