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Category: Preparing to Exit
Mike’s Story
In my first experience with selling a business, I scaled up from a single pizza delivery shop to 84 stores, only to realize I had undersold the business. Here's what I learned during my first M&A deal and why you shouldn’t rush in without some help.
A Business Lesson from Mike: When a Giant Buyer Comes Knocking
Selling your business is likely to involve a major mismatch in terms of the scale and size of the likely buyer. Getting in the ring with them by yourself and without a clear strategy, might not work out so well for you.
10 Steps You Need To Follow Before Selling Your Business
Selling a business isn't like selling a house. A business is a dynamic asset—customers, management, staff, stock, IP, and goodwill all contribute. The key is to always run your business professionally and profitably, focusing on value creation and risk mitigation. So why wait until you’re ready to sell? Here are my top 10 tips to prepare your business before you sell.
The Hidden Dangers of Publicising Your Business Sale
Publicising your intention to sell makes your business vulnerable to perceptions of instability among staff, competitors, clients, and suppliers. Small to medium-sized companies are delicately balanced, and the last thing an owner needs is staff hearing rumours that the business is for sale.
Sell, Sell, Sell, The Media Overload
We are often asked at Oasis Partners, when there is market volatility or other geopolitical uncertainties, whether it’s still a good time to sell a business. The reality is that we are selling most of our clients to much larger corporate acquirers where there are strong synergies and reasons to do a deal.
The Rising Retirement Age: Implications for Business Owners
At Oasis Partners we are seeing about half our transactions are shareholders selling for age related reasons, retirement or health. The other half are selling for other reasons such as wanting a change or feeling that a merger would provide benefits at their particular stage of the business lifecycle.
The Boomers are Retiring: Opportunities for Business Buyers
It turns out the average retirement age for Australians is the highest it's been since the 1970s. With apparently 20% of new employment since 2019 being people aged 55 and above!
How to Sell a Business Lesson #9: What do I need to do to be ready?
The terms “Exit Ready” and “Investor Ready” have become very popular when discussing what might need to happen in the period running up to when an owner might wish to merge or exit their business.
How to Sell a Business: Lesson #8: What will it cost me to sell my business? Who do I really need to help me?
Selling your business is an important and significant life event. Few people get to build an enterprise that somebody else wishes to own and will pay a significant sum for.. Often, it’s the most valuable material asset you own and is the result of a lifetime’s work. When it comes time to sell or merge, it makes sense to do it right.
Exclusivity period-why bother?
An exclusivity period is normally agreed upon between the vendor and the buyer once the headline indicative terms are agreed. These terms are typically set subject to due diligence and contract. Whilst these terms are rarely binding (although there are exceptions), they do set a detailed framework for what is going to happen as parties move toward a completed deal.
What are tyre kickers and how you can avoid them
I was struck by the recent article in the Australian Financial Review by Yolanda Redrup, who quoted a frustrated CEO of Infomedia saying he had “closed the door on tyre kickers”.
I have witnessed this frustration many times, where vendors become sick of so-called buyers who turn out to be not serious acquirers.
How to Sell a Business Lesson #7: How to fairly structure a deal
Lesson #7 in our series, How to Sell a Business, covers the critical matter of deal structure. Once a willing buyer and a winning seller agree that they wish to transact, how should the transaction be constructed?
Rapid, unexpected disruption!
New AI phenomenon ChatGPT has the potential to be a big disruptor. For business owners, it highlights just how the best laid plans can come undone, and there is no perfect time to sell.
How to Sell a Business Lesson #6: How to sell a business when you’re not making a profit?
Businesses in Australia make an average profit of just under 10% of turnover. However, 20% of businesses in Australia don’t make any profit, that’s about 200,000 companies! In Lesson #6 we address the very real question facing those owners who are not making any profit, is my business worth anything?