Tag Archives: how to buy a business

Small Business Owners (Most All) Affected by Real Estate Downturn

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The Real Estate Downturn Is Affecting Most All Business Owners.

The real estate downturn is far reaching. Very often we hear about the impact on Realtors, construction trades, mortgage companies etc… But what about the small business owner that is a Printer, a Restaurateur, or growing Web-Based company. Most all businesses are affected by the overall slow down of goods and services, but the real estate downturn has affected business owners in possibly a more significant way.

Many small business owners own real estate. They own the businesses building, they own their private residence, or they own real estate investment property. These business will have financial needs, loans, line of credits, etc.. The bank regularly needs/requires personal guaranty and a personal financial statement from the small business owner. A significant part of that small business owners financial wealth is tied to those real estate holdings and the bank determines this small business to not qualify for a loan or L.O.C., because of depressed value of his/hers real estate holdings.

Real Estate Downturn

Photo (c) estacoes-elevatorias.com

So often in the business world it is said that “it doesn’t matter what an employee or a business does when he/she is on personal time or outside the business”. I find this approach to be flawed. What happens to an employee or small business owner outside the business does matter. The small business owner will find it more difficult to convince the banker of adequate security.

It used to be that you knew you had a lot of money if you lived in a nice neighborhood and had a nicer house/car than your neighbors, now you know you have a lot of money if the bank is willing to loan you money. What happens to a small business owners money outside of his business DOES affect his business.

As of today, September 18, 2009, it is hard, but certainly not impossible for a small business owner to get money from a bank. But you better look good and have “layers” of security for the bank. In the past, I have experienced bank loans for business acquisitions that the bank appeared to have the value of the deal as security, but ultimately tied up the valuable real estate that was associated with the business. The sooner the real estate market turns around, the sooner small business owners will realize the benefits of that turn-around, and use those benefits to help/grow and or sustain their business.

Buying a Business … 1+1=3

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Buying a business can be a valuable business strategy. Synergy is an interesting concept but what can it really mean when buying a business. In my prior business I had made many acquisitions to supplement organic growth. The analysis of buying these business followed the below simplified numbers. A brief explanations of the below numbers –

Say you have 2 like businesses that both are in the business of distributing products or services to homeowners. Both companies have overhead cost of rent, advertising, utilities , insurance, phone, office cost etc. When buying a like company many of these cost become readily duplicitous – i.e. you don’t need 2 offices, you don’t need 2 phone systems.

The below example shows that when Company A buys Company B the fixed cost will not increase at all. When a company does buy another like company many of the fixed cost are eliminated but rarely are all of the fixed cost eliminated.

Financial Gain Of Buying A Business

Buying A Business

Photo (c) laboracademy.org

The example below shows the financial gain available in a well thought out acquisition and this format can be used as a starting point to analyze the synergistic benefits of such an acquisition. The fixed cost that will remain can be added to the Combined company and the projected bottom line should be reviewed to see if the bottom line still looks appealing enough to make the acquisition.

For cash flow purposes I would analyze the initial benefits of buying a like company including the cost of acquisition and the benefit that exist after the financing cost has been realized. In the below example after 5 years the bottom line improves after the note of acquisition is paid down. Financing very often can be available through the business owner selling his company. Usually the business owner can analyze the synergy and cash flow of the acquisition better than an outside banker or other financing means.

Also, when one company buys another company customers are lost and that fact should be considered in the acquisition. Will customers lost be 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%? This all depends on the type of business and parties involved.

Buying a like business can be a very effective means of growing ones company. As a business owner I suggest you open your mind to the concept, look around you at potential opportunities and do the analysis. When analyzing look at best case and worst case scenarios for both projected sales and expenses from buying a like business. As with most business transaction the best business deals are the ones that both parties benefit. When buying a business, the seller can benefit from having a means to exit out of an undesirable situation and the buyer can benefit by eliminating some competition and growing sales.

In today’s economy, businesses are struggling and from this adversity, can come opportunity.

Company A                                                                                            Company B                                                                             New       Company C

Sales $200,000                                                                                        Sales $200,000                                                  Sales                               $400,000

Variable Cost $60,000                                                                        Variable Cost $60,000                        Variable Cost                            $120,000

Fixed Overhead Cost $100,000                                                       Fixed Overhead Cost $100,000              Fixed OH                            $100,000

Profit $40,000                                                                                         Profit $40,000                                                        Profit                           $180,000

 

Success is a Journey, Not a Destination

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Success is a Journey – Not a destination.

A well repeated phrase that ones reads, nods in approval and then moves on to other matters. But what does it really mean? Taking a moment to interpret the meaning can provide a strong foundation for business and personal planning of a small business owner or entrepreneur.

 3 Scenarios of “Success”

1. Just consider all the investors in the late 1990’s that made millions in the stock market Dot-Com boom.

Buy low, sell high, make millions- you are a success. Three months later the Dow loses 600 points in one day, the market continues to fall, those millions are lost and investors are left with no gains or worse – are you still a success?

2. Fast forward to the Real Estate Collapse that we are now experiencing.

Buy an entry level house, “flip it” make some good money- Are you a success? Now take those gains, leverage those monies, buy a bigger house, “flip it” make a lot more money.-Are you a success? Things are good, this real Estate thing seems almost automatic, so you take all those monies, buy a $1,000,000,000 property with plans to fix and flip it for $1.5M, but the market turns south and all the real estate gains have gone away and you cant find a buyer for your house at $740,000- are you a success?

3. Now Consider the Entrepreneur/Small Business Owner.

You successfully start your own business. You reach break-even. Are you a success. You reach $1,000,0000 in annual sales, then $2M, then $3M – Are you a success? You sell your business for several million dollars- Are you a success? I say you have reached certain successes, but the journey continues.

Definition Of Business Success

Starting a business and reaching a level of success may make one feel successful. Successfully selling your business and making a lot of money can make you feel successful. Maybe what you do after you sell your business has more to do with your feeling of success. I have associated with several people that have successfully sold businesses, and several of them have not waited until the age of 65 to do so. Those I’ve been around that have sold their business have been more of the “whats next” and treat the successful sale of their business as a “success along the way”.

As an entrepreneur the idea of selling your business for large gains is alluring, and perhaps both inspiring and strongly motivating. The existence of a small business owner/entreprenurs is a series of successes and failures. As an entrepreneur, I say enjoy the successes you attain-heaven know the failures may be more prevalent, but effort yourself to appreciate the successes that come your way.

Business Success

Photo (c) theaposition.com

I have successfully sold my own business, do I consider myself a success – not really. I really think my success, as by my measurement will get determined by what I do next. Planning for your success is very important,. And planning how you will reach your goals and levels of success is important. Very often selling the business that you may have started and nurtured for so many years can be very fulfilling, yet keep in mind it is not always the end-game. “Success is a journey not a destination.”

You are in a great relationship with a great family life, and have good friends – Are you a success? To that I say – So far so good… keep it going.

Start or Buy a Green Business: Measure Twice – Cut Once

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I believe  a disconnect exist between all the news media exposure regarding the “green movement”, “green jobs”  and the actual mindset of most small business owners and entrepreneurs.   It is no doubt that “green” has become one of the more reported on phenomenon over the last couple of years.  The  US election had strong ties to green promises  and  future jobs.  This mantra has created general optimism.  One of the most important part of starting a new business, or buying a business is the due diligence needed to evaluate the opportunity.  Do you want to start a business or buy a business in the “green Industry”?- perform some due diligence beyond reading the headlines.

Please consider that small business owners and entrepreneurs are wired to think in the now, and fast, and today and ASAP.  Much in the Green Industry is very policy driven, and that policy comes from federal and state levels, and that policy is wired to work within targets such as long term, next year , and eventually…  To me this creates a disconnect between the small business owner/entrepreneur and the potential opportunities.

My interest in green is from somewhat a different perspective than many.  My real interest in Green began back in the early 1980’s and gas prices were once again going up.  The college I was attending had offered a major in Energy Management and I viewed this to be an industry with unlimited future, and I pursued and achieved my major in Energy Management.  We did experiments on Solar panels, reports on Global Warming, discussed world energy policy, nuclear and many other topics I did find interesting and still do.

Upon graduating with my Energy Management major, I got employed in the energy field and acquired further education and training.  My Entrepreneurial spirit got the best of me and the thought of starting and owning a business and being in direct control of my future had me in a start-up in a non-energy related business.  Sold that 20 years later and here we are in the year 2010 and wonder how far this exciting field has gone in the last 25 years.  It has gotten significant traction in the last years but where is it Jan. 2010?  And my interest in the green movement is its inter-relation with energy efficiency.  I enjoy the financial side of the green movement.  Tangible monies saved as a result of energy technologies and practices utilized.  I recognize the byproducts of many of these energy saving measures to be environmental benefits.  If you can save a kilowatt hour (kwhr), and that kwhr doesn’t need to be produced by a coal burning power plant, you have dual benefits.

My Green Business Observations

I am  and have been pursuing business opportunities in the green/energy field ( my website for this business www.energreenusa.com)  and would like to make the following observations:

1. I am located in Florida, a state strongly hit by the depressed housing market and construction market and unemployment.  I interact with owners in the solar and energy industry and people interested in solar and renewable energy. With current policy (or lack of) in Florida, the solar industry and existing business engage in the solar industry is far from healthy in my opinion (Solar is just one aspect of the various renewable energies and green products and services that comprise the market as a whole.)   It appears to be a yo-yo type industry .

Policy injects some money into the industry, most policy is short term, policy money is exhausted and the industry slows down.  This process get repeated it seems year after year.  I also know of very qualified/licensed individual that work in the solar industry part-time, because the thought is the market is not there to support a full-time business.  I also attend Solar/energy advocacy meetings that attempt to show support of the industry that is full of individuals interested in entering this field, but where are the job opportunities?  Many jobs fall into the contractor categories, but the current market doesn’t seem able to support existing contractors.  Various consulting jobs may surface, but expertise  (that not everyone may have) is needed  and shrinking budgets from potential clients slow these opportunities down as well.

2.  Ok- so it was said that with stimulus money behind the “green movement” we would be creating lots of jobs- where are the jobs.  Numbers and statistics can be “massaged” to represent various results but certainly the empirical info in Florida is not impressive.

The economic stimulus bill’s investments in clean energy have not created many green jobs yet, according to the Council of State Governments.

Only 13,000 green jobs had been created or saved by the stimulus bill through Oct. 10, 2009 according to the council’s analysis of data collected by states. Ohio led the nation with 2,500 green jobs. Rhode Island, by contrast, reported no green jobs as a result of the stimulus bill.

The top programs for green jobs were the Department of Energy’s weatherization assistance program and energy efficiency block grants, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s clean water and drinking water state revolving funds – As reported in the Washington Business journal

3.  The Entrepreneur or business owner interest in the Green movement may be:

– “how much “green” can I make from this business opportunity ?”

-“I feel good about being in this industry that can have positive impact on the environment”

– “Am I missing out on some significant opportunities? ”

– “Can I buy an existing green business with a history of revenues and or profit?”

Green business

Photo (c) jimsimcoe.com

Conducting a search of “green or energy businesses” that are for sale that have a history of revenues and profits show very limited opportunities.  Possibly the largest opportunities are for entrepreneurs to start new ventures and build them and potentially sell those successful businesses down the road.  I am a fan of the energy saving part of the green movement and believe energy independence to be very sound policy for our country.  I support involvement and interest in this field.   But conduct proper due diligence before you proceed with your green business.  The newspapers, and news broadcast say green is great, governments are sending lots of stimulus money towards the green movement, but proper research and how you approach the “green industry”  in your part of your world will dictate your sustained success in this  potentially large industry.

Failure to Plan is Like Planning to Fail when Selling your Business

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When should one begin the planning for the sale of your business?

It has been said that that thought process should begin when you start your business. So Entrepreneurs, while in the initial throes and excitement of the planning stages of starting a new venture, it is also appropriate to broach the subject of exit strategy. Too often the daily process of running and growing the business disallows the consideration of an exit strategy.

Do You Have An Exit Plan?

A recent study (as printed below) conducted revealed that 75% of small business owners do not have an exit plan.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ — The California Association of Business Brokers (CABB, a non profit trade organization) says that there is one thing that most small business owners fail to do when preparing to sell their business: have an exit strategy in place. A recently reported study conducted by Harris Interactive found that among those small business owners surveyed, three out of four small business owners did not have an exit plan developed.

An Exit strategy may be transitioning your business to family members, a planned merger, a planned closure, a planned sale of your business, or other possibilities. The below is focused on issues related to the planned sale of your business.

How NOT to Consider an Exit Strategy:

Exit Strategy

Photo (c) newportboardgroup.com

  1. Wake up one morning and say I hate what I am doing, call a business broker and ask to sell your business ASAP. Now if you wake up 60 morning in a row and hate what you are doing it may warrant a call to a business broker to discuss the potential sale of your business.
  2. Wait until an unexpected illness strike you, before you begin the process of exploring the strategy of setting up your business for sale.
  3. Enjoy the good years of business success and allow this success to keep you from developing an exit strategy, and then wait until your business is faltering and can no longer support its own cash flow requirements and then be forced to sell your business in this adverse environment.

Things TO DO when Considering an Exit Strategy

  • Give yourself time, pick a time horizon 2-3+ years out to perform task that would aid in the sale of your business.
  • Try to understand the approximate value of your business. Your business may be one of your most significant assets, and just knowing it for net worth purposes and planning purposes can be invaluable. www.sellabusinessflorida.com
  • Focus on improving the quality of your numbers and your records. Look at your income statements, and balance sheets objectively and see if numbers stand out or jump out as hard to explain, or unusual. Any reports or figures that results in error that are “carried forward”, or allowed to exist – have them reconciled.
  • Work on systems. The more systems in place to more well thought out your business looks. The more systems in place, adds value to a new owner and improves both value and the likelihood of success to the new owner that buys your business.

When is a good time to BEGIN the process of evaluating a good exit strategy for your business? TODAY