Buying and Selling Businesses: 4 Tips for Stress-Free Transactions

If you’re considering buying a new business this spring—or are perhaps selling your own—you likely have lots of questions.  How can I get the best deal possible? What steps do I take to ensure a successful sale? Where do I start?

These are common questions, and we’ve heard them many times over the years—fortunately, we can help. Below, take a look at our four best tips for managing stress during business transactions and coming out of the process with success.

Know the facts

One of the biggest (and most helpful) keys to navigating a purchase or sale is to, of course, know the facts. By lining up the numbers ahead of time, you can avoid guesswork and stress later on—all while making the process a little easier on all involved.

Delegate what you don’t know (or have time for)

When buying or selling a business, many people run into the hurdle of not knowing something—not knowing how a specific process works, what documents to file, and more. However, it’s important that you don’t treat your own lack of knowledge as a problem, but instead look at it as an opportunity for outside help. You likely didn’t get into the business with an advanced background in big transactions, and that’s okay—you just need to work with the people who can help. By entrusting outside professionals with the steps you don’t understand or don’t have time for, you can focus on what matters—the business itself—and avoid stressing out over the details.

Remember the people

People are sometimes part of business transactions. You might be obtaining customers, for example, or gaining (and sometimes losing) a team of employees. No matter the specific situation, it’s always important to remember the people involved in the process. This will allow you to see the big picture behind the transaction, and can perhaps help you avoid some stress as well since you know there are real people—not simply numbers and figures—working alongside you.

Focus on the end result

Should part of the process be especially stressful, take a minute to focus on the big picture and the end result. By the end of this transaction, you will have sold your current business or obtained a brand new one, and both outcomes are something to look forward to! Keep the end goal in mind to help you navigate the trickier parts of the buying or selling process.

While a lot goes into buying and selling businesses, sometimes the best thing you can do is to stay calm and collected—we can help you with the rest! Call our office today with questions about buying, selling or expanding a business and we’ll be happy to help.