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Buying an established business provides a path that many follow to fulfil their desire to enter into business or expand existing operations.
Like buying a second-hand car or house the need for care and due diligence is essential as this could represent the opportunity to achieve ambitions, but could also be the route to financial disaster.
One of the main reasons for buying an existing business is the partial elimination of the time and stress in establishing and growing a business.
While the initial outlay may be greater, this is almost certain to be represented by underlying assets. Any deficiency in asset value is normally represented by what is known as 'goodwill' - the difference between the price of the business and the underlying value of the net assets.
That is the price of being able to operate an existing business and generate cash flow and profits. It may also be easier to secure financing for an existing business, provided there is a positive track record and the purchaser is considered a suitable person or company for running the business successfully.
A new business may be acquired through a franchise. Other business types could include, for example, starting a business in the sphere of business with which you are familiar through your work experience or perhaps a web-based business.
Often the biggest hurdle to buying a small business outright is the initial purchasing cost.
As the business concept, customer base, brands and other fundamental work are already established the financial costs of acquiring an existing business are usually greater than starting one from nothing.
Other possible disadvantages include hidden problems associated with the debtors or stock that may not be worth what they are valued at. Good research and professional advice are essential ingredients on the path to acquiring a business. For example, are you fully satisfied that the performance of the business is sustainable? Are profits stable, rising or perhaps falling?
Other disadvantages of buying an existing business include:
Finding profitable businesses for sale at reasonable prices can be difficult, as business owners are often overly optimistic with regard to the market value of their business.
There are many resources for finding a business including business sale agents (eg Daltons), advertising sections of trade magazines or papers such as The Times or Guardian, or more commonly today, online agencies.
Some of the best search terms include 'business for sale'; 'buy business'; 'sell business' or 'buy sell business'. You may need to further refine the results by entering criteria that restrict the geographic area and also the type of business you are seeking to acquire.
Before registering with any agency it is essential to establish any costs that you may incur - not all agencies are free to use, even for the purchaser. Other opportunities for finding out about businesses for sale include word of mouth - although this is often the most unreliable relative to conducting a specific search.
It is possible that before both parties proceed to a purchase agreement the intention to proceed and contract together may be evidenced in a draft agreement sometimes referred to as an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) or HOT (Heads of Terms). This normally precedes the work on due diligence.
Closely review the draft purchase agreement with us and your lawyers in particular the non-compete, warranty and guarantee clauses. This agreement will detail:
There are many decisions to take along the path to acquiring a business regardless of whether this is your first business or the decision to expand existing business operations.
We welcome the opportunity of advising you while you are acquiring your business, in particular we can advise with regard to the areas we have set out above.