Sell Your Business

It takes hard work to create a successful business. Inevitably, for most entrepreneurs, the time will come when it’s time to consider selling. What happens next? Most business owners have several key goals in mind:

  • Receive the highest possible price
  • Keep the sale confidential
  • Pay as little tax as possible
  • Ensure smooth transition for employees
  • Maintain the legacy that was built

Selling a business is one of the most complex and distracting processes a business owner can undertake. The right business broker can make the difference between a smooth sale and a difficult one. With ABI’s help, these goals can be achieved as our approach is designed to successfully sell your business to the best buyer for the maximum price while minimizing distractions to the day-to-day operations.

Our 4-Step Process

1. Inquiry, Analysis and Decision to Sell
During the initial stage, the ABI advisor (or advisory team) will gather information about the owner’s current situation and objectives. We’ll offer insight into value drivers and the marketability of the business along with our best assessment and custom approach to sell the business. The goal at this stage is to familiarize a business owner with the entire process and answer any questions s/he may have.

2. Preparation, Value Assessment & Custom Marketing Plan
Preparation is paramount to finding the right buyer. Using either internal or third party appraisal resources, a “most probable selling price range” will be calculated and a valuation report provided to help establish a market-oriented price for the business. At the end of this stage, both ABI and client have agreed upon pricing expectations prior to moving forward. From here, a custom marketing plan to target prospective buyers (through various channels) and materials are created, including a confidential profile and an offering memorandum.

3. Marketing to and Searching for a Buyer
Once business pricing and a marketing approach have been agreed upon, the search for a buyer begins. During this stage, ABI identifies and communicates confidentially with all prospective buyers by utilizing our internal database of active buyers, advertising on business-for-sale websites, direct marketing to strategic prospects identified with client and leveraging our relationships with hundreds of private equity groups. We communicate with all interested parties but only allow pre-screened buyers to meet our client.

4. Negotiations, Due Diligence, & Closing
Once an offer has been tendered, negotiations begin. ABI presents all reasonable offers and will discuss the pros and cons of each opportunity. Many deals fall apart in due diligence, thus we carefully manage this process to keep it moving forward and focused. We deal with Bulk Sale Transfer laws and Escrow processes daily and understand what it takes to maintain compliance and always use a licensed escrow officer. Our focus is to manage the process, along with the client’s other key advisors in order to help Buyer and Seller get to the closing table and transition successfully.

Click here to see Graphic of Our Selling Process