To many, buying an existing business appears to be an easy task. It’s like purchasing a ready-made module rather than building one from scratch. It involves half the amount of effort.
However, one wrong decision, one uncalculated step could turn the tables. You may find yourself investing way too much time and energy, killing the whole essence of buying an established business.
Certainly, you do not want that. Neither do we. So, here are a few handy tips from the experience that could save you from the ultimate disaster.
1. Know Your Business Skills
Before you seal the deal, question yourself: is this what interests you? Is this your field? Do you have enough command? Can you effectively deal with the current downfalls of your potential purchase? Or, if the business comes to face any of the predicted dangers, will you be able to deal with that?
Answer these questions, not only with yes or no’s. But also, with how? Once you do, you will unravel whether you have ample skills to take upon this business or not.
For example, some businesses demand the capability of constantly dealing with pressure. Some businesses have immense risks of huge blowouts. Some have a reputation crisis. Unless you’re purchasing a leading company, there are high chances that your purchase will have a major drawback that you must know to tackle. If you don’t, you may as well be paying for thin air.
2. Get the Right Professional Advice
Once you have decided the domain you wish to explore, it’s to get in touch with professionals. Seek professional advice on the matter so that you may make a calculated, informed, and wise decision. Certainly, the professional will charge you quite a bit for this service. But you can consider this as an investment in a fruitful future.
In case you are wondering which professional you should reach out to, then a business broker may suit your interest. A business broker refers to a company or an individual that helps business purchasers with paperwork and investigations. They take up the responsibility of analysis and guiding you the right way in the industry. If you do not wish to trust a broker immediately, you can begin by doing your part of research about the processes at Net Lawman.
3. Analyze the Legal Position & Documents
If a business is stable and running, it does not mean that the business is legally all fit and healthy. Many times, business owners figure alternate illegal routes to save themselves from paying heavy taxes that minimize their profits. And no, this deceptive move is not often visible on the surface. The business may appear the cleanest on the surface, but deep scrutiny will reveal the dark, hidden secrets.
For that very reason, we advise the ones purchasing a business to acquire all necessary information about the business beforehand. Get the documents verified and tested by relevant legal authorities. The documents you may want to check include contracts of the suppliers, paid taxes, employee agreements, insurance policies, etc.
4. Don’t Hesitate to Negotiate
Even if you are a complete newbie in the business industry, you need not shy away from negotiating. Remember, sometimes even the brokers may try to suppress the possibility of negotiations solely to boost their benefits, so you must hold your ground firmly.
Participate enthusiastically in crafting the Letter of Intent, i.e., term sheet. And if the intermediary party does not initiate it, you should take charge. In this sheet, you settle terms and conditions with the seller about the assets and proceeding mechanism.
5. Prioritize Assets Over Business Itself
Lastly, when purchasing a business, determine if it’s a corporation or LLC. If so, do not invest in the stock. Instead, buy the assets of the business and set up a fresh company. No, it wouldn’t be the same as starting from scratch. You could imagine this as starting somewhere midway.
Now, why would you do that? Well, that’s because such a measure will automatically be safeguarding the businesses’ intellectual property, as well as its material property. How so? If the previous owner has been sued by someone or has some negative charges, they will not apply to you since you will not have an inherited company. Instead, you will have a fresh one. The plus point is you can set up a brand new framework. Develop your own new rules. Make use of tools you like, such as TrackTime24. Manage staff as per your conditions anew.
Final Thoughts
Summing up, purchasing a business may not be as hectic as starting a business. But it is, surely, a sensitive process. If you fail to pay attention to the details, you might sign up for even greater trouble. Hence, we highly recommend abiding by the tips above. Good luck!
Alex Fullick on 
rstapholz
Editor
