Right now, buying a business probably isn’t at the forefront of your mind. But every crisis and recession must pass and, at some point, M&A shall return to something resembling “normality”. However, as the chronically-overused phrase “new normal” suggests, what is normal may be radically different.
Even among businesses that survive, the post-coronavirus market is likely to see many business owners seeking an exit, for wha... Continue Reading
The current climate may not seem particularly friendly to business owners seeking an exit, but there are options which offer considerable advantages, while avoiding some of the more difficult elements of a business sale.
One of the most popular among such options is a sale to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). An EOT is an indirect form of employee ownership, through which a trust holds the controlling stake in a company on behalf o... Continue Reading
The coronavirus pandemic has abruptly altered the world in innumerable ways and the day-to-day running of a small or medium sized business is no exception. With lockdown measures and social distancing firmly in place, companies across the world are having to adjust to their entire office suddenly going digital.
Going from the everyday buzz and hubbub of running an office to working from home and communicating by message and video ca... Continue Reading
Buying a company that’s entered into administration can seem like a quick and easy win, with a lowered asking price, a sale actively being sought and liabilities to creditors remaining with the seller.
In the current climate especially, cash-rich, acquisitive entrepreneurs may never again have such a good opportunity to buy companies in administration and potentially reap the rewards of reduced competition and revived consumer con... Continue Reading
In our previous blog, we looked at the ins and outs of selling a family business. In this piece, we head to the other side of the negotiating table, and examine how to go about purchasing a family business, when you're not a member of the family.
A successful family business can be incredibly attractive acquisition, should you get the opportunit... Continue Reading
Selling a business that your family has owned, built, operated and loved, perhaps for generations, is obviously never an easy decision, but sometimes it’s the right one.
Maybe it’s become unsustainable for you to continue running it as you used to, maybe relatives you’d considered to be potential successors don’t want to continue the firm, whatever the reason, there will be an emotional edge to any sale of a family business.... Continue Reading
If you want to buy a business but aren’t sure where to start. there are numerous methods for initiating a purchase, each with its own pros and cons. And, when you're navigating the potentially complex obstacles associated with buying a business, it's vital you enlist the help of a resource you can rely on.
We've compiled a list of the best methods for contacting a business you want to buy, to help you make right cho... Continue Reading
In our previous piece, we examined what you should look for in the brand of an existing business that you’re interested in acquiring, outlining three key elements of branding that you should consider when you’ve made up your mind to buy a pre-existing business.
In this week’s blog, we’re going to go slightly earlier in the acquisition process, and discuss some of the advantages that buying an existing business has over starti... Continue Reading
There are numerous upsides that can make buying an existing business more attractive than starting one up from scratch.
For one, there’s less risk and less work. Buying a pre-existing business gives you instant access to an income, a customer base, a client list, contacts and a trained workforce. From the moment you come in, you can start to focus on growth.
One that is particularly attractive, especially in today’s... Continue Reading
Continuing our series examining the potential impacts of last month’s stunning election result on small businesses like yours, in this piece we’ll assess what the Conservative Party’s landmark victory means for your international trade, in the EU and beyond.
The past few years have seen an astonishing array of political upsets worldwide, but it would take one of the biggest yet to prevent the UK from finally leaving the EU at ... Continue Reading
Following almost a decade of coalition governments, hung parliaments and uncertainty on everything from Scottish independence to Brexit, the December 12th UK General Election returned a decisive result, with Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party winning a significant majority.
If you’re a small business owner, chances are that you’ve been feeling the effects of all these years of political, economic and social uncertainty, and yo... Continue Reading
In our last piece, 4 steps to building your brand as a small business, we talked you through some of the ways you can utilise your status as a small business to build a brand that will mark you out from your competitors and really resonate with customers.
You may have built an impressive brand, but if you can’t get it noti... Continue Reading
It’s hard to stand out in today’s jam-packed marketplace, especially if you’re a small business. On the one hand, pretty much every industry is dominated by its giant companies. The household names that everybody knows. On the other hand, your market is just as likely to be crowded with other small businesses that are your direct competitors.
In this crowd, standing out might seem like a near impossible task. That’s where bu... Continue Reading
So, you’ve decided to take the plunge and invest in, or maybe even buy, your first business. These are very exciting but possibly scary times.
While there’s no doubt that going through this process the first time round will be a learning curve and that you might make mistakes along the way, one thing you absolutely want to get right is the business you go for.
In this guide, we’ll look at five things to consider ... Continue Reading
Brexit has created an understandable level of uncertainty in the business world and it’s not just big banks and international corporations that are being affected. Britain’s SMEs are also feeling the fear.
According to PwC research, 66 per cent of Britain’s small businesses want the government to focus on agreeing continued access to the European Union’s single market, while 62 per cent say they want trade deals that provide ... Continue Reading
For just £30 your business for sale will feature at the top of and in the sidebar on business for sale pages, making your business stand out from the crowd