Business Exits By Industry

Selling a Chemical Consultants Business

Is the economy still a little shaky for a business sale? Sure it is. Yet chemical consultants businesses haven't heard the news and are reporting steady action on the business-for-sale market.

Personal and professional concerns surround the sale of a chemical consultants business. In addition to the personal enjoyment you received from the business, you probably have concerns about what will happen to the people who made your chemical consultants business a success.

But at Gaebler, we see chemical consultants businesses still selling at a brisk pace. Like always, unprofitable and poorly positioned businesses struggle to find buyers while sellers who have invested time and effort to prepare their sale are being rewarded in the marketplace.

Preparing Family Members

Many sellers embarked on their chemical consultants business sale without adequately considering the impact it will have on their families. Unfortunately, families often experience turmoil during a sale even when the primary owner is convinced it's the right decision. The sale of the business will likely result in new family dynamics. To keep the family intact, the sale of a chemical consultants business has to include ample communication and shared decision-making.

Team-Based Negotiation Strategies

Business sellers are sometimes surprised to find themselves in the position of negotiator-in-chief. When you sell your chemical consultants business, your business brokers may or may not be willing to conduct negotiations for you. Negotiation is a chess game, best played with the resources and backend support of a negotiation team. A negotiation team comprised of trusted advisors and senior business leaders is essential in helping you devise a winning negotiation strategy. More importantly, a negotiation team can serve as a sounding board -- an objective presence that prohibits your personal emotions from clouding your judgment or sabotaging your efforts to negotiate a successful deal.

Signs You're in Over Your Head

It's not uncommon for the owners of small chemical consultants businesses to adopt a go-it-alone sale strategy. Plenty of owners sell their chemical consultants businesses unassisted. But for every successful unassisted sale, several other chemical consultants businesses sell below market value or languish on the market for years without attracting the interest of qualified buyers. As a rule, no business should sit on the market for more than six months without attracting the interest of at least a handful of qualified buyers. Lack of buyer enthusiasm or persistence indicates that something is wrong. Hire a broker and conduct a professional appraisal ASAP.

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