Business Exit Planning

Selling a Mountain and Ice Climbing Tours Business

The business-for-sale marketplace has experienced no shortage of uncertainty over the past several years. But mountain and ice climbing tours businesses haven't heard the news and are reporting steady action on the business-for-sale market.

Most business sellers are interested in disposing of their businesses as quickly as possible. But that's not how a mountain and ice climbing tours business sale works.

Undaunted by economic conditions, many mountain and ice climbing tours business sellers are achieving their sale goals through deliberate sale strategies.

Buyer Concessions

Most mountain and ice climbing tours business sellers realize they will need to offer concessions to sell their businesses. But for every concession you grant, there may be an opportunity to obtain a concession from the buyer. For example, if the buyer needs seller financing, you can leverage a five-year loan to push for a higher sales price. Although you won't see all of the proceeds upfront, you'll earn interest on the balance and realize a higher price than you would in an all cash deal. Asset exclusions, retained ownership shares and long-term contracts with another of the seller's companies can also be leveraged to extract concessions from buyers.

Signs You're in Over Your Head

Many mountain and ice climbing tours business are tempted to save brokerage fees by selling their businesses on their own. Although there are exceptions, solo sales typically take longer and are less productive than brokered sales. Generally, listed businesses should generate interest within a few months. Lack of buyer enthusiasm or persistence indicates that something is wrong. The remedy is professional brokerage or a consultation with more experienced sellers.

Pre-Sale Checklist

The pre-sale checklist for a mountain and ice climbing tours business is long and is full of critical tasks that will likely determine the success (or failure) of your sale. Perhaps the most important pre-sale consideration is to right-size your expectations to the realities of the market. Once your expectations are in the ballpark, you can move on to making your business presentable to prospective buyers.

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