Advice on Niche Market Exit Planning

Selling a Tropical Foliage Services Business

Don't believe anyone who tells you it's easy to sell a tropical foliage services business. A lot of things need to happen before you can successfully exit your business. But with a few tips, you can keep your shirt and your sanity in the sale of your business.

The decision to sell a tropical foliage services business is never easy. In our experience, a common owner concern is how the sale will affect customers and employees.

You'll always have an excuse for not putting your business on the market. Selling a tropical foliage services business isn't easy, but we believe sellers can achieve their goals in any economic environment.

Negotiation 101

As a business seller, you have to be at the top of your negotiating game. More often than not, the person with the most knowledge will come out on top in a tropical foliage services business negotiation. But before you can negotiate effectively, you need to have a clear sense of your minimum sale requirements. If you lack clarity about your goals, you're guaranteed to fall short of achieving of them. If you aren't sure what you need, put negotiations on hold until you gain a clearer understanding of your own deal parameters.

Signs You're in Over Your Head

Many tropical foliage services business are tempted to save brokerage fees by selling their businesses on their own. Without brokerage, the risk of your sale going off-course is increased. 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. The remedy is professional brokerage or a consultation with more experienced sellers.

What About Market Conditions?

No one plans to sell a tropical foliage services business in a down economy. So far, government intervention and promises that the economy is slowly recovering haven't been enough to alleviate many entrepreneur's fears. However, many business sellers don't realize that a full economic rebound can have devastating consequences, particularly if sellers who have waited to list their businesses suddenly create a glut in the business-for-sale marketplace. So what's our point? The economy isn't the most important factor in the sale of your business. Instead, you should be focusing on making your tropical foliage services business as attractive as possible so to buyers right now.

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary