Exit Planning Tips

Selling a Hunting Equipment and Supplies Dealers Business

Business sellers have diverse personal and professional goals for the sale of their companies. But no matter what you expect from the sale of your hunting equipment and supplies dealers business, it's in your best interest to maximize the sales price through the application of proven sales techniques.

Although we're optimistic about the economy, we also recognize that it takes the right strategy to sell a hunting equipment and supplies dealers business in today's market.

However, serious buyers also understand the value of a good hunting equipment and supplies dealers business. So for hunting equipment and supplies dealers business sellers, today's market is all about convincing buyers that the numbers make their companies worth the asking price.

Preparing Your Employees

As a business owner, you want to keep you employees informed about your plans; as a seller it's in your best interest to keep your employees in the dark for as long as possible. You're concerned about confidentiality, and rightfully so. However, the longer the selling process drags on, the more likely it is that rumors will begin to circulate throughout your workforce. So at some point you will have to resign yourself to the idea of telling some or all of your employees that you have listed the hunting equipment and supplies dealers business on the market. Maintain a positive tone in your conversations and answer your employees questions as completely as you can without jeopardizing the sale.

Leveraging Industry Connections

Today's hunting equipment and supplies dealers business buyers can be found in a variety of locations. To advertise your sale to the widest possible audience, consider a listing on BizBuySell.com or other top online business-for-sale listing sites. But industry connections can also be a valuable source of leads. When leveraging industry relationships for sales prospects, you'll need to be cognizant of the potential for competitors to use knowledge of your sale against you in the marketplace. Use good sense in restricting the flow of information within the industry and focusing your efforts toward trusted industry allies.

Average Preparation Time

There are no effective shortcuts for selling a hunting equipment and supplies dealers business. Since buyers prefer to see evidence of future cash flow, you'll want to to strategically lock in cash flows and increase profits before you list the business. Next, the business will need to be documented in professional financial statements and manuals that facilitate the ownership transition. At a minimum, plan on spending six months preparing your hunting equipment and supplies dealers business for the marketplace. However, to command the highest price, you'll probably need to spend one to two years preparing and positioning your business for buyers.

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary