We meet with plenty of clients each year who are evaluating a business to buy. The numbers are something we can obviously help interpret and communicate, but there’s more than just numbers in such a major life decision.
在过去几年里, I’ve helped clients look at a farm, 邮局, 清洁业, 一个锁匠, a motorbike shop and even a law firm! There’s always one common element – a passionate person wanting to make a change – take on a challenge, 对他们的生活有什么影响, and shape their future through owning a business. We can always review the numbers, and understand an appropriate valuation and payback period, but there’s so much more to the final price. Often these factors are balanced by the long-term goals of the owner – perhaps less money, 更多的自由, but this needs to be a conscious decision not an error in judgement!
其中一些因素是:
- 环境 – Is there a risk that the business could be impacted by environmental impacts that you can’t control? 如何减轻这种情况? In terms of the farm there were significant risks and expertise required due to the niche area. 像这样, our entire first appointment was spent on throwing questions around of what the potential purchaser would need to consider before proceeding – water contamination, temperature impacts and crop care etc.
- 工作与生活的平衡 – Does the business allow you to have the 工作 life balance you’d like, or will you be a slave to the business? Take for example the post office, it would require both husband and wife to 工作 largely full time throughout the year – how do you take a family holiday? And what happens if someone falls ill? We all know the saying ‘love what you do and you’ll never 工作 a day in your life’ – but there’s still got to be some balance!
- 买工作 -我们看到企业在运营, 流了很多血之后, 汗水和眼泪, generates a profit that is equivalent (or less than) a salary the owner may earn from a ‘walk in-walk out, 没有压力的工作. Importantly, it’s hard to justify a price for a business when you can’t make a living out of it!
- 关键人物风险 – Taking on equity in a business can be exciting, but if you are relying on another party there are risks. Take for example a business 50/50, with a co-owner nearing retirement. Diversifying the risk between parties can be beneficial, but how do you solve that succession issue?
- 融资风险 – Consider a business that requires significant financing, to cover the floor plan of a showroom for cars or motorbikes. For a young family that’s just paid off a home, this can become a concern when the amount financed exceeds a nice home. How do you balance this, with ongoing operations?
- 监管风险 – Are you licensed to run the business? Is there any training you’d need to do? To become an owner of an 澳门赌场官网 业务, there is a qualification we need to 工作 through, and this is similar with many professional services businesses. Often it just requires a bit more planning before the buy-in can occur.
If you’d like to brainstorm more than just numbers, and understand from an independent party what to consider before you buy into a business, 或者买一家公司, 澳门官方赌场 今天.
