How to Exit Your Startup When You're Not Going to Be the Next Billion-Dollar Unicorn

How to exit your startup?

When you’re not going to be the next billion dollar unicorn

Has your business startup not been doing so well? It can happen to anyone. Read more to learn how to exit your startup and move forward if this is the case.

How to exit your startup

Have you mentally checked out of your startup? Or maybe the business just isn’t working how you imagined it to be?

If you feel ready to exit your startup company, it may be time to bow out gracefully. However, there’s a right way to exit and a wrong way to do it too.

How you exit as a first-time startup business owner can define your career going forward, showing onlookers that you can deliver, or fail. If you’re not sure what the best practice is, we’re here to help. Here’s how to how to exit your startup the right way.

Keep Building Your Business

Even when you’ve decided to exit, it’s important to keep building the business. Why?

It’s a classic startup mishap. With a potential buyer looming, many startups start cutting costs to appear lean and efficient.

They allow money in the bank to dip dangerously low instead of sourcing more funding. They reduce user acquisition to save funds. They stop building the company to make ends meet, allowing revenue growth to diminish.

This doesn’t fool anyone though. While you may be making the bottom line appear well, your growth is suddenly at risk. Of course, this is bad for business and it places you in a vulnerable situation.

Investors may suggest an attractive offer, only to withdraw at the last moment once a startup has run out of money. Avoid such situations by continuing to grow your company, even when you’ve decided to sell. As a startup founder, you’ll have a better selection of offers and options if you can prove growth with plenty of money behind the business.

Seek Support

Many startup founders see themselves as lone wolves, but if you’re ready to exit your startup, the worst thing you can do is try to do it on your own.

You might want to learn more about the best exit strategies for your business.

Don’t retreat to your office and hammer out a contract alone. Seek support from people you trust, such as your angel investors who believed in you and the company from the very beginning. If you know any fellow entrepreneurs who have been through a similar situation, they’re a great option to speak to too.

These are the best people to reach out to who have you and your company’s interests at heart.

How to Exit Your Startup the Right Way

Voila, there’s how to exit your startup the right way. In the end, a successful startup exit comes down to achieving a good company as an entrepreneur. It’s all about connecting with investors that are in tune with your vision and fellow entrepreneurs that you can rely on.

Even then, exits aren’t simple, and success can never be guaranteed. If you’re still in doubt, then seeking professional help is a great way to gain perspective and to help you through the steps.

Here at BizNexus, we’re here to help. We help match business owners with the ideal business intermediaries, helping you sell your business for the best price, on optimal terms. For more information, click here.

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PREPARING TO EXIT YOUR COMPANY

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THE BIZNEXUS ROUNDUP

Quick & dirty interviews, war stories & tips from the trenches of business acquisition, growth & sale. We aim for value, efficiency & fun, so you'll walk away with something useful to take with you along the journey of buying, growing & selling a business.

How to Buy a Franchise: 5 Best Practices for Buying a New Franchise Opportunity

How to Buy a Franchise?

5 best practices for buying a new franchise opportunity

There's a lot that goes into investing in a new franchise. If you want to learn how to buy a franchise, check out some of these best practices.

How to buy a franchise

Wondering how to buy a franchise?

Trying to decide if a new franchise opportunity is a good choice for you?

If you're starting a new business, buying a franchise is one of the best options available. It can be less risky than starting completely from scratch.

As opposed to buying an established franchise opportunity, becoming a part of a new franchise can be even better in some ways. However, there are a lot of things you'll need to think about to ensure you're making the right choice.

Below we'll tell you about the 5 best practices for how to buy a franchise.

1. Research the Franchisor Extensively

When you're thinking about buying a new franchise opportunity, it's important that you do plenty of research on the franchisor to make sure they're worth your time, effort, and money.

You should find out everything you can about the franchisor's history and track record as well as the people behind the scenes. You should also find out what you can about the franchisor's financial well-being to ensure that they'll have enough capital to help with your growth.

You should do some digging online to find out more about a franchisor. You may also want to speak to some of the current franchise owners as well.

2. Ask Questions

When thinking about buying a franchise opportunity it's important that you feel open to ask questions. If you have any concerns, bring them up.

You'll want to speak plainly with the franchisor to find out exactly what you can expect from working with them. Ask as many questions as necessary to find out what you can about marketing methods, training tools, technology, operations, and provided support going forward.

3. Be Ready For Legalese

When thinking about joining a franchise, you should also be fully prepared for looking over the franchise disclosure document. You'll want to review it carefully to ensure that you understand exactly what your legal responsibilities and rights are.

If dissecting legal documents isn't your strong suit, you may want to hire a franchise attorney to help you look over it. While it will cost you to hire an attorney, it will be well worth it and can help you avoid big problems later on down the line.

4. Know Your Worth

One of the best practices for buying a new franchise opportunity is to remember that you have value. New franchisors don't hold all the chips and chances are that they need you just as much as you need them.

Because of this, you may have a bit more wiggle room when it comes to negotiating a franchise agreement and getting a deal that is right for you. New franchisors may be willing to work with you a bit more than an established franchise will, as long as they can still maintain the consistency of their franchise brand.

5. Understand Your Market

In addition to knowing everything you can about the franchisor, you also need to think carefully about the market at large.

Look at the trends locally and nationally and be realistic about whether you believe the franchise truly has a place in the marketplace. Look at your community as well as the economy and consider what your community's interests and needs are.

You need to be sure that the franchise you're considering will be appreciated. Don't just rely on wishful thinking or your own personal preferences when deciding to buy a new franchise.

How to Buy a Franchise With These Best Practices

If you're ready to be a business owner, buying a franchise can be a great place to start. However, while learning how to buy a franchise isn't hard, making a profitable choice is much more difficult. It's important that you remember these tips if you want to be confident that you're making the right decision with your purchase.

Ready to get started with buying a franchise? Click here to start looking for a new franchise opportunity now.

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BUSINESS ACQUISITION

Have you checked out our podcast?

THE BIZNEXUS ROUNDUP

Quick & dirty interviews, war stories & tips from the trenches of business acquisition, growth & sale. We aim for value, efficiency & fun, so you'll walk away with something useful to take with you along the journey of buying, growing & selling a business.

5 Best Practices For Preparing Your Business For Sale

Preparing Your Business For Sale?

Here are five best practices you don’t want to miss out.

Are you ready to put your business up for sale? Here are some best practices we recommend you use to properly prepare your business for the sale.

Business for sale

When you have a business for sale, you need to be certain that you are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to the details. 

In addition to figuring out exactly why you want to sell, you'll need to cover your legal bases and come up with a strategy that works. This will help you fetch the biggest price, while also getting help with negotiating the deal.

Follow these tips so you can prepare your business for sale.

1. Get a Thorough and Up to Date Valuation

For starters, you'll need to get a proper business valuation. During a valuation, professionals that understand the market will take an objective look at your company to see how much it is worth.

They will look into all matters of the business, including your cash flow, debt, future growth potential, and other variables.

When your business has been valued, you will know what kind of sell price the market dictates and how much you can stand to earn. Having this report will also give you leverage and clarity when you're speaking to buyers.

Start to put together documentation for your business well in advance so that you can show clean, accurate records of your revenue, budgets, and other important matters. 

2. Understand Completely Why You Want to Sell

Aside from financial implications, you need to know exactly why you intend to sell the business.

For some, it may simply be time for retirement, and selling the company can give you plenty of liquidity. You may also be at a point where cutting your losses and selling a majority of your company in an acquisition might make good sense.

Your reason for selling will help you choose which strategy can work best for you.

3. Carefully Vet Your Prospective Buyers

In addition to the sales price, you need to know who you're selling the company to.

Work with a business broker so that you can research every buyer's background. Finding a broker is crucial because studies show that only 20 to 30 percent of companies ever even find a buyer. 

When you are seeking a buyer, move as carefully as possible so that your company lands in good hands, and at a good price.

4. Have a Plan in Place For the Transition

You need to have a solid exit strategy in place so that you can comfortably transition ownership and management.

When you have a plan, you're better able to choose a successor and make sure the company is in good hands once the sale goes through. It will protect the brand moving forward, and any future equity you might retain in the company.

5. Get Some Marketing Help

Your first two priorities should be to get legal help to know exactly where you stand and making a point to stay silent on it until the time is right for you to share terms with the public.

Once you are ready to announce to the public, make sure that you have a marketing team in place to help you communicate your message.

Follow the Right Tips When You Have a Business For Sale

When you have a business for sale, these are the tips that you need to keep in mind. It will help you get the best deal while protecting your interests.

Get in touch to set up a free consultation for our business sale and acquisition advice.

BizNexus -Learn More From Our YouTube Playlist:

PREPARING TO EXIT YOUR COMPANY

Have you checked out our podcast?

THE BIZNEXUS ROUNDUP

Quick & dirty interviews, war stories & tips from the trenches of business acquisition, growth & sale. We aim for value, efficiency & fun, so you'll walk away with something useful to take with you along the journey of buying, growing & selling a business.