Santa Rosa, California, Business Brokers and M&A Advisors

Business Brokers and M&A Advisors in Santa Rosa, California

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: (707) 234-4700
• Address: Round Barn Boulevard, Santa Rosa, California 95403, USA
• Hours: Monday to Friday | 8am to 5pm

Preparing for Your Business’s Sale

Whether you are planning to sell your business in the immediate future or years from now, there are many things that you can do to prepare for your business’s sale. Some of the tasks that our business brokers recommend include:

• Have your company’s financial statements prepared professionally. Read more about Preparing Financial Statements When Selling a Business.
• Research your leases so that you know which ones can be transferred to the new owner. Read more about Lease.
• Research your market to understand when would be a good time to sell.
• Delegate important responsibilities to your employees so that a new owner can more easily step into your role.
• Continue to maintain quality relationships with your employees, customers, and suppliers.
• Continue to maintain inventory levels and operate your business normally.
• Begin to consider your company’s value.
• Make a list of any information that a new owner would need to know to operate your business to its fullest potential.
• Mentally prepare yourself to disengage from your business after it is sold.
• Ask anyone who you will be involving in the sale to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
• Contact our professional business brokers at the Santa Rosa, California, office of Morgan & Westfield for professional guidance.

By doing these things, you are giving yourself a head start on the sales process and making it easier for you in many ways. First, by doing these things now, you will not have the stress of needing to accomplish these tasks later in the process. Second, by completing many of these tasks ahead of time, you can give yourself more time to ensure that each of these tasks is completed correctly. Finally, by entering the sales process with everything fully prepared, you are giving potential buyers the impression that you are serious about your company’s sale. This will encourage buyers to consider your sale more seriously and make them feel more confident that you have been running your company with the same serious attitude. Ultimately, by preparing for the sales process, you are making everything much easier for yourself and increasing the chances that your company will be sold successfully.

What to Expect From the Sales Process

After you have fully prepared for the sale and are beginning the process of actually selling your business, you might not know what to expect next. This is one of the main advantages of selling your business through Morgan & Westfield — we will guide you through the entire process. Our business brokers will answer your questions and make sure that you always understand where you are in the sales process and what to expect going forward. Some common aspects that many sellers might not be aware of or have questions about include:

• The Need to Keep Your Sale Confidential: It is vital to the success of your sale that you sell your business as discreetly as possible. Business owners are often surprised that they are advised not to tell their friends, employees or customers about their company’s impending sale. Telling people (who have not signed a non-disclosure agreement) about the sale is something that you must avoid. If news of your impending sale becomes public knowledge, the value of your business will suffer and your business will become far more difficult to sell. Read more about Confidentiality.
• You Will Need to Sign a Non-Compete: When a buyer agrees to purchase your business, they will usually include terms in the sales contract that require you to sign a non-compete contract. This contract will state when, where and what type of business you can open in the future, and it will prohibit you from operating a business in competition with the business that you are selling. These contracts are standard clauses in sales contracts, and you should be prepared to sign one. Read more about Non-Compete Agreement.
• You Will be Expected to Train Your Buyer: For your buyer to successfully run your business, they will need to learn more about what you do. For this reason, terms of the sales contract will usually specify a time period in which you will be required to train your business’s new ownership. This is a standard aspect of business sales. Failure to fulfill this obligation can be considered a breach of your sales contract, which can nullify your sale.
• You Must be Willing to Negotiate: The initial offer that most buyers will make for any business is almost always much lower than the final sale price. This is something that you must be prepared for and not take personally. Most buyers will expect to negotiate with you, so it is important that you are willing to negotiate and that you do not take any offers personally. Taking offers personally or being unwilling to negotiate is a recipe for unsuccessful negotiations.
• You Must Understand That Business Values are Subjective: Businesses can be valued in many different ways. Even when two professionals appraise a business, in the same way, they might disagree on the value. So it is important that you understand that just because your company was appraised for a certain price, does not mean that that is what your business will sell for. The only true determinant of your company’s value is the market and what a buyer is willing to pay, so you must maintain some level of flexibility with the way you view your company’s value. Failure to maintain this flexibility will make selling your business far more challenging.

Business Brokers of Santa Rosa, California, office of Morgan & Westfield

Our business brokers at 3558 Round Barn Boulevard, Santa Rosa, California, 95403, office of Morgan & Westfield provide our guidance, support, and technical services exclusively to the business owners of California’s Sonoma County. This includes the communities of Downtown Santa Rosa, Fountaingrove, Rincon Valley, Bennett Valley, Roseland, Wikiup, Howarth Park, Oakmont, Proctor Terrace, Piner-Olivet, Monte Rio, Sonoma Mountain, North Santa Rosa, Saddleback, Spring Lake, Cherry Creek, Coddingtown, Santa Rosa Plain, and Cotati.

With over hundred years of combined experience in Sonoma County, our business brokers have developed strong relationships with local professionals, business owners, and buyers. This expertise allows us to understand local business valuations and successfully facilitate hundreds of sales each year, providing a proven system to help sell your business. To learn more about our services and what our business brokers can do to guide you through the process of selling your business, contact the Santa Rosa, California, office of Morgan & Westfield today.

Our President is Your Point Person

Jacob Orosz

President and Founder of Morgan & Westfield

25+ Years of M&A Experience: Over 25 years of experience facilitating mergers, acquisitions, sales, and other business transfers with transaction values up to $500 Million.

300+ Transactions: Successfully participated in or managed the sale of over 300 privately held companies representing both buyers and sellers in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Author of 5 Books on M&A: The Art of the Exit, A Beginner’s Guide to Business Valuation, The Exit Strategy Handbook, Closing the Deal, and Acquired.

Host of M&A Talk: Host of the #1 podcast on selling a business – M&A Talk.

Host of M&A Talk: The #1 Podcast on Selling a Business

• Available on:
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Morgan & Westfield Advantage

At Morgan & Westfield, you’re in the C-suite. We don’t turn you over to a junior associate. You’ll work directly with the president of Morgan & Westfield, Jacob Orosz, who is with you from start to finish. Jacob has over 20 years of experience selling businesses, is the author of six books on M&A, and is the host of the #1 podcast on mergers and acquisitions – M&A Talk.