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Ready To Sell Your Business?

The decision to sell your business is a major one. You’ve invested time, money, and energy into building it, and it may represent your life’s work. At WCI Business Brokers, we understand the importance of finding the right buyer and selling your business for a great price. Our professional business brokers are here to guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

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If you’re considering selling your business, there are several factors to consider.

In this business owner’s guide, we’ll cover some of the most common topics and questions frequently brought up by sellers. We’ll help you understand the process of selling your business and provide you with a checklist of items you’ll need to gather before placing your business for sale.

At WCI Business Brokers, we believe that appearances do count.

That’s why we’ll work with you to ensure your business is presented in the best possible light. We’ll help you identify and address any issues that could negatively impact the sale process and help you highlight the value of your business to potential buyers.
Our team is dedicated to helping you find the right buyer for your business. We’ll work with you every step of the way to ensure a successful sale. So if you’re ready to take the next step and sell your business, contact us today. We’re here to provide you with the answers you can trust.

WCI Business Brokers can help facilitate your transaction.

Already have a buyer for your business?

Oftentimes, WCI Business Brokers is contacted by business owners who already have a buyer for their business. In some cases, this is a key employee who has expressed interest in purchasing the business, a competitor who would like to expand or maybe just a prospective buyer who is familiar with the business or industry and is looking to step into business ownership. In this case, what may seem like a simple transaction can even be more complicated than an arm’s length transaction because of the close relationship between the prospective buyer and the seller and the need for both parties to eventually release confidential information to each other.

Below are some of the ways WCI Business Brokers has helped with these types of transactions in the past: 

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Provide Market Insights

Even if the business owner has a prospective buyer, it’s important to understand the current market value of a business and current market conditions. WCI Business Brokers can provide valuable insights into the local market, the fair market value of the business, financing options, and identify potential pitfalls for a particular transaction, if any. Explore ‘What is my Business Worth’.

Negotiate the sale and help prepare necessary documents

WCI Business Brokers can help the seller negotiate the best possible terms with the buyer, including price, provisions, contingencies, non-solicitation agreements, lease assignments, employment agreements, and definitive deadlines, etc. Even if the seller has a buyer, there are many complexities involved with a transaction, necessary to ensure legal protection for all parties, proper and timely funding of the transaction and a smooth transition leading up to and after the closing of the transaction. WCI Business Brokers typically assists in the preparation of the necessary documents and ensures that no detail is left incomplete.

Arrange Financing

On average, over 70% of WCI Business Broker’s closed transactions are funded by financing, which was arranged and coordinated by WCI Business Brokers, through their preferred lender network. As experts in the industry, WCI Business Brokers has strong relationships with select lenders that have a proven track record providing financing for our business acquisitions, including those which may have been unable to obtain financing elsewhere.

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Provide Professional Advice

With over 50 years of experience facilitating over 1,000 transactions, WCI Business Brokers offers professional advice and expertise throughout the selling process, including guidance on legal and financial considerations. The broker’s at WCI Business Brokers often function as a liaison between the buyer and seller and assist with communication and necessary documentation to ensure both parties are satisfied with the terms of the transaction. One of the most important aspects of the transaction is maintaining confidentiality throughout the process. Whether a key employee, a competitor or a prospective buyer is purchasing the business, it is important that a level of separation and discretion is kept until the closing of the transaction. This is critical to ensure that sensitive information about the business and the prospective buyer does not become public knowledge, which could potentially harm the business, the buyer, or compromise the transaction.

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Coordinate the closing details of process

WCI Business Brokers coordinates the closing process by following our proprietary pre-closing checklist to confirm every transaction detail is documented and completed, scheduling the closing date, and ensuring that all parties are prepared for the closing and transition of ownership.

WCI Business Brokers can be a valuable asset to a seller and a buyer.

Even if the parties already have a connection. By providing support, guidance, and assistance throughout the selling process, WCI Business Brokers can help ensure a smooth and successful transaction.

Success Stories

Completed Transactions

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Sellers FAQ

What is the value of my business?

Determining the fair market value of a business is part art and part science. The artistic aspect of a business valuation takes into consideration operational, organizational, industry trends, and other important factors specific to a business.

Below are a few simple examples of the “operational aspects” of a business that should be carefully considered by a qualified Business Broker when determining the fair market value of a Business:

1. Owner Involvement (For Example)

  • Does the business owner work 5 hours per week and have a solid tenured management team and other staff performing the day-to-day operations of the business?
  • Are the owners a husband-and-wife team who both work 65 hours per week along with their son or daughter who also works full time, and no other staff in the business.

2. Customers (For Example)

  • Is the business’s customer base diversified, with no single customer being responsible for more than 10% of the business’s revenue?
  • Does the business only have one or two major customers?

3. Competition

  • Has any new potentially significant competition entered the market in the past 12 months and what impact is the new competitor having on the business?

4. Assets

  • Is the furniture, fixtures, and equipment of the business current and in good working condition?
  • Is the equipment utilized by the business outdated and in need of being replaced, at a significant cost, in the very near future.

4. The “science” related to business valuation relates to the financial aspects of the business. For Example:

  • Are the historical and current financial trends of the business increasing or decreasing?
  • Does the business have clean financial records for the past 3-5 years?
  • What is the average Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) or Owner’s Cash Flow (OCF) for the past 3-5 years?
  • How much can the business afford to pay for itself, while supporting a new owner?
  • Is the business financeable?

Every business is different, and each business owner operates their business in their own unique way. WCI Business Brokers has successfully valued and sold thousands of businesses in nearly every industry, therefore, they are well-versed on evaluating the various aspects of a business to determine the appropriate valuation.

What if I am unsure whether I am ready to sell my business?

In addition to guiding buyers and sellers through the sale of a business, WCI Business Brokers are industry leaders in evaluating businesses to assist in retirement planning, partner buy-outs, mergers, and many other non-sale circumstances. Most business owners may not be able to determine if they want to sell their business until they have an accurate valuation of the business. On occasion, when WCI Business Brokers has completed their valuation of a business, the owner decides they are not ready to sell their business yet. The team at WCI Business Brokers is happy to assist business owners in determining the current value and appropriate timing so the owners can receive an optimal sales price.

How can I make my business more attractive to potential buyers?

There are numerous ways a business owner can improve the attractiveness of their business to the fair market. Historically businesses that have accurate and up-to-date financial records, increasing financial trends, tenured staff in place, the necessary equipment for the operation, and are maintaining strong relationships with their customers and vendors, are the most attractive to prospective buyers. WCI Business Brokers can work with the business owner to advise and strengthen any aspects of their business that may be advantageous in the marketing and sale of the business.

What is the process of listing a business for sale?

A qualified Business Broker, such as WCI Business Brokers, will typically work with the business owner to accurately determine the fair market value of the business, prepare a comprehensive marketing package, discuss the customized marketing approach for the specific business and start marketing the business for sale. Typically, this process takes some time to review the necessary documents, make sure details are clear in the marketing package and start the process with a strong presence.

What is the process of selling a business?
The process of selling a business typically involves many steps that can be more or less complicated depending upon the nature of the business. Once the business marketing package has been created and approved by the business owner, and a qualified buyer has expressed interest in the business and signed the appropriate non-disclosure documents, typically the next step includes a face-to-face meeting or conference call between the prospective buyer and seller. During this meeting they discuss the buyer’s background and interest in the business as well as the details of the business, to determine if the specific business is still a good fit for the prospective buyer. Assuming the prospective buyer would like to proceed with the purchase of the business and the seller feels that the buyer could be a good fit for their business, an offer is formulated and presented to the business owner for their consideration. After negotiations of all of the terms related to the transaction, and assuming the parties have a meeting of the minds on the offer, the purchase is formalized with a written letter of intent (LOI) or purchase agreement. Once the purchase agreement has been signed by all parties then the Business Broker assists the parties in working through the various contingencies in the transaction so they can proceed to closing. These contingencies often include books and records examination, due diligence, a new lease, inspections, third party approvals, licensing contingencies, financing application and approval, appraisals, and in some cases, employment or consulting agreements. Once all contingencies have been satisfied, the parties and the broker work towards closing the transaction.
How long does it take to sell a business?

The timeline for selling a business can vary depending on several factors, such as the size and complexity of the business, the market conditions, and the readiness of the business for sale. It can take anywhere from several months to a year or more to attract a qualified buyer. Once the buyer and seller have entered into a purchase agreement for the sale of the business, a business only transaction typically takes 30-60 days to close. If the transaction includes the sale of real property, the process will typically take 60-90 days to close. WCI Business Brokers has a proven track record of marketing and selling businesses in a timely fashion and is available to assist.

Should I work with a business broker to sell my business?

Working with an experienced Business Broker is very beneficial as they can provide valuable expertise, resources, and guidance throughout the selling process. The team at WCI Business Brokers brings over 50 years of combined experience to ensure that the seller is educated about the sale of their business and understands the process, properly evaluates the business, creates a comprehensive listing package to attract qualified buyers, negotiates the details of the transaction, arranges acquisition financing, confirms that each element of the transaction is managed, and provides the necessary guidance to ensure a smooth closing. Most business owners have never sold a business before and for many of them their business is the largest asset they own. For this reason, seeking the assistance of WCI Business Brokers, who have helped thousands of sellers through the process, has proven to be an important and beneficial financial decision for many business owners in the past.

Can WCI Business Brokers assist with the sale of a business which includes commercial real estate?

The Brokers of the WCI team are licensed real estate agents and have the authority and expertise to properly evaluate the commercial property related to the business and other income producing real property. Historically, 25% of the transactions WCI Business Brokers have closed, included the sale of the real estate along with the sale of the business. On occasion, the seller of the business chooses to retain the real estate for future rental income and sells the business only. In these circumstances, WCI Business Brokers assists the seller in evaluating and designing lease terms that complement and can enhance the sale of the business.

Can WCI Business Brokers assist with the sale of my business if I already have a prospective buyer?

Locating a buyer for a business is oftentimes a small piece of the puzzle. In many instances, a business may have already identified a buyer for their business, but the parties need assistance negotiating the terms of the transaction, guiding the buyer and seller through the details and most importantly, securing financing for the acquisition. WCI Business Brokers are industry leaders, with extensive experience in assisting business owners who already have identified a prospective buyer, through the complexities of the entire process.

Already Have a Buyer? Learn More Here

What area does WCI Business Brokers serve?

WCI Business Brokers serves the entire state of Arizona, and in some circumstances, can assist buyers and sellers with business transactions outside of Arizona. Contact the WCI Business Brokers office to discuss your needs today.

WCI Business Brokers

Business & Real Estate Evaluation Process

At WCI Business Brokers we believe an accurate analysis and careful consideration of the market value of a business is a crucial first step to the successful marketing, financing and sale of a business. Therefore, in many cases we need to understand the fundamentals of your business and your goals in order to assess if we can be helpful. For this reason, we offer a no cost initial consultation to determine if we can be of assistance to you.

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