Is it a good time to buy a business?
Monday, August 3rd, 2009If you have an entrepreneurial itch or have always wanted to buy a business, is now the right time for you to act? In the current severe economic downturn, your first reaction might be negative, but note that wherever there is a threat, there is an opportunity and that many people have become very successful in times of seemingly dire economic news. Whilst you always need to be prepared to work long hours and make sacrifices when you own a business, you will need to have additional resources and an even stronger temperament should you consider buying a business in a recession.
One of the largest hurdles you’ll have to overcome involves financing. Don’t ever underestimate the actual volume of money that’s required to get a business up and running. Don’t just look at the numbers which you come up with when you value a business, but estimate how much it would cost you to operate the business for three years. Once you reach a fairly accurate number, quadruple it!
To achieve financing from a bank or other institution these days may prove to be an impossible task. The days of easy money are well in the past. You will need a very strong personal credit rating at the very least, but also probably have to put up a lot of cash and collateral. Banks and lending institutions are extremely cautions nowadays, and if they’ve any significant reason for concern they may cancel established lines of credit, even if the business has a perfect track record and an excellent credit rating. Make sure that you are not relying on the unknown too much.
Our current economic situation is perfect for negotiating seller financing, so use the fact that banks aren’t lending to your advantage and make sure that the seller has a vested interest in your ongoing success by having them carry the balance of sale.
Make sure that you identify a need for the product or services that you will be selling. It is not enough just to own a business, what you’re offering people has to be in demand. While many people seem to think that business of all kinds will shrink during the recession, this is not necessarily the case. There are certain types of business that will enjoy an expansion during a downturn and there are categories of business that can be classified as essential. Maybe you should buy a business which is “bulletproof” through a recession?
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of thinking outside of the box when it comes to purchasing a business. You may find the solution that will fit your needs perfectly. Whilst many might feel that the type of business you’re considering is foolhardy, you might consider that it represents additional opportunity. For example, whilst lawn care service might appear to be a luxury, many people are finding that they have additional pressures on their time and can least afford to spend hours in the yard themselves.
There’s one particular thing to bear in mind in times of recession however - do not let emotions come into the decision making process. Remember to use your head and ensure that when you’re ready to actively pursue a business for sale, you have the key fundamentals perfectly in place, can finance or have unrestricted access to finance to make sure that the business can operate for no less than three years. Be as diligent as possible when it comes to assessing the absolute need for your product or service, in bad times as well as good.
Richard Parker is the President and founder of the Diomo Corporation - The Business Buyer Resource Center. His inspiring materials, seminars and consulting have assisted thousands of business buyers with achieving their life long dream of buying a business.