Many business owners claim their business would take off if only someone did a few simple things. The usual suspect in “simple things” is to do more marketing. Really? If it’s so easy why isn’t the current owner doing these supposedly simple things? And why would a buyer take the chance on these “simple things” working?
An example
A friend pointed out a retail business for sale whose owner claims it’s in a great location. And it is, for walking around and (having fun) but not for what this business does, given the congestion and limited parking.
The seller states with a little marketing and the addition of multiple additional services they could substantially increase the revenue. This includes extending their hours and hiring more employees. In today’s tight labor market good employees are hard to find and it’s made to sound like it’s easy to find good people.
Also, the business’s sales are declining, it’s breaking even, and the owner is not taking a salary.
The seller has a five-year lease, probably with a personal guarantee, and other obligations. It may be cheaper to give someone the business or pay a “buyer” to get out of that lease, other obligations, and the associated worries and headaches.
Even in this case the “seller” needs be able to back up “why” the business has the potential to get out of its rut. All buyers want to see a clear path to growth and know where they can add value.
Let’s be realistic, the above is a bit extreme (also rare is hiring a buyer on a consulting contract to fix a business and then buy it via an earnout, but I’ve seen it). But in rare cases, paying to discard a business, like we pay to take junk to the dump, may be better than five more years of hard work for no pay.
“What’s surreal to you is just somebody’s Wednesday somewhere.” (Novelist) Karen Russell
This was written by Jessica with John’s input
