A lot of entrepreneurs sell their businesses for profit, for expansion, or partnership. Selling is considered a strategic move, but how do you know that the time is right? For many businesspeople, their business is a product of years of planning and investment and not just financially. Time, effort, frustration, and sleepless nights were all part in helping the business take off. Why would one ever want to sell?
Here are a few common answers:
1. The Business Has Grown Too Much.
This might come as a surprise to many. But one of the main reasons for selling a business is that it has grown beyond what the entrepreneur could handle. Some people start a business because they are passionate about it and want to share what they know to the world. However, when it becomes too big to manage by yourself or by a small group, it’s time to sell it.
Turning it over to new management or a larger company that has more financial clout, space to operate, and logistics to distribute can be a better option than being overwhelmed by day-to-day needs. You can’t keep baking cookies at your home kitchen 16 hours a day. If the demand has become so big, it’s time to turn the business over to a professional kitchen.
2. The Business Didn’t Take Off as Planned.
Some businesses take longer to reach ROI and fully take off. If you’re a solo entrepreneur and you don’t have a lot of capital to keep reinvesting on your business, it might be prudent to sell. You can sell a business in Utah in just a few days provided you have all of the paperwork ready.
The buyers will also ask for your feasibility or market study to see if the business is truly profitable. Once they have seen that it is and the purchase is completed, they can infuse fresh capital into the store and start producing more products and marketing them to a broader audience. This will make the business and its products more known and visible than before.
3. You are tired of running the business alone.
Most entrepreneurs start their own business by themselves. When they reach the point of exhaustion, and there’s no one there to help him out, the best course of action would be to sell the business. Sometimes, friends and family don’t share the same interest, or they don’t have the right skill set to help out.
If you have a book writing and publishing business and no one shares that interest, better sell it to someone who will treasure the enterprise as much as you did. The buyer might have the team or logistics needed to keep the business afloat and make it grow even further.
4. It’s time to move on.
Some business people outgrow their businesses because of personal or career changes. For example, a young adult running an online clothing store may find that her priorities have changed after she has had children. Selling the first business and opening a new one that’s more attuned to her current interests makes more sense.
Alternatively, some business people physically move on to a different city, state, or country. Selling the business, mainly if it’s centered in the community, will keep the legacy going.
If you feel that your business has taken a life of its own, don’t be afraid to let go. Selling it to someone else doesn’t mean you’ve failed as an entrepreneur. Now that you know you are capable of starting and running a business, it will be easier to start over.