The Most Dangerous Number In Business Is

January 23, 2018 by John Denton Leave a Comment

ONE

One of anything!

The numbers in a business are the instrument panel by which an owner should run his business. It still amazes me how many business owners I talk to have no idea and no interest in their numbers – until it is too late! That’s why there are many businesses out there with too many ONE’s in the business.

ONE major client. Even with contracts in place there are many ways you can lose the client and if you do then your business is likely to fail.
ONE supplier. Again, even with contracts in place risk is real. The supplier could go out of business or cancel the contract.
ONE key ‘expert’. What happens if the ‘expert’ leaves the business, suffers ill-health or is poached by a competitor.
ONE key employee. Some businesses rely on one key person (or owner) to do everything. All the knowledge is “in their head” and that is a major risk.
ONE product or service can become a problem. If that product or service goes out of favour (e.g. video hire, photographic processing etc.) or people buy cheaper over the internet or from overseas suppliers, then you are in trouble.
ONE computer system / database with all the business records on, can be very high risk. (Yes, I’m sure you do backups – but when was the last time you tested your ‘disaster recovery process? How long before you would be back up and running?)

I could go on but I’m sure you have got the message.

I’ve used the word ‘risk’ a lot and that’s because it IS risky having ONE’s in your business.

So what do you do about it? Well the starting point is to conduct periodic “risk analysis” assessments. It doesn’t need to be onerous and is best done on a continuous basis. At your regular management or team meetings, take different parts of the business each month (or period) and brainstorm the risks with your team. It often improves the process if you have an external business consultant or coach involved in these sessions because they are not too close to the business, or emotionally attached to it, they will ask better, probing questions.

When you have identified the risks, categorise them by using the LIKELIHOOD / IMPACT process. Assess how likely things are to occur and then assess the possible impact on the business. For most businesses it is sufficient to score IMPACT and LIKLIHOOD as HIGH, MEDIUM or LOW. Then prioritise the risks starting with the ones which scored HIGH on both LIKLIHOOD and IMPACT. Now brainstorm ways to mitigate the risk.

As they say – forewarned is forearmed!

As well as assessing the ONE risks, think of trends and external risks, such as the falling Australian Dollar, rising unemployment, the downturn in the mining, resources and manufacturing sectors and things like government legislation.

If you need any help with risk analysis or anything else in your business, just get in contact with us through the CONTACT US tab.

Is Your Business ‘Ready For Sale’?

August 31, 2017 by John Denton Leave a Comment

At some point every business owner exits their business!

Will YOU exit with equity and have your biggest pay-day ever?

Do you have a ‘business ready for sale’ checklist for your business?

(O.K. I’ll cut to the chase – I run half day workshops in Perth on getting your business in to a ‘ready for sale’ state. Click the button for details)

Register Here

Don’t wait until you are forced to sell by circumstances and only get a low return for all the blood, sweat, tears and time you have invested in the business? Or worse still, close the business down.

The simple truth is that if you haven’t got all your ducks lined up in your business before you put it on the market then you are likely to be very disappointed with the outcome when trying to sell your business. And I say ‘trying’ because in the current business sales market you have to have all your ducks lined up to sell a business.

Buyers are buying businesses but they are doing much greater due diligence than they did years ago. There are a lot more businesses for sale than there are buyers. This means that buyers can be much more selective about the business they buy.

If you want your business to stand out, sell quickly and get the maximum sell price, then make sure that everything is very well prepared and ‘ready for sale’ BEFORE going to the market.

The other benefit of getting your ducks lined up is that (as I keep saying) a business that’s ‘ready for sale’ is well worth keeping. Build your business as if you are going to keep it forever, but could sell it tomorrow.

“So” you ask, “what are these damn ducks you keep talking about?”

The ‘ducks’ are basically a checklist of things to have ready! Areas I cover in my “Preparing a Business Ready For Sale” half day workshop, include;

Legal entity, ownership, business names versus trading names (often out of date)
Financials and accounting (obvious, but often a major headache at appraisal time!)
Systems and procedures (often totally absent, out of date or incomplete)
Customer records and databases (much of the goodwill is in this area)
Sales and marketing – systems and records (absolutely crucial and often non-existent!)
Suppliers (done on a handshake – may not be good enough)
HR and employment (a mystery area to many business owners)
Premises (can be a minefield)
Reason for sale (may be obvious to you but a buyer will see it differently)
Other – the business needs to be assessed through the eyes of a buyer…..

Obviously I can’t cover all of these in detail here, however I cover ‘getting your ducks lined up’ in my half day workshops. To find out about my next workshop;

Register Here

Learning from the many mistakes I see business owners make in my role as a business broker puts me in a great position to help other business owners to prepare their business ‘ready for sale’ and avoid the same mistakes. My 10 years running my training and development business has prepared me to deliver that learning to business owners. Please check out my services on this website and contact me if I can be of help.

Once again, to learn about ‘getting your ducks line up’ – click the button to get details of my next half day workshop!

Register Here

“Helping business owners prepare their business ‘ready for sale’ – and selling them!”

5 Common Myths About Selling A Business!

April 11, 2017 by John Denton

The biggest frustrations for me as a ‘business ready for sale’ coach and as a business broker are the beliefs business owners develop around selling their business.

Very often these beliefs are etched in to their minds by well meaning accountants, bookkeepers, business coaches, friends and the media.

If you want the real facts about having a business that’s ready for sale ….

Attend my half day workshop on preparing a business ready for sale!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE NEXT WORKSHOP

What are those common beliefs and mistakes owners make?

(1) I’ve had my business for 30 years and my accountant says it must be worth a $million
WRONG! Whilst longevity is a factor it doesn’t affect the market value very much. It may help to make it more attractive to a buyer and therefore easier to sell. On the other hand it can also be a negative if the business hasn’t kept up to date!

(2) My accountant says my business is worth 5 times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA)!
WRONG! With the best will in the world, very few accountants are able to put a market value on a business. Why not? because they are not out there in the market place day after day selling businesses. Also, there is no set multiplier (properly called an ROI factor) or ‘rule of thumb’ for different types of business. Yes, the adjusted net profit (sort of EBITDA) is one part of it, but the the risk to that profit determines the ROI factor (multiplier). This is explained in detail in my half day workshop with lots of real examples.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE NEXT WORKSHOP

(3) It’s a waste of money engaging a broker or lawyer and using a sale agreement. I’ll just write something up with the buyer.
WRONG! You most definitely need a good business broker or lawyer involved to protect both parties and avoid litigation after the sale. Dollars invested now can save you a fortune and a lot of problems post sale.

(4) My business is a simple one. As long as the buyer offers me the asking price that’s all I need to agree.
WRONG! There are numerous things that need to be discussed and agreed at the offer stage. Then everything needs to be in the buy / sell agreement before both parties sign. Failure to do this thoroughly can end up in litigation after the sale.

(5) That’s it, we’ve signed the sale agreement so I can slow down now and book my flights to Bali!
WRONG! The seller has an obligation to the buyer to keep running the business as they always have until settlement. Many sales fall through because of things which come out in due diligence! Sometimes the buyer will not get finance. It’s not over until the money is in the bank! If you let the business slow down and then end up keeping it …….

This is just a very small list of the things that need to be dealt with when selling a business.

How can you avoid making these mistakes and sell your business in the shortest time, for the least hassle and for the most dollars?

Start by attending my next half day workshop on preparing a business ready for sale!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE NEXT WORKSHOP

I am a business ready for sale coach and business broker and dedicated to helping business owners prepare their businesses “ready for sale” – whether you want to sell or not, because a business that’s ready for sale is well worth keeping!

I tried to sell a business privately and failed because I made all the mistakes! Then I learned the correct way from one of the best brokers in Australia. I then practiced as a broker with the firm that sold my business for 5 years. All of that learning and experience is the value add that I can bring to you!

John Denton

Preparing A Business For Sale – A Legal Perspective

October 13, 2015 by John Denton Leave a Comment

By Helen Kay of Rise Legal

It is important to be well prepared and organised well in advance of putting your business on the market for sale. This will not only avoid costly delays but could also maximise the value of your business.

Helen Kay from Commercial Law firm Rise Legal has provided some tips to assist you in preparing to sell your business….

Be clear on exactly what you are selling

If the business is being sold, you should prepare a detailed schedule of all the plant and equipment and furniture, etc. that is included in the sale as well as a separate schedule of what is excluded.

You must let the buyer know which (if any) of the plant and equipment is subject to hire purchase agreement or equipment lease, etc. If you are unsure, your lawyer can conduct a search for you at the Personal Properties Securities Register.

You should be one step ahead in contacting the relevant companies and obtaining discharge certificates or arranging for the transfer of the hire purchase agreements, etc.

Formalise any important contracts

If your business is reliant upon certain key suppliers, customers or employees you should make sure (where possible) that formal written agreements are in place before the sale as this could enhance the value of your business to a prospective buyer:

convert any verbal agreements into written agreements as soon as possible; and
review any existing contracts with suppliers and customers to ensure they are still current and can be easily assigned to the buyer.

Get your lease in order

If you lease your business premises it is important to review your current leasehold arrangements and determine:
How long is left to run on your lease – If your lease has expired and you are holding over, or if there is only a short period left to run, you may consider negotiating a new lease or an extension with your landlord.
What the assignment conditions require – Your landlord could be entitled to withhold their consent to the assignment of lease if these conditions are not satisfied, so it is important to be aware what they are and what the landlord can ask for.

This is just a snap shot of some of the things you should think about getting organised prior to sale.

(Please note that this article has been provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.)

For further information or for your FREE SELLER’S CHECKLIST please contact Helen Kay at Rise legal. Contact Helen via www.riselegal.com.au

With extensive experience in assisting her commercial clients buying and selling business, Rise Legal’s Managing director, Helen Kay, will be happy to assist.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation

For more general information on preparing your business ready for sale and increasing its value, see John Denton’s half day seminars by clicking Seminars & Workshops

End Of Year – An Opportunity To Plan

June 3, 2015 by John Denton 2 Comments

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Are you planning for growth?

When is the best time to plan? NOW!

It’s almost the end of another financial year – well at least it is in Australia. The end of the year is a good opportunity for reviewing your business performance over the last year as well as setting strategies, goals and plans for the coming year.

One of the opportunities which is often overlooked, is the opportunity to restructure your chart of accounts in your accounting package. Why would you want to do that?

Your management accounts are your ‘instrument panel’ for the business. They should be set up to provide you, the business owner, with the information you need to make informed decisions in your business. Correctly set up, your accounts will tell you; what are your most profitable products and services, who are your most profitable clients, the life time value of your clients, where your cash is going and where you can increase your profits – just to mention a few.

When preparing your business “ready for sale” the profit and loss statements are crucial. Make sure you identify different income streams – not just “Sales” or “Income”. Break it down in to logical product or service lines. Track your cost of sales in the same way. Accounting packages these days allow you to assign product codes and associate costs to ‘project codes’. Make good use of the powerful features of the accounting package. Seek help from a good accountant and if you don’t know one, just give me a call.

When it comes to selling the business, it makes it much easier to put a value on the business if you separate out items which can become add-backs. That is, such things as owner’s wages and super, subscriptions and memberships and anything which is discretionary and not part of the day to day operations. It also makes it much more attractive to a buyer and improves the likelihood of getting through due diligence quickly and painlessly.

“You should build your business as if you are going to keep it forever, but could sell it tomorrow!”

I run half day sessions on “preparing businesses ready for sale and increasing their value”.

Just click WORKSHOP for dates and details.

All the best

John Denton
“Helping business owners realise their dreams through buying and selling businesses!”.

You Can’t Change History!

April 4, 2013 by John Denton Leave a Comment

As much as we would like to sometimes, we just cannot change history.

Although, some business owners still try to turn the clock back!

What do I mean by that? Well, every day in business we are creating a history of the business’ performance. Every single thing that happens in the business is there for everyone to see – including potential buyers of the business. And that’s why I keep emphasising to business owners “be aware of the history you are creating.”

One of my mantras is “Keep the numbers going up!”

A business, like shares, is much more attractive when there is a history of the numbers going up! The most important numbers are ‘adjusted net profit’ to the owner, turnover, and gross profit. The longer they have been going up the better but at least over the last three years. Steady growth is preferred by most buyers not sudden increases or decreases. Consistency is very important and spread over a good diverse mix of clients. It can take years to get to this state.

One bad year can make a big difference in the value of a business and can put buyers off – big time! Many businesses I get to look at simply do not have a well constructed “sales process” for their business. This is absolutely critical to keeping the numbers going UP and maintaining consistency over time. For help with developing and installing a well crafted sales process in your business, consider one of my seminars CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS.

This is why every business owner who has any ambition at all to sell their business one day, and cash out with a good sale, needs to be planning and preparing their business ready for sale EVERY DAY.

A business that is ready for sale will be much easier to manage, run without the owner, be much more successful and will attract buyers. This is the situation you want to be in so that you can have options to sell for the price you want, when you want to. You should be in control of the whole process.

There are many more areas that need to be considered in addition to the numbers. For example how well you structure and record the numbers is also critical. Make it easy for a buyer (and yourself) to see what is happening in the business. Keep your eye on the ball all the time.

In future posts I’ll be covering the other areas but if you want to fast track your learning on the “business ready for sale front” consider attending one of my half day seminars on the topic. To get the details CLICK HERE

I Like This Business Idea!

October 11, 2012 by John Denton Leave a Comment

Occasionally I spot something and think “Gee, that’s a great business idea!”

That’s what went through my mind when I saw a business recently during a trip to London.

It impressed me because I thought what a great idea to reduce traffic congestion in a city centre. It has many other benefits too. For example, it is also helping to reduce pollution from motor vehicle exhausts whilst providing locals and visitors with an inexpensive, convenient and easy way to get around the city. This is what the business looks like…

Automated bike hire! When you look at it as a business it ticks a lot of boxes. One of the biggest ticks for me is the fact that it runs without the business owner having to be there! It’s all done by some simple mechanics and machines to process credit card payments. People just serve themselves!

One of the key things about developing a business to a “ready for sale” state is making it independent of the owner. It’s an area many business owners struggle because they don’t systemise their business and they are reluctant to delegate. These two things are probably
the top two reasons why business owners stay stuck in their business, and why it makes the business difficult to sell!

One of my consulting clients is making great progress in these areas and it’s great to see the staff taking up the challenge of the extra responsibilities. Often, as business owners we underestimate the abilities of our staff and their desire for my ‘meaningful work’! As they take on more work and responsibility it frees up the owner to work ON the business and less IN the business. All of which helps to grow the business, making it more valuable, and makes it more attractive to buyers.

Think! What would a new owner have to be able to do and be prepared to do, to replace you in the business? How easy or difficult would it be to find buyers like that?

Want help with systems or delegating? Contact me!

Time To Abolish Penalty Award Rates?

July 21, 2012 by John Denton 3 Comments

With the introduction of 7 day trading across Perth from August 26th 2012, do you think it is time to abolish the penalty award rates for weekend and holiday work?

At the moment many businesses, especially in retail, are reluctant to open at weekends because with retail spending being down, they can’t make a profit after paying the inflated wages. Either they open and don’t make a profit (what’s the point?) or they work in the business themselves and give up their weekend.

Many hospitality businesses are in the same situation so even now if they are allowed 7 day trading they are reluctant to open at weekends and on holidays. This impacts not only the business owners themselves but also us consumers. It becomes difficult to find places open for us to enjoy in our leisure time.

What are your thoughts?

At the moment it is difficult to sell 7 day a week retail or hospitality businesses because most Aussie business owners don’t want to work weekends and are reluctant to employ staff because there is no profit in it.

Abolish award rates and everyone benefits! Even employes because they would get work whereas now the owner closes the business. It would be a win all round and businesses would be easier to sell!

Leave your comments and thoughts below!

Do You Have A Business Or A Job?

July 5, 2012 by John Denton Leave a Comment

Do You Have A Business To Sell or Do You Have A Job?

Many people tell me that they have a business to sell. In reality after asking some pointed questions, it often turns out that they in fact are “self employed”. They have a job working for a madman – themselves. For more on this and how I can help you go from being ‘self employed’ to having a business to sell – just use the Contact Us tab at the top of this page.

So do you have a business to sell or a job? The acid test is “Can you go away for three months holiday and the business still runs without you?” Many business owners build their business around them and make themselves indispensable. This means that not only is the business ‘unsaleable’ but also that the owner cannot take holidays or have a life as well as a business. Typically the business owner is always “on call” for the business either to customer demands or staff if there are any. It doesn’t need to be like this.

Sign up at the bottom of this page for my regular updates and news for ways to turn your job in to a business – a business that you can sell at the best price, quickly and easily, any time you want to.

Baby Boomers Selling Their Businesses

June 20, 2012 by John Denton Leave a Comment

There has been quite a lot of research performed and surveys conducted in to the small and medium sized businesses in Australia and internationally. As I have been telling people now for some time – there is going to be a real growth in the number of businesses being put up for sale. This has been confirmed recently by a new survey. I came across this article recently which I thought you would be interested in. I have added the link at the end of this post.

The article confirms that a large number of business owners, especially those born in the Baby Boomer era, are relying on selling their businesses to fund their retirement. The challenge is that there will be more and more businesses up for sale and less and less buyers. The businesses which will sell at the best price will be those which are best prepared for sale.

That’s where I can help! I help business owners prepare businesses ‘ready for sale’. If you would like to know more or want to ask a question – please use the ‘Contact Us’ tab at the top of this page.

To read the article Click Here!

The Most Dangerous Number In Business Is

ONE

One of anything!

Is Your Business ‘Ready For Sale’?

At some point every business owner exits their business!

Will YOU exit with equity and have your biggest pay-day ever?

Do you have a ‘business ready for sale’ checklist for your business?

5 Common Myths About Selling A Business!

The biggest frustrations for me as a ‘business ready for sale’ coach and as a business broker are the beliefs business owners develop around selling their business.

Very often these beliefs are etched in to their minds by well meaning accountants, bookkeepers, business coaches, friends and the media.

Preparing A Business For Sale – A Legal Perspective

By Helen Kay of Rise Legal

End Of Year – An Opportunity To Plan

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Are you planning for growth?

When is the best time to plan? NOW!

You Can’t Change History!

As much as we would like to sometimes, we just cannot change history.

Although, some business owners still try to turn the clock back!

I Like This Business Idea!

Occasionally I spot something and think “Gee, that’s a great business idea!”

That’s what went through my mind when I saw a business recently during a trip to London.

Time To Abolish Penalty Award Rates?

Do You Have A Business Or A Job?

Do You Have A Business To Sell or Do You Have A Job?

Baby Boomers Selling Their Businesses

Rave Reviews

Testimonials

From Ros Worth – Department of Regional Development

After Andrew Huffer and I ha…