6 Things to Think About Before Selling Your Business

You have extensive expertise handling several projects at once as the owner of a firm or the head of an organisation. Once you reach the point where you are considering selling your firm or accepting an offer to buy part or all of its shares, you will face new and conflicting demands on your time outside of day-to-day business operations. During the selling phase of your company’s life cycle, however, business activities must continue to function as smoothly as feasible.

Why are you selling or departing your company?

Should the transaction be structured as a stock sale or an asset sale?

How would you want to be compensated?

Putting together a seller’s documentation package

Getting ready for significant due diligence

Understanding the Fundamentals of a Sale and Purchase Agreement

Why are you selling or departing your company?

A company sale or departure is both a quantitative and qualitative activity. The “why” behind the business sale is the storey of your path as an entrepreneur or company leader, as well as how a sale fits into the firm’s business strategy.

Should the transaction be structured as a stock sale or an asset sale?

In a stock transaction, the buyer obtains the legal entity of the seller. As a result, unless otherwise agreed, all of the target company’s obligations, including contingent and future liabilities, are transferred to the buyer.
In contrast, in an asset sale, the buyer defines the assets it will acquire in the purchase agreement. The buyer is additionally protected since it may pick which, if any, of the seller’s responsibilities it will take. Because of this, buyers often choose asset sales.

It is crucial to remember, however, that there are federal and state “successor responsibility” exceptions that differ by jurisdiction and may hold purchasers liable for obligations in specific instances.

How would you want to be compensated?

Will you anticipate a monetary settlement and then leave the company or business line?

Will you retain some ownership or continue to serve in a leadership or advisory capacity for the company?

Putting Together a Seller’s Documentation Packet

The paperwork bundle should include a summary of your sales pitch, as well as current client makeup and significant financial details about the organisation.

Getting Ready for Substantive Due Diligence

Make certain that all corporation formation documents is in order.

Ensure that the company’s share ownership is appropriately recorded.

Ensure that critical contracts are documented.

Understand which contract terms are about to expire and which are still in effect.

lengths of contracts

Confirm that all regulatory licences and permissions are current.

Confirm that all taxes have been paid up to date.

Confirm that no lawsuit is pending.

Ascertain that there are no unresolved environmental problems.

Confirm the status of any real estate leases that are part of the transaction.

the purchase

Confirm the company’s assets and liabilities.

Understanding the Fundamentals of a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA)

While each sale or purchase is unique, an owner who has never sold a firm should take the time to learn the fundamentals of the SPA.

Some SPAs are 100 pages long; on the other end of the spectrum, transactions might have SPAs that are just 10 pages long.

The duration of the SPA is mostly determined by the size and complexity of the firm, its assets and liabilities, and the transaction’s financing source.

Warranties & Representations

This part covers information such as who is making the assertions on behalf of the seller and for how long.

Disclosure schedules provide information that supports the seller’s statements.

This section’s material and language must be accurate and well-written. If not, the buyer may postpone or cancel the transaction, or the seller may be required to compensate the buyer.

Section on Indemnification

When discussing indemnifications, the following issues must be addressed:

The activities that must be indemnified

The extent of the indemnity

Who pays the other party’s indemnification?

The duration of the indemnity period

Indemnification caps or restrictions

Materiality thresholds specifying what qualifies for indemnity.

The objective of the firm founder or management team during the selling process should be to work with their legal consultant to put in place a strategy that will enable business activities to continue uninterrupted while the sale process is taking place. By considering the concerns raised above during the planning stage of a sale, the transaction will have a strong basis that will allow it to be completed as soon as possible, regardless of whether the deal is structured as a typical sale of the business or an asset acquisition.