出售生意的提示
如果您想出售生意，先做准备定有好处。以下是一些有助于您处理问题的策略：
保持好正确的财务报告和税务报告记录。虽然你的公司可能没什么错，但税务报告延期或过分推迟的财务报表会将投资人吓跑。如果您在过去就遇到过类似的麻烦，请把电脑的会计软件升级，或考虑换一家会计事务所。
尽量争取准确。认真的投资者会提出高标准的要求，特别是要有准确的现金流报表，清楚的帐目，和对固有资产，设备，库存的价值评估。在这方面花时间将来审核财务报表时就会少花钱。
掌握卖生意的时机，虽然在市场热的时候出售生意总是对的，但更重要的是要注意在您的公司和行业内发生的事。一句话：不要在市场开始显出下降时卖生意（除非您绝对没有任何其他选择，并愿意接受一个谷底价） 。
简单行事。在您的公司出售时出现任何异常情况都是坏事。要以一个旁观者的身份来看您的生意，在尝试出售前消除任何复杂的因素。
接受现实。如果您的生意是在一个竞争性很强的市场，毫无疑问，您的买家会坚持签一个降低竞争性的协议（他甚至可能要在销售合同中加一个条款，说您在别的新生意中决不会雇佣现在公司的关键工作人员） 。如果你不作这种让步，你的公司就可能会卖不出去。
给生意标一个现实的价格。生意销售的经验法则是，只有在极罕见的情况下，生意出售的价格会与它的收入一致。如果您想将生意卖同样或更高的价，那么你的财务情况要经得起在显微镜下的审查。
Buying a Business Tips
Do your due diligence
Before you buy any business, you'll want to do some serious research.
It's important to research the area you'll be buying in. For example, if you're buying a retail outfit, you'll want to know if similar stores in town are doing a brisk business.
Scope out nearby businesses. Are they getting a lot of traffic? Is there ample parking in/near your location? Have there been layoffs at nearby companies that would affect the economy the town or city?
Is there a big box store coming to town? Inquire at town hall about any recent permits that have been granted.
Remember, you can't trust everything a seller tells you. Chances are you'll have to get your hands dirty to get the information you need.
Another important tip is to ignore all claims about "unreported income." A seller may try to tell you that they had a significant amount of income that didn't show up on their tax returns. Their goal? They'll want you to consider this pie in the sky income in your valuation of their business.
Naturally, you'll want a lawyer and an accountant with commercial business experience to look over all the terms of your deal.
The lowdown on seller financing
If you're looking to buy a business, the easiest way for you to go about it is through seller financing.
You may feel uneasy about this kind of scenario, but most business sales are seller financed since few banks will loan money to buy a small business because banks tend to lend money for hard assets like real estate and inventory. Sellers offering financing can generally charge a slightly higher interest rate than banks do, since it's a riskier loan.
Here's how it works. Say you're selling your widget shop for $100,000. A buyer has agreed to pay you $30,000 up front and give you a note for the balance. The note is generally backed by some kind of collateral, which is often the business itself.
If you (the buyer) fail to pay, the seller can take back the business and exercise any other rights spelled out in the default clause of the note.
Get the valuation right
There are all sorts of complicated equations that can be used to determine out the value of a business involving cash flow multiples and other figures.
But here's an easy way to think about valuation: A business is worth only as much as its ability to produce profits for you. So working backwards to find a business's value, starting with verifiable profits.
For example, let's say that a sole-proprietorship has a total of $100,000 in profits (proven by tax returns for the latest full year). If you plan to work full time in the business and figure a fair wage for the work is $40,000, that leaves $60,000 profit to work with.
But don't forget to deduct the income taxes that you'll have to pay on that, so figure at least 30 percent. That leaves you about $42,000.
To determine the valuation using this number, figure that most sellers/lenders will want to see a relatively short payoff term, typically three to five years (let's say five years) and a fair interest rate on the money of about 8 percent (but for round numbers' sake, let's say 10 percent).
If you do the math, you'll find that yearly payments of $42,000 for 5 years at 10 percent interest works out to be about $165,000. This is the approximate total value of the business and a good starting point for negotiations with the seller.
To franchise or not to franchise?
Buying a franchise is another way to get into business. The benefits are easy to see. You're buying a business with a proven product, a recognized brand name, an existing operating system and marketing/advertising assistance.
Before you jump in, there are a few things you'll want to find out.
When you contact a franchiser (like Burger King), you'll typically get a list of current and former franchisees. The reason? So you can ask questions.
Potential franchisees should contact these experienced entrepreneurs and find about their experiences -- how satisfied they are, whether they would do it again, and whether the franchise company was helpful.
If you decide to proceed, you'll need to sign a franchise agreement that details royalty rates (which is a percentage of sales), the franchise fee and the number of years you'll be licensing the franchise (10 years is typical).
If you go this route you'll also need to decide whether you're going to buy an existing franchise or whether you're going to start from scratch. An existing franchise may be more expensive but it has its benefits. For instance, you'll know what the revenues are, you'll have an idea how profitable the business is and you'll have employees.