Will Your Business Survive a Buyer’s Process of Elimination?
I confess to being something of a Sudoku tragic. I play it over lunch and whenever the television gets boring. There are really only two ways to solve a square: add the one number that is the only logical fit, or take away every number that cannot possibly go there. Most of the time you […]
The Non-Compete Ban and the Deal Structures That Will Have to Change
From 2027, non-compete clauses will no longer be enforceable against most employees earning under the high income threshold. I believe it will be sold, understandably, as a win for wages and job mobility. For business owners preparing to sell, and for the accountants and solicitors advising them, it is something else entirely. It is a […]
To Franchise or Not to Franchise: What the Sale Price Actually Reveals
We all assume that joining a franchise system makes a business worth more when the time comes to sell it. The logic, on the surface, feels sound. A recognised brand. A proven operating model. Marketing already built. Training already written. Surely a buyer pays a premium for all of that. The data tells a different […]
Half of You Are Planning to Exit. Only a Quarter Are Ready.
We all like to think retirement is something we will get to eventually, when the time feels right. For a great many business owners across Australia, that date arrived like a thief in the night… and it did not care about how prepared we were; or are. Recent research puts hard numbers on what has, […]
$20,000 for Marketing a small business — Pull the other one!
Under Queensland’s Property Occupations Act 2014, my licence and my client’s appointment are governed by the same legislation that governs a suburban house sale. There is no separate business-agent framework. S26 folds us into the one real estate agent licence. Whatever the law says a “marketing fee” is, it says the same to me as […]
The Number That Proves It Was Genuine
Why an independent valuation matters when a business changes hands within the family When part of a business is being handed from one generation to the next, or from one family member to another, it is tempting to let the family’s own accountant put a figure on it. They already know the business. They have […]
Why Your Work in Progress Figure Could Kill Your Business Sale
You use the same familiar process every year. Your accountant reviews your financials and asks a few questions, makes a few changes, and each year the tax returns are submitted then you move on. When you are ready to take the business to market your broker uses those same financials. Then, quietly and without warning, […]
The Odds Are Not in Your Favour: What Every Business Owner Should Know Before Selling
You’ve built something real. Years of early mornings, difficult decisions, and hard-won relationships have produced a business that sustains you, employs people, and occupies a genuine place in the market. Now, for whatever reason, you’re ready to sell. And the question you’re asking yourself is entirely reasonable: “How hard can it really be?” The honest […]
Why Waiting For “Better Conditions” Might Destroy Your Exit Value
If you have already decided to sell, waiting for “better conditions” is not caution, it is value destruction in slow motion. The moment your heart leaves the business, the numbers usually follow. Why “I Will Wait for Better Conditions” Is A Dangerous Sentence In today’s environment, owners are squeezed by stubborn inflation, increasing borrowing costs […]
Enhancing Business Value Before Sale: A Living, Breathing Approach
As business owners, it is easy to view your enterprise as a collection of assets, contracts, and figures. Yet, in my experience having guided clients through successful sales and transitions, I have found that the most valuable businesses are those treated not as static entities (having no personality), but living, breathing organisms. They possess relationships, […]