You’ll find plenty of posts online about how to start up a business, as well as how to increase productivity and profitability when you’re up and running. However, an important topic in business that is often overlooked is knowing when it’s time to sell. Indeed, timing your exit right can be crucial if you want to maximize profit, have a change of pace, or start up your next endeavour. The good news is you can read all about how to know when it’s the correct time to sell your business and move on in the post below. 

You have an interested party 

One of the best signs that it’s a good time to sell your business is having a party that has already expressed an interest in buying it. There are several ways that this can happen. The first is that an interested party may commission a team of professional business brokers that approach with their offer.  Alternatively, a potential buyer may approach you directly either in real life or online, to ask you whether you would consider selling your business. 

Of course, many people prefer to work with a team of business brokers as they have the added security of working with specialists experienced in this area, and that vet potential buyers before agreeing to work with them. This means you can be sure an offer is serious when you receive it in this way. 

That is not to say that private enquiries are ingenious, as they are often not. Although, whether a buyer approaches you through a broker or not, it’s always best to work with a business broker as you go through the often complicated process of selling your business. 

Your business is doing well 

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Another important sign that it could be time to sell your business is that it’s been doing consistently well for a while now. This is because it’s always better to sell a business when it’s on the up. The reason for this is that it means you can ask for a higher price and have a stronger negotiating position because buyers will be more keen to own a company that has shown itself to be successful. 

You want to retire 

If you are considering retirement, it may also be a good time to sell your business. After all, all of us need to retire at some point, and the stresses and strains of owning and running a business can be a lot to deal with as we get older. 

Additionally,  many people want to travel in the golden years and unless they have a fully online endeavour that they can operate remotely, owning an IRL business can prevent them from doing this. 

You want to begin a new project 

Often, it is necessary to sell one business before embarking on your next entrepreneurial project. Indeed, many people will use the funds from their business sales as seed money to get their next idea off the ground. 

You can see a major change in the market on the horizon 

Another factor that may indicate its time to sell your business is if you can see any significant changes in the market on the horizon. For example, if there is a major change that means the need for your business could be reduced, it may make sense to sell before your business fails or becomes redundant. 

An interesting current example of this we can see playing out before us is the advent of AI or artificial intelligence, which is revolutionizing a range of industries from SEO, to graphic and UX design. Indeed, owners of such businesses as well as freelancers in the field will be watching developments carefully to see how things pan out, and whether they should cash in any profits their business has made and cut their losses. 

You are burnt out

Lastly, many people vastly underestimate the work and stress involved in running a business. Indeed, a great number of business owners choose to sell their businesses because they are burned out with the operational and financial responsibilities involved. If you find this is the case for you, then it may just be the perfect time to sell your business. Of course, before you do so you will need to consider important factors such as whether selling will provide you with enough income to live comfortably without starting up another endeavor. 

You will likely also want to find a buyer that has a passion for your field and business as well, one that will be able to inject enthusiasm and effort into your company to ensure it meets its full potential, even though you will no longer be directly involved. 

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