CLICK HERE for more information!

“Quitters never win and winners never quit.” —Vince Lombardi

In small business, it’s not that winners never quit. Rather, winners know when and how to get out at the right time. Making a change is always tougher than the status quo. Most owners hang on too long and delay a decision when their businesses are either wildly successful or just plain not profitable any longer.

A fading business. When a business is fading, owners often keep waiting for that the next prospect, the next big customer or a new employee who will make the difference and finally propel the business out of its financial mess. They believe that they can grow their way out of whatever financial difficulty the business faces. It rarely happens this way. Most of the time, they spend too much time going down the same path, doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a different outcome (per Einstein’s definition of insanity). Many times, the business barely breaks even and gives the owner only a minimal amount of money to survive. Eventually, too much debt piles up until a lack of cash crushes the business. While hope is an important component of the entrepreneurial spirit, it alone is not a marketing or sales strategy.

A poorly performing business. If the business is doing poorly, it may be time to shut the doors. The key indicator is the level and rate of the debt. Watch the cash flow statements to see if the business continues to fall deeper into debt on a monthly basis. If the business is borrowing money constantly from any available source just to fund company losses, it’s time to shut the doors. In most businesses, when the current liabilities become more than 200 percent of current assets, it is too difficult to recover. Finally, if the business is keeping the owner up every night thinking about their financial risk, it’s time to move on and start again.

A profitable business. If the business is still growing profitably, maybe it’s time to sell. The key indicator is to look at the business owner’s passion. Does the flame still burn inside? If their passion is lost, and they no longer like working at the company, it’s time to sell. The second step is to ask “What will the owner do the day after the business is sold?” The answer will determine readiness as well.

To maximize a business’s sale value, here are five things that buyers look for in any business:

1. Consistently upward profit and sales trends. Buyers love a revenue line that is going up and to the right for at least three years. Understand where a business is in the growth lifecycle and sell towards the end of it.
2. Large gross profit margins. Over time, margins have a tendency to shrink for companies as competitors enter the marketplace. Sell when the margins are still fat and before they begin to erode.
3. Long-term customer annuities. Has the business had the same customers over a long period of time that reliably uses the product or services? Do they pay the business a monthly fee billed to a credit card? Is 80 percent of the business spread over at least 10 customers? All these items attract buyers that are willing to pay high prices.
4. Financial statements that match tax returns. If these statements are not accurate, owners must do more homework before the business is sold.
5. No surprises. Buyers hate this in the due diligence process. Any skeletons in the closet? Any “off the financial statement” accounting going on?

When a successful entrepreneur has a profitable business, too many times they want to roll the dice to build it bigger. Greed gets in the way. They see this as their one chance to get rich. Ask yourself, are you ready to double down or cash out your gains? Set a firm deadline by which you make a decision and do not allow “overtime.”

Hat tip: Strategic CFO

“What are business owners waiting for?”

They started the session by asking the question, “How many of you believe taxes are going up next year?” Almost without exception everyone raised their hands. The panel then referred to a table on the tax breaks that were expiring at the end of the year.

Do you know that assuming the 2010 tax act is not extended by Congress at the end of 2012:

1. Capital Gains Tax of 15% expires at the end of the year. Under current law, tax on the capital gain from the sale of a business will increase to 23.4%.
2. Gift Taxes goes from $5,120,000 exemption with a top marginal tax rate of 35% to $1,000,000 exemption with a top marginal tax rate of 55%
3. Estate Taxes goes from $5,120,000 exemption with a top marginal tax rate of 35% to $1,000,000 exemption with a top marginal tax rate of 55%

There was also an investment banking group that talked about multiples on EBITDA used in valuations. The average even during the downturn of 2008 and 2009 hadn’t changed. The average was 5.3X EBITDA for companies below 50MM. The premium company transactions were 7-8X EBITDA for companies usually closer to 250 Million. The only vehicle for greater valuations was going public and they thought in today’s current market 250 Million of enterprise value was a minimum for going public.

They also said that the marketing process for them to sell a company beginning to end is approximately 6 months.

So what does this mean to you the business owner?

I have seen a number of articles saying, “Now is the time to sell your business.” All are focused on the tax consequences of the repeal of lower capital gains. They all say “The government has tremendous debt and at least one party wants to tax wealthy Americans (often business owners) more than those who are less fortunate.”
Few have focused on what you can currently gift to your children. None have worried about your estate and the charitable goals I find most business owners wish to leave as a legacy to your good work.

Is it time to sell your business? I will remind you, “It is not what you make before taxes that counts but it is what you will keep after taxes that has the greatest impact on your life.”

Buyers of companies have to get a return on their investment and there are few stupid buyers willing to pay more then something is actually worth. So ask yourself, “How much more do I have to make next year if taxes go up to have the same net result as the favorable conditions of the current tax year? How much will I have to net to leave a legacy to my children next year that is equivalent to this year? Will I be able to protect their inheritance? Will I even have enough to give to the charity or cause of my choice? Who are you working for? The government or your family?”

The top tax rate on long-term capital gains is currently 15%. That’s why Mitt Romney is spending so much time talking about his tax returns.

That revelation has set off a familiar debate about whether that low rate is appropriate. Often overlooked in these discussions, however, is the fact that the days of the 15% tax rate are numbered. As of this posting, it has only 342 left.

On January 1, 2013, capital gains taxes are scheduled to go up sharply:

First, the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts are scheduled to expire. If that happens, the regular top rate on capital gains will rise to 20%. In addition, an obscure provision of the tax code, the limitation on itemized deductions, will return in full force. That provision, known as Pease, increases effective tax rates on high-income taxpayers by reducing the value of their itemized deductions. On net, it will add another 1.2 percentage points to the effective capital gains tax rate for high-income taxpayers.

And that’s not all. The health reform legislation enacted in 2010 imposed a new tax on the net investment income of high-income taxpayers, including capital gains. That adds another 3.8 percentage points to the tax rate.

Put it all together, and the top tax rate on capital gains is scheduled to increase from 15% today to 25% on January 1. That’s a big jump. If taxpayers really believe this will happen, expect a torrent of asset selling in November and December as wealthy taxpayers take final advantage of the lower rate.

Of course, the tax cuts might get extended for all Americans, including high-income taxpayers. That’s what happened in 2010. In that case, the increase in the capital gains rate will be smaller. Because of the health reform tax, the top capital gains tax rate will increase from 15% to 18.8%. That’s still a notable increase, but would likely set off much less tax-oriented selling this year.

The only way that the top capital gains tax rate remains at 15% will be if the tax cuts are extended for high-income taxpayers and the new health reform tax gets repealed. That’s a key distinction in the election: President Barack Obama opposes those steps, while the GOP presidential candidates favor them (and some candidates would cut the capital gains tax rate even further).

Posted from…