Business Valuation Blog | Understanding Buying / Selling a Company

From a personal perspective, we all have stages in our life where we strive to become the best version of ourselves, by improving our overall lifestyle in areas such as health, career, and relationships. Small business owners should take a similar look at their company and ask the same questions. Is my operation the best version of itself or are there ways to significantly improve it in the coming years?

You know your business better than anyone, and like your own life, you can dig deep to break down the areas that can be updated, enhanced, and made more efficient with some introspection, that can be converted into new processes that ultimately increase revenue and net profits.

Some examples to consider:

Overhead Costs

Whether it’s a fixed or variable expense, what areas of your monthly overhead costs can be better controlled without sacrificing quality and efficiencies? Possibly cutting back on expensive trade shows or business meetings where travel costs are high, especially in today’s market. Review everything, from current subscriptions to the employee health care plan for ways in which you might be able to save money while keeping their benefits at the same levels.

Capital Resources

Are their less costly financing options available in the market to restructure your current debt? Would a fresh infusion of working capital allow you to invest in new growth opportunities?

Updating Your Fixed Assets & Maintenance Programs

Is your plant & equipment still functioning at the same levels as when they were originally acquired? Are you spending too much on maintenance as a result of poor operating efficiencies?

Employee Performance Levels

Are you getting the same commitment and output from your staff since the days when they were first hired? Is there room to consider adding personnel in areas that would have a direct payoff to increased revenue or cost savings? Would additional incentives lead to more productivity and increased revenue?

Market Expansion

Are there unexplored markets that complement your key business focus that could lead to additional clients and services? Are you happy with the current market share for the sectors you are entrenched in every day?

These are just a few of the areas to consider when looking to create a new and improved version of your business. Take a deep dive with the knowledge and experience you’ve developed over the years to make improvements and continue to have success.

Small business owners who have spent the time going through the initial stages of becoming established and developing a steady revenue stream under their existing plan may decide it’s time to consider what it will take to expand and grow the company to the next level.

Depending on the type of business you operate, your competition, and available resources, your growth options will vary. Here are a few to consider that might assist in your expansion efforts.

Marketing Effectiveness

Marketing is the biggest day-to-day challenge for many small business owners. In today’s digital world, a lot of focus has been on upgrading the effectiveness of your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), website appeal, and social media activity.

For others, old-school word of mouth and physical networking such as industry conference presence is something to consider investing more resources into.

Expanded Client Services

For those companies who rely on a handful of clients to drive their business, look to provide additional services such as consulting or new product development. What complementary services are you capable of providing that will open up new revenue sources?

Sales Force

Consider bringing in new talent with experience and new client relationships that can immediately impact growth. It may be more costly in the short term but can soon reap the rewards of permanently expanded market share.

Existing Staff Effectiveness

For those employees who have been with you since day one, consider how they might take on updated, expanded roles that can lead to efficiencies in all areas of your business. You may be pleasantly surprised how much your existing staff is capable of doing, especially when you add plans for incentivizing the extra work effort.

Growing your business to the next level can be a new and exciting objective that can reinvigorate you and your team’s investment in the company. Take a hard look at how you achieved all that you’ve done up to now, and what areas of the company can improve and expand, to provide the best chance of getting you there.

Business owners who are enjoying steady growth over time with their sales volume moving ever upward will eventually need to determine whether it makes sense to subcontract out the extra work or consider bringing in a new hire on a part-time or full-time basis.

This decision depends greatly on the type of business you own, in that certain jobs involve tasks that can be accomplished from home or in the field, while others require the need to train and work within an office or factory environment.

For instance, as a business valuation and equipment appraisal firm owner, much of the time-consuming work for my employees revolves around field inspections and market research, while maintaining strong customer relationships and meeting delivery timetables. These job responsibilities lend themselves to working offsite in the field or from home.

Here are some other factors to consider:

• What are the maximum capabilities of your current staff? Can you structure an improved compensation plan for existing employees to benefit from this growth while not overtaxing them or potentially creating a lesser quality product or service given the extra work demands?

• This option should probably be considered and vetted before any others, as your personnel will appreciate the opportunity for growth. It will also help maintain positive morale if you ultimately determine the need for extra hires or subcontracting.

• Are you confident that your growth is a consistent pattern that will continue to develop or, could it be a short-term aberration due to unique circumstances in your market? It’s always a good idea to look back over the last 3-5 years of revenue and determine what created this growth and if there are inconsistencies or steady patterns to your sales.

• If you determine there is a strong chance the increase in revenue will continue in the foreseeable future, hiring full or part-time in-house will need serious consideration.

• How much training is required for subcontractors or new employees, and can you afford to bring in a seasoned professional who will immediately take the ball and run? Depending on your overall role in the business, you may have the time to train lesser groomed staff or freelance help however, if this is not the case, you may need to consider spending the extra capital to engage someone with extensive experience.

There is always risk involved when bringing in additional human resources. Taking a leap of faith with new hires or subcontractors can help ease the pressure and help you better manage growth leading to prosperous future outcomes, where the sky becomes the limit.