Sell Your Business

While every case is different, in general, this is an excellent time to sell a business. The truth is, there are far more qualified buyers in the marketplace today than there are businesses worth buying. VR has sold more businesses in the world than anyone.  As a result, we have a steady stream of buyers checking in with us on a daily basis. Some have specific requests; others are willing to consider a broad range of options.

VR in Chattanooga charges no “up-front fees.” We only receive a commission when your business actually sells. We also provide a full professional valuation for our clients as a part of our regular services at no additional charge.

If you have a profitable business with good financial records, we have qualified buyers to present it to. Rest assured that confidentiality is always of prime importance. We always require a legally binding Non-Disclosure Agreement from every prospective buyer, and screen them carefully as to their financial capacity to complete the size and type of transaction they want to consider. We do everything possible to keep from wasting your time or ours with “tire kickers.”

We always strive to sell your business as quickly as possible. Statistically, across the board, it averages taking four to six months to package, market, and sell a business. Occasionally one will sell more quickly—everyone loves that! Trust us—we don’t want it to take any longer than it has to. Remember, we’re paying to market your business out of our pockets. If we agree to represent your business, we expect to succeed in selling it. The sooner we sell it, the sooner we get paid! We normally ask for a listing agreement of one year, especially for larger businesses. For example, there are times when it is appropriate to list a business in a trade journal which might only come out quarterly, and we have to wait for the next cycle. We certainly don’t sit around and do nothing and wait, but on the other hand, to get your business in front of the greatest number of appropriate, qualified buyers in a given industry, we may need to utilize that particular journal. In all, we want to get our clients the greatest amount possible for their business in the shortest possible time.

It’s never too early to begin planning an exit strategy. The more prepared you are, the easier the process will be, and the more successful you’ll be in achieving your goals. It’s important that you develop realistic expectations and have a grasp of the market realities in your industry. You can’t go by anecdotes or what you hear through the grapevine. You need cold, hard facts and reliable data. We have access to more of that than anyone else, and we’ll be happy to work with you to help you achieve your goals.

We run into business owners all the time who just pull a number out of the air that they want for their business. They can’t tell you why someone should pay that much, they just know that’s what they want.

That never works. Never has, never will.

There are a number of factors that determine what a business will sell for. We can help you with that assessment, and our office doesn’t charge our clients for that service. If you still have a different figure set in your mind, we can tell you what you will have to do to get that price in the real-world marketplace.

Call us today, and put our services to work for you!