Succession plans without children
Back in September, Jan Pisancyzn spoke to a reporter from the Democrat & Chronicle. Jan offered advice for business owners whose children do not want to take over the business.
- Look at a trusted employee or two who have demonstrated some skill in running the business. In the case of a restaurant, the head chef might want to take over.
- Talk with competitors - and in the case of restaurants, suppliers - who may be interested in buying it.
- Look into hiring a business broker who does for businesses what real estate agents do for home sellers.
- Be realistic with expectations of how much the business is worth. Ask yourself, what is the current demand for this kind of business and what is a realistic price for the business.
Regarding item #4, the Research Network can help, too. We have a few sources in our reference collection that contain valuation formulas and rules of thumb plus chapters describing methods of determining a fair price. The titles we have are:
- Handbook of Business Valuation edited by Thomas L. West and Jeffrey D. Jones, 1999
Handbook of Small Business Valuation Formulas & Rules of Thumb by Glenn Desmond, 1993 - Small Business Valuation Book by Lawrence W. Tuller, 1994
- Small Business Valuation Formula Multiples by valuationresources.com, 2004
- Valuing a Business by Shannon P. Pratt, Robert F. Reilly, and Robert P. Schweihs, 2000
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