The danger in
thinking your business is worth more than it is—plus tips to increase its value
Equipment and inventory are tangible assets required to generate sales
and earnings. They are certainly critical to many business operations. But when
it comes to determining a business' value, the hard truth about hard assets is
that they make no difference.
What really matters is the cash flow generated from these and other
operating assets. Yet, so many business owners believe there is some mysterious
process that will allow them to add the value of these assets to their grand
total when it comes time to sell.
The danger with setting an inflated asking price is that your business
may be passed over by good, qualified buyers. The longer it its on the shelf,
the less appealing it becomes. You also open yourself up to experienced buyers
leveraging an inflated price to get the upper hand during the negotiating
process.
Why the "add on" philosophy doesn't make sense
Consider the following examples of two businesses.
The first is a trucking company with $500,000 in trucks and dispatch
equipment, all of which it needed to run the business. The second is a roofing
company with a small number of employees and only $45,000 in inventory and
equipment.
The trucking company generates $200,000 in cash flow, whereas the
roofing business earns $800,000. Even though the trucking company has more hard
assets, most buyers would find the roofing business much more attractive
because of its far stronger cash flow.
Proponents of the "add-on" philosophy would argue that if the
above two businesses each had a cash flow of $300,000, the trucking company
would justify a higher price. But this doesn't make good business sense. Ask
yourself, would you pay more for the same level of earnings?
Knowledgeable buyers are interested in cash flow and cash flow alone.
They will insist that the assets needed to generate that cash flow are included
in the sale price.
The level of inventory will have virtually no impact on value. Business
owners often try to rationalize this "add-on" logic because their
inventory fluctuates throughout the year. Unfortunately, this method increases
the risk for any given business. The inventory at closing may not be enough to
support the cash flow, thus requiring the buyer to invest within to support the
business.
At best, adding inventory to the price of a business increases the risk
that the buyer won't get their expected rate of return on their investment. At
worst, this method could lead to business failure because the firm will be
undercapitalized and unable to acquire additional funds to buy the necessary
inventory.
The reality for many businesses is that there aren't significant
variations in the amount of inventory that they carry throughout the year.
Those businesses that do tend to see those fluctuations only during a few
months of the year, such as holiday seasons. It's not that difficult to
determine the inventory that should be included in the price to support the
annual gross sales and cash flow.
Exceptions to the rule
There are some situations in which assets are considered in
valuing the business. Equipment, inventory and other assets are considered when
a company is being sold under less-than-ideal conditions, such as when it has
no profits or cash flow. In those cases, assets would be used to determine the
value of the business. Problems then arise in establishing the worth of those
items. Typically, buyers aren't interested in these businesses because the
seller already has proven that the company hasn't made a profit.
But for the most part, cash flow is crucial to building value.
Three ways to increase cash flow
1. Stay active and focused: Countless owners have watched profitability
slip away as they became more interested in the next stage of their life. Get
active in the development of key employees, because they will be the catalyst
for driving sales, operational efficiencies and customer satisfaction. Plus,
stay focused on limiting your role in the day-to-day operations of your
business. The less customers need you personally, the better the chance for
growth.
2. Build a bigger mousetrap: Size matters. Find
ways to add sales volume. By opening new geographic markets, you may be able to
take advantage of organizational synergies and build a larger volume of
customers and sales. Alternatively, look to introduce new products or services
you may sell to existing customers and build some depth with folks with whom
you already have a relationship. Finally, similar to many businesses, you may
find building market share by adding new customers as the most logical step for
sales growth.
3. Operate on the cheap: There is little glory in finding more
cost-efficient ways of doing things, but these often deliver the quickest road
to prosperity. You should regularly review and challenge your suppliers to
ensure you're getting competitive pricing in areas such as rent, insurance,
utilities, wholesale goods and office supplies. Remember: a dollar saved on
operating expenses goes directly to cash flow.
Buyers are looking for businesses with positive cash flow. By focusing
your efforts to build value through improved cash flow, you will improve the
day-to-day operation of your business, enjoy a higher selling price and improve
the likelihood of a successful transaction.
Do you have a small business question
you would like answered about this article or othersBill Sivell is a Business Broker with VR
Windsor Inc.,
which sells businesses to buyers across Canada and around the world. His
14-year career includes diverse senior management positions in marketing,
advertising, sales management and operations management. He blogs about selling
businesses at Maxbizvalue.blogspot.ca
