Selling a Business at retirement

Last updated: December 2020 | 4 min read

Planning ahead of time can be a smart move for most people, regardless of what their end goal is. If you’re starting to age and feel like it’s nearing your time to retire and enjoy the rest of your life in relaxation, now could be the perfect time to put everything in place.

Your business is sure to be one of many concerns, especially if you haven’t decided what to do with it yet. More often than not, those looking to retire can benefit greatly from selling their company – since this can offer them a nice lump sum of cash which they can use to make their retirement even better. This is a big decision though, and one that’s often best taken care of with an expert’s guidance and advice.

Why is this the ideal time to sell?

Typically, when looking at the statistics in the UK, selling before retirement can be the best option, regardless of how well you think it’s performing. Why?

A large portion of enterprises owned by individuals over 60 begin to dissolve as the business just isn’t bringing in as much work and money as it used to. Even a debt-free, financially sound company can begin to suffer from this. If you’re an older person who wants to make the most from their organisation, it may be worth considering putting it up for sale to get the most value as possible before it starts to decline. 

Thinking ahead can benefit you greatly later on

Often, the key to a successful transaction in the future can lie in planning in the present. There are a number of reasons why this is important, but one of the most beneficial is ensuring that you seize opportunities to improve the value of your firm ready for when it comes to putting it on the market.

It often takes a while to find the right buyer and there are many other owners out there selling their own organisations, too. By maximising the amount of money your company is worth, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to make it more attractive to buyers (since there will be a lot of advantages to purchasing it), and therefore allowing yourself to earn extra cash from the sale.

When trying to sell, you’ll also need to show that the establishment can run without you incharge. This is why you should hire a good manager and take extra steps to allow a future owner to be able to take over without much hassle. 

It can never be too early to work on improving your corporation –for the most part, it’ll benefit you as you’re currently running the company, as well as earn you extra attention when selling and more money overall.

Find the right specialists to help you

This process isn’t always the simplest – in fact, there are a number of complications that can make it increasingly difficult for those hoping to sell. For this reason, it’s generally a wise idea to get together a team of experts who can help you. This can include business transfer agents, solicitors and accountants (as they all have something to offer).

On a side note, be sure to talk to your accountant about any tax implications that can come with these kinds of sales. Tax is often forgotten, which could cost you later on.

Don’t overlook the importance of your corporation’s futur

While considering what you need to do to sell your company, you can’t forget that it’s going to need to be successful even when you’re not there to run it. This will be vital to most buyers, so take the time to show them that there is plenty of potential yet to be taken advantage of.

One of many things that could make your enterprise more attractive to entrepreneurs is having a growth strategy in place for the next few years, with goals and your vision of where it could be with some hard work and effort. This shows that there is potential for the firm and gives a clear sight of what can be achieved. Even if you’re not the one who brings this to life, you could be the one walking away with more than enough cash to do whatever you please.

Enjoying your retirement

The good news overall is that you can earn a large sum of money to fully enjoy your retirement. Your future is in your hands, which is why putting a plan together and enforcing it earlier on can make so much of a difference.

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