AC Global Realty, LLC offers confidential sale of all types of Florida businesses primarily in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Pine Island, Lehigh Acres, Sanibel Island, Bonita Springs, Bonita Beach, Estero, Naples & Marco Island - Southwest Florida. AC Global Realty is a member of the BBF (Business Broker Florida) and has access to all businesses listed within the MLS of the BBF.
Our Fort Myers based real estate brokerage provides powerful insight for today's business buyers and sellers in the private sector. AC Global Realty achieves meaningful results for its customers with businesses for sale by representing them with our professional business brokers. AC Global Realty and our business brokers is continually developing and implementing forward thinking services that helps you to successfully sell or buy your business.
AC Global Realty is a leading international real estate brokerage firm in Southwest Florida serving customers in Cape Coral, Pine Island, Matlacha, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Estero Island, Lehigh Acres, Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Bonita Springs, Bonita Beach, Naples & Marco Island. We actively represent and match business owners wishing to sell their business with potential buyers. Our domestic and international insight helps chart successful journeys into new products, strategies, new markets, alliances and mergers in various national and international communities. Our business brokers are committed, knowledgeable and creative.
Do you dream of owning your own business? Buying a business can be a complicated procedure from finding the right business to working out the details required for a smooth transfer.
While there is no such thing as the perfect business, a business broker knows the importance of finding the one particular business that fits your needs, skills and lifestyle. A business broker has many different types of businesses for you to consider and the knowledge and experience to walk you through the entire process.
Going into business for yourself and being independent is a big step. Most of all business buyers that purchase a small business have never owned a business before. Many of them bought a business that was different than what they had been looking for and some bought a business they have never worked in before. These buyers had the opportunity to explore the marketplace and found a business to their liking.
Before you begin your search, keep in mind that running your own business is more than a job that you can just quit; it is a change in lifestyle. Usually, you will be working longer hours and you have to make all of the decisions. Most buyers are seeking to obtain the following when they considering the purchase of a business:
Pride in the service or products they offer, flexibility, income, recognition, security, privacy, status and customer contacts.
Being in business for your self can be very rewarding, but there are no guarantees. After all of your investigation is completed, you will still have to make that decision that is necessary to proceed with the business purchase. You will have to work hard and perform many different jobs to be successful in your own business. But, if running your own business, making your own decisions, not having to worry about job security and just being on your own are important, then owning a business is the right thing to do for you.
Unfortunately, too many potential business buyers want to know the asking price first and then ask how much money they can earn. These are the wrong questions to ask initially. You need to know how much cash the seller requires as a down payment. A smart approach is to get more information on the business, and even make a visit not only a drive by, before ruling it out or getting too involved. This is all part of the learning process of buying a business.
Get information on the price, rent terms, income, cash flow, and location. There is no point in continuing the buying process if the amount of cash necessary to buy the business is higher than the amount you are willing to or can invest in a business. Keep in mind there is very little financing available such as banks or lenders. Also, the business has to be able to meet your basic financial needs. You always expect a business to improve under your ownership, but you have to be able to meet your living expenses as well as meet the debt service of the business. It is also important to remember that almost all purchase prices and down payments are negotiable.
Visit the business to see if you like the location and the business itself, please also from the inside. Pretend you are a customer if it is not yet time to talk to the owner. If the business is the type that you just can’t visit and pretend ask your business broker to set up an appointment to inspect the business.
If you like the business, ask questions about monthly rent, CAM, other lease terms, employees that want to stay, the sales for the past few years. If you have your questions answered and you want to proceed with the purchase of the business, it is time to make an offer, subject to verification of all the information you have received (due diligence). The main purpose in making an offer is to see if the seller will accept your price & terms of the sale.
At this point, you hopefully have arrived at a meeting of the minds with all parties and you are now ready to begin removing the contingencies, performing what is known as due diligence.
Selling your business is a major decision as well. You have devoted your time, money and may be your life into building and operating your business. If you have already decided that now is the right time to sell, you want the very best professional advice you can get.
Let's assume that you have decided to actually sell your business. Before you even think about placing your business for sale you have to gather information about your business. Here is a checklist of the items you should have together before putting your business on the market:
Income Tax returns for the business
Past 3 years profit and loss statements
List of fixtures and equipment
The lease and lease terms
A list of the loans / financing against the business
Copies of lease contracts for any leased equipment
A copy of the franchise agreement, if the business is a franchise
An approximate amount of the inventory on hand
The names of any outside advisors or business partners
Make sure the financial statements of the business are current and as accurate as you can get them. Make all of your financial statements presentable and approved by a certified accountant. You want to present the business well. Pricing a small business usually is based on cash flow. This includes the profit of the business, as well as the owner's salary and benefits, the depreciation, and other non-cash items.
Potential buyers want to review your financial figures and want to see income and expenses. They want to know if they can make the payments on the business. If your business is not making a living wage for someone, you should consider selling the business in an asset sale.
This may be a bit premature if you not have decided to sell, but it may help in your decision making process to understand not only who the buyer is, but also what he or she will want to know in order to buy your business. Here are some questions that you might be asked and should be prepared to answer:
How much money is required to buy the business?
What is the annual increase in sales?
How much is the inventory?
What is the debt?
Will the seller train and stay on for a few weeks?
What further defines the product or service?
What can be done to grow the business?
What can the buyer do to add value?
The first thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of buyers want to buy cash flow. Hire a professional accountant and begin to get your financial statements in order with cash flow the order of business. Cash flow is not the same thing as profit. Most buyers look at the profit and loss statement or tax return, as well as owner benefits. Buyers will also look at one time expenses such as remodeling. They will consider non cash items like depreciation and amortization. These are items that a professional business broker considers when advising a selling client on a selling price.
The time to replace that old out dated piece of equipment is before you decide to sell. Don't assume that a new owner will want to do it or that the price will just be slightly lower because you haven't replaced it. Fix the sign, replace the floor, clean & pressure clean and paint the business. Keep in mind that anything that increases sales also increases profits and the all-important cash flow!
There are other things that add value to your business. Don't discount the value of your repeat customer lists, products and well-maintained equipment, customized software programs, or good employees. These are termed off-balance sheet items and although not used in most pricing models, they add to value. Look at your business very carefully to make your business more attractive to the buyer.
We are looking forward to work with you.
Sincerely,
Kirsten S. Prizzi
Certified Florida Business Broker / Member of the BBF
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+1 239-248-1667 
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