When is it time to sell?

The average time it takes to sell a business is somewhere in the range of 4-12 months. It's never too soon to start planning your exit strategy. Business evaluations and lending institutions typically rely on the past 3-years financial history, suggesting business owners need to start preparing to sell 4-5 years in advance. While we are actively working with businesses that are in this preparation period, we also understand that many business owners don't have the luxury to plan that far out.

Whether you are preparing to sell in the future or are ready now, FNBC Wisconsin is your source to help you get the most for your business when the time is right. We have been helping business owners for years by helping them prepare, price and sell their businesses to ready, willing and able buyers.

Only you can make that final decision, but the following points are worth considering:

• Do you still have the desire and the excitement? Are you ready for a lifestyle of change? Businesses rarely stay level -- they either grow and succeed -- or become stagnant and die. It is dependent on the desire of the owner.
• Are you willing to invest the resources and time to keep up with new technology? If not, growth will be hard to achieve as you will likely fall behind your competitors.
• Most industries go through a metamorphosis every five years. Are you excited about the changes in your field or do they make you tired just thinking about them? Can you afford the changes financially?

Contact FNBC Wisconsin if you have questions about selling your business or feel that now is the right time to put your business on the market.