Buying and Selling Businesses in a Pandemic: GABB Feb. 23
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic in 2020, many Georgia business brokers continued to sell more than a million dollars worth of businesses. GABB board member Tanya Nebo and six members of the GABB Million Dollar Club offered a wide variety of advice on Tuesday, Feb. 23, during a panel discussion of how to buy and sell businesses during a pandemic.
To view their comments on how they prospered in 2020, watch this video posted on GABB’s new YouTube channel.
Among the 2020 members of the GABB’s Million Dollar Club who will be on hand on Feb. 23 are Jefffery Merry, senior business analyst at the BUSINESS HOUSE, inc.; J. Snypp, Vice President of Preferred Business Brokers, Inc.; Matt Wochele, founder of Preferred Business Brokers, Inc.; Rob Margeton, an M&A Intermediary with Ryco Advisors, LLC; Brian Judson, a business broker with Best Business Brokers; and Jon Roman, business intermediary, franchise consultant and developer at Transworld Business Advisors.
Ms. Nebo is both a business broker and an attorney. Her law practice, real estate agent and business brokerage services focus on commercial real estate, franchising and general business matters (including joint ventures and equity participation models). She is a graduate of Columbia University in New York and the University of Virginia School of Law.
The GABB is the state’s premier association of professionals who help in the purchase and sale of businesses. GABB is committed to promoting professionalism, education and high ethical standards in the profession of business brokering.
For more information, contact GABB President Judy Mims at 404-842-1997 or judy@childcare.properties, or Ms. Loupe at diane.loupe@gabb.org or 770-744-3639.
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Maximizing Your Time by Rating Buyer Seriousness
Your time is your most valuable commodity. So you don’t want to waste your time with people who aren’t serious about buying a business. Unfortunately, many “buyers” are not truly buyers. They are often window shopping or acting out a fantasy of buying a business. In other cases, they would only plan to buy if they were to find the “deal of the century.” So how do you avoid your wasting time on tire kickers?
The Plus and Minus System
The best way to find a serious buyer is to use a “plus and minus” system. This system will help you weed out the window-shoppers from buyers that are truly worth your time.
First, let’s evaluate factors for which you’ll want to deduct points. If a buyer needed outside financing, then subtract 4 points. Likewise, if a buyer has been looking for six months or more, you’ll want to also subtract 4 points. If a buyer has no cash available, subtract 3 points. If a buyer is currently working in the corporate world, you should also subtract 3 points. These are the four largest reasons to subtract points, but they are not the only reasons.
Below are a few reasons to subtract 2 or 1 points from a buyer’s rating.
- You learn the spouse is not supportive – Subtract 2
- Prospective buyer uses a legal pad or clipboard and takes copious notes – Subtract 2
- The buyer indicates that they are in “no rush” and want to find the perfect business – Subtract 2
- The buyer is under the age of 25 or over the age of 62 – Subtract 1
- The buyer is currently renting even though he or she has lived in the area for some time – Subtract 1
Factors to Add Points In
Many factors make a buyer fall onto the “plus” side. If the prospective buyer does not currently have a job or has just resigned from their job, then add 3 points. Likewise, if a prospective buyer acknowledges that books and records are not the only metrics by which to judge a business, add 3 points.
Add 2 points if a buyer has enough money to buy the business and another 2 points if the buyer currently has no dependents. If a close relative or family member currently owns or has owned a business in the past, then add 2 points. If the buyer is between the ages of 25 and 62 add 1 point. If he or she is a skilled worker or professional, add 1 point. Finally, if the buyer does not consider location to be a prime consideration, add 1 point.
This streamline, straightforward and relatively simple system does work. Use this system consistently, and you will quickly eliminate a large percentage of window shoppers. While no system is perfect, this “plus-minus” system for accessing prospective buyers will save you countless hours and many potential headaches.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
The post Maximizing Your Time by Rating Buyer Seriousness appeared first on Deal Studio – Automate, accelerate and elevate your deal making.
SBA Bankers Discussed New Small Business Aid at Jan. 26 GABB Meeting
Bankers with expertise in handling SBA loans talked about applying for the next round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding at the Jan. 26 virtual meeting of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers.
A recording of the meeting is linked here.
GABB Affiliate Representative Kim Eells , Senior Vice President of SBA Business Development at Georgia Primary Bank, spoke along with Thomas Rockwood, Senior Vice President of SBA Lending at Atlantic Capital Bank and Cadence Bank Vice President and SBA Banker Ryan Stoll.
Here’s some PPP background from Kim Eells’ bank, Georgia Primary.
Thomas Rockwood’s bank, Atlantic Capital’s link, has this information.
Ryan Stoll’s bank, Cadence Bank, has posted this information.
SBA links to various Coronavirus Relief Options.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reopened the week of January 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers, according to the U.S. Small Business Association. This round of the PPP continues to prioritize millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing up to $284 billion toward job retention and certain other expenses through March 31, 2021, and by allowing certain existing PPP borrowers to apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan, the SBA says.
PPPSD Revenue Reduction Documentation_2021_01_19
The SBA says a borrower is generally eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan if the borrower:
- Previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will or has used the full amount only for authorized uses;
Has no more than 300 employees; and - Can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.
- The GABB is the state’s premier organization devoted to buying and selling businesses and franchises, and operates the state’s only real estate school dedicated to business brokering.
For more information about GABB, please email diane.loupe@gabb.org or call or text 770-744-3639, or contact GABB president Judy Mims at judy@childcare.properties or 404-842-1997.
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SBA Extends COVID-19 EIDL Application Deadline through 2021
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the deadline to apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program for the COVID-19 Pandemic disaster declaration is extended to December 31, 2021. The deadline extension comes as a result of the recent bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress and enacted by the President on December 27, 2020.
To date, SBA has approved $197 billion in low-interest loans which provide U.S. small businesses, non-profits and agricultural businesses working capital funds to help America’s small businesses make it through this challenging time.
“Following the President’s declaration of the COVID-19 Pandemic, SBA has approved over 3.6 million loans through our Economic Injury Disaster Loan program nationwide,” Administrator Jovita Carranza said. “The EIDL program has assisted millions of small businesses, including non-profit organizations, sole proprietors and independent contractors, from a wide array of industries and business sectors, to survive this very difficult economic environment.”
EIDL loan applications will continue to be accepted through December 2021, pending the availability of funds. Loans are offered at very affordable terms, including a 3.75% interest rate for small businesses and 2.75% for non-profit organizations, a 30-year maturity, and an automatic deferment of one year before monthly payments begin. Every eligible small business and non-profit are encouraged to apply to get the resources they need.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Getting the Most Out of Confidentiality Agreements
When it comes to buying or selling a business, a solid confidentiality agreement is a must. A key way that business brokers and M&A advisors help buyers and sellers is through their extensive knowledge of confidentiality agreements and how best to implement them. In this article, we will give you an overview of what to expect out of your confidentiality agreements.
A confidentiality agreement is a legal agreement that essentially forbids both buyers and sellers, as well as related parties such as agents, from disclosing information regarding the transition. You should have a confidentiality agreement in place before discussing the business in any way and especially before divulging key information on the operation of the business or trade secrets.
While a confidentiality agreement can be used to keep the fact that a business is for sale private, that is only a small aspect of what modern confidentiality agreements generally seek to accomplish. Confidentiality agreements are used to ensure that a prospective buyer doesn’t use any proprietary data, knowledge, or trade secrets to benefit themselves or other parties.
When creating a confidentiality agreement, keep several variables in mind:
- What information will be excluded
- What information will be disclosed
- The term of the confidentiality agreement
- The remedy for breach, and
- The manner in which confidential information will be used and handled.
Any effective confidentiality agreement will contain a variety of key points. Sellers will want their confidentiality agreement to cover a fairly wide array of territory. or example, the confidentiality agreement will state that the potential buyer will not attempt to hire away employees. In general, this and many other details, will have a termination date.
The specifics of how confidentiality is to be maintained should also be included in the confidentiality agreement. Parties should agree to hold conversations in private; this point has become increasingly important due to the use of mobile phones and in particular the use of mobile phones in out-of-office locations. Additionally, it is prudent to specify that principal names should not be used in outside discussions and that a code name should be developed for the name of the proposed merger or acquisition.
Safeguarding documents is another area that should receive considerable attention. Digital files should be password protected. All paperwork should be kept in a safe location and locked away for maximum privacy when not in use.
In their enthusiasm to find a buyer for their business, many sellers have overlooked the confidentiality agreement stage of the process. Most have regretted doing so. A confidentiality agreement can help protect your business’s key information from being exploited during the sales process. Any experienced and capable business broker or M&A advisor will strongly recommend that buyers and sellers always depend on confidentiality agreements to establish information disclosure perimeters.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
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