{"id":2161462,"date":"2026-10-12T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T06:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/yorkshire\/?p=2161462"},"modified":"2026-10-12T19:26:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T18:26:39","slug":"what-to-look-for-when-you-sell-your-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/yorkshire\/news\/2161462-what-to-look-for-when-you-sell-your-business","title":{"rendered":"What to look for when you sell your business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Selling a business is likely to be one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make. After years spent building it, it can be tempting to concentrate on achieving the highest possible sale price. But the sale itself is only part of the picture.<\/p>\n<p>How you shape the deal, the tax you may need to pay, when you receive the proceeds and what you<br \/>\nwant the money to help you achieve in life afterwards can all have a big impact on your plans. You<br \/>\nmay even find that you do not need quite as much from the sale as you first thought, meaning<br \/>\nretirement could be possible sooner than expected. Thinking about these things early can help make<br \/>\nsure the value you have built in your business supports the life you want, once you step away.<\/p>\n<h4>How long does it take to sell a business?<\/h4>\n<p>There is no set timeframe for selling a business as each deal is different and depends on a multitude<br \/>\nof complex factors, not just the number of the interested buyers. The size of business, the sector it&#8217;s in<br \/>\nand how quickly you can agree terms also play a part.<br \/>\nOnce an offer has been accepted, there will normally be a period of due diligence covering areas such<br \/>\nas reviewing the accounts and legal obligations.<br \/>\nFor many owners though, the sale process really starts long before the business formally goes to<br \/>\nmarket. Giving yourself time to prepare can help you deal with any potential issues, including making<br \/>\nthe business less dependent on you personally.<br \/>\nIt also gives you more time to think about what you want from the sale, whether that is financial<br \/>\nsecurity, retirement, the ability to invest elsewhere or simply more choice over what you do next.<\/p>\n<h4>How much can I sell my business for?<\/h4>\n<p>Ultimately, a business is worth what a buyer is prepared to pay for it, but several factors will influence<br \/>\nthat figure.<\/p>\n<p>Tangible assets such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Property, machinery and stock will have a value<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Intellectual property such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Customer relationships, recurring revenue and your brand can be just as important.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Buyers will also look closely at future growth and how reliant the business is on you. A company with<br \/>\nreliable earnings and capable management team beyond the owner may be more attractive to a<br \/>\npotential buyer.<\/p>\n<h4>How to value a business to sell<\/h4>\n<p>There are several ways to value a business, and the right approach will depend on the type of<br \/>\ncompany you own.<\/p>\n<h4>Earnings based valuation<\/h4>\n<p>One common method is to apply a multiple to earnings, often using EBITDA, which stands for<br \/>\n\u201cEarnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation. The multiple used can vary depending<br \/>\non the sector, size of the business, quality of earnings and expected growth.<\/p>\n<h4>Asset based valuation<\/h4>\n<p>An asset based valuation looks at the value of what the business owns, less its liabilities. This may be<br \/>\nmore relevant for businesses with substantial property, machinery or other physical assets.<\/p>\n<h4>Getting the right valuation<\/h4>\n<p>For most established businesses there is unlikely to be one simple calculation, which is why<br \/>\nprofessional valuation advice can be useful before approaching potential buyers.<\/p>\n<p>From a financial planning perspective, there is another important question to consider: how much do<br \/>\nyou actually need from the sale? Understanding what you need to support your future lifestyle can<br \/>\ngive you much greater clarity when assessing an offer.<\/p>\n<h4>Finding a buyer for your business<\/h4>\n<p>The right buyer is not necessarily the one making the highest headline offer. You should consider how<br \/>\nthe purchase will be funded along with when you will receive the money. You may also need to factor<br \/>\nin if some of the price depends on the future performance of the business, or your role in it.<\/p>\n<p>An earn out, for example, may mean part of the agreed price is paid later if certain targets are met.<br \/>\nThat can create a significant difference between the headline value of the deal and the amount you<br \/>\nreceive when the sale completes. A corporate finance adviser or business broker can help with valuation and negotiations, while your accountant, solicitor and financial adviser can each support different parts of the wider process.<\/p>\n<h4>Tax when selling your business<\/h4>\n<h4>Capital Gains Tax<\/h4>\n<p>Tax should ideally be considered well before a sale is agreed, as the structure of the deal can have a<br \/>\nsignificant effect on what you eventually receive.<\/p>\n<p>If you sell shares in your company personally, any increase in value may be subject to Capital Gains<br \/>\nTax. The annual CGT exempt amount is currently \u00a33,000, while the main rates are 18% and 24%,<br \/>\ndepending on your circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>Business Asset Disposal Relief can reduce the rate to 18% on qualifying business disposals, subject<br \/>\nto a \u00a31 million lifetime limit. Eligibility conditions apply, so it is important to establish your position<br \/>\nbefore the transaction is finalised.<\/p>\n<p>The tax treatment can also differ depending on whether the buyer purchases your shares or the<br \/>\nunderlying assets of the company. Taking advice early can give you more time to understand the<br \/>\noptions available and what the sale may mean for your wider finances.<\/p>\n<h4>Planning for life after the sale<\/h4>\n<p>For many business owners, this part of the process is often overlooked whilst they focus on \u2018the<br \/>\ndeal\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>You may have spent years concentrating on growing the company and dealing with the demands of<br \/>\nrunning it. Suddenly having a large amount of personal wealth outside the business can feel very<br \/>\ndifferent. And the rules around personal taxation and managing yours and your family\u2019s wealth, are<br \/>\nvery different outside of your business structure.<\/p>\n<p>Before selling, it can help to think about what you want the money to do for you and your family in this<br \/>\nnext phase of your life.<\/p>\n<p>A financial plan can help you understand whether the expected proceeds are enough to support your<br \/>\ngoals. With the right preparation, it can give you the confidence and financial freedom to decide what<br \/>\ncomes next.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is intended for general information only, it does not constitute individual advice<\/em><br \/>\n<em>and should not be used to inform financial decisions.\u00a0 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate tax advice.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want to find out more?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Come and speak to us at the <a href=\"https:\/\/familybusiness.thebusinessdesk.com\/\">Yorkshire Family Business Conference<\/a> on 22 October where we\u2019ll be<br \/>\ndiscussing these topics and more or visit www.theprivateoffice.com<\/p>\n<p>This article was written by Robert Morse, senior partner, The Private Office<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After years spent building a business, it can be tempting to concentrate on achieving the highest possible sale price. But the sale itself is only part of the picture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":271992,"featured_media":2161029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,78],"coauthors":[137100],"class_list":["post-2161462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-sponsored","tag-featured-story","tag-yorkshire"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What to look for when you sell your business | TheBusinessDesk.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After years spent building a business, it can be tempting to concentrate on achieving the highest possible sale price. 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