Selling your business is a significant decision that impacts not only your own financial future but the financial future of your employees, your suppliers, and your customers. At Merlino & Gonzalez, our attorneys, well-versed in commercial real estate law, are ready to guide you through the sales process smoothly and efficiently, as we have guided many Staten Island and New Jersey clients before.
Reasons for Selling Your Business
There are many reasons you may have decided to sell your business, all equally valid. We are here to help you navigate this process with as little stress as possible, whichever of the following has brought you to this crossroads:
- Retirement: Many business owners decide to sell when it’s time to retire. Planning ahead can maximize your business’s value and secure a comfortable future for you and your family.
- Market conditions: At times, a favorable shift in the market is too tempting to resist, providing an optimal time to sell. Our attorneys, who always keep current on market conditions and abreast of shifts in the local real estate landscape, can always offer you accurate assessments and helpful advice.
- Health and personal reasons: Not infrequently, unexpected life changes, such as illness or divorce, can make a business sale advisable. Our empathic lawyers understand how vital is is to have expeditious legal services under these circumstances.
- Growth and expansion: Selling your business may be a strategy for growth, allowing you to invest in new opportunities or ventures.
- Partnership Disputes: When serious differences with business partners cannot be reconciled, selling your business may be the most workable solution.
Preparing To Sell Your Business
Once you have decided to sell your business, the following steps have to be taken in preparation for the sale.
- Professional valuation to determine your business’s worth in order to set a realistic price.
- Financial audit to review financial statements and records, ensuring they are transparent and up-to-date.
- Necessary and desirable improvements, addressing any areas that could negatively impact the sale, such as outstanding repairs, property maintenance or updates to equipment that is outmoded.
- Legal check-up by Merlino & Gonzalez to identify any potential legal issues that could get in the way of the sale.
- Preparing and/or gathering all necessary documents, e.g. contracts, needed for sale under the guidance of our savvy legal team.
Putting Your Business on the Market
Once Merlino & Gonzalez has helped you take all the essential steps to prepare your business for sale, you are well-positioned to put your company on the market. The actions you take now will be critical to your success in realizing your goals in terms of profitability and reputation. Our capable commercial real estate attorneys are available to assist you at this juncture, too, by providing you with legal and logistical support as you:
- List your business for sale
It is vital to choose the right platform and strategy as you list your business for sale; you can depend on us to give you sound advice. - Vet potential buyers
It is not only buyers who have to beware. We will help you screen interested parties to make sure they are serious about the purchase and financially capable. - Negotiate with the buyer
Our attorneys will represent you during negotiations with the buyer to make certain that all pertinent issues are discussed and agreed upon and that your interests are fully protected. - Allow the buyer to conduct due diligence
Our commercial real estate lawyers have comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of due diligence involved in the sale of a business. That means we are well able to facilitate the process to make sure it is transparent and complete. - Communicate With Stakeholders
We know that keeping stakeholders (i.e. shareholders and investors) informed at all stages of the sales process is important and will help you manage these communications effectively.
Closing the Deal
When the big moment arrives, you will be glad to have our highly competent attorneys at your side. We will see to it that the sale of your business is handled efficiently and professionally and that you come away not only satisfied, but fulfilled that this pivotal action has gone precisely as you hoped in terms of:
- Finalizing the sale agreement
We will draft and review the sales agreement, ensuring it reflects the agreed terms and protects your rights. - Meeting all compliance standards
We will ensure all legal and regulatory requirements are met before closing. - Securing all financial transactions
We will assist with all financial transactions, making sure that all funds are securely transferred. - Transferring all necessary assets, including intellectual property
- Making sure the post-sale transition goes smoothly for everyone involved, including buyer, seller, employees, customers, and suppliers.
Contact Merlino & Gonzalez Now for Help Selling Your Business
Our commercial real estate attorneys are committed to the successful sale of the business you have worked so hard to build. We have the in-depth knowledge, well-honed legal skills, and extensive experience to ensure that your business sale is successful — from preparing your business for sale to finalizing the deal. The sooner you contact us, the sooner you will feel the confidence that comes from working with consummate professionals and knowing that your interests are well-protected.