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Selling your business. Is it really your choice?

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There will be three time your business CAN be sold: when you WANT to sell it, when you NEED to sell it, and when your heirs WILL sell it!

We all like to think we are in control of everything in our lives but we have all known people that have had a “plan”, only to see life’s circumstances make changes to their plan without warning.

With these thoughts in mind, when do you think it would be best (most profitable) time to sell your CPA firm or tax practice? You are correct. You should sell your firm when you want to. For the purposes of our discussion here, we will define “want to” as the time when a person recognizes that it is time to sell, for whatever reason.

We have sold firms when the seller needed to sell, usually for health reasons. In most all cases, the firm’s value was greatly diminished simply because of the situation. Clients were leaving the firm to find a new accountant or tax preparer and employees saw the need to find new employment. You can see how this situation is a train wreck!

As you can imagine waiting to sell and letting your heirs deal with the transaction is an even worse financial decision than selling for health reasons.

Making a good decision to sell at the right time will always be the best choice for everyone: you, your family, your employees and your clients.

Choose wisely!

About the Author

Picture of Kathy Brents
Kathy Brents
Kathy is a life-long resident of Central Arkansas, where she received her undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Central Arkansas. Upon graduation, Kathy worked for CPA firms in the Central Arkansas area prior to starting her own CPA firm in Conway, Arkansas in 1986. While practicing public accounting, Kathy had many opportunities to provide guidance to her clients as they were involved in the purchase and sale of many businesses. Kathy sold her own CPA firm in 2006. In 2004, Kathy began her 2nd career in the field of business brokerage. Kathy is also a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) and a member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA).

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