Company acquisition

Buying a company

Company acquisition is a good alternative to starting a new one. The journey to full operation will be shortened and you will get the finished structures from which to continue. Customers are familiar with the company and suppliers are familiar. If you have a business that you want to expand, a takeover can be a good solution!

Ads of companies for sale can be found in daily and financial newspapers, as well as in the journals of various industries, Yrityspörssi, and local business brokers such as Yrityskaupat.net and Suomen Yritysmyynti. It is also worth asking our business advisors about companies for sale in the Vaasa region! Some auditors or audit firms also help their client companies in acquisitions.

Buying a successful business is a great way to become an entrepreneur. Build a good relationship with the seller to get all the information you need about the company. For the seller, it is not just any trade. Perhaps it is his life's work that is now moving on to a new owner.

Carefully find out what to buy, and invest both time and energy in this. If the object to be purchased is a limited liability company, a lot of information can be found in public sources. The disclosure obligation of open and limited partnership companies is not as extensive. If you are buying a business name, you are buying not the company but the business and possibly the name that belongs to it. Examine your own prerequisites for profitable and successful piloting of the company's operations. That's the most important thing when you submit an offer. You decide the final price in the negotiations.

• Do I buy the whole company, the business, or part of it?
• What does the company's economy look like? What (preferably written) agreements does the company have?
• Are there employees and proper employment contracts?
• What are the prospects for the sector?
• How do I fund this purchase?
• Do I want the seller to continue working for the company?

The purpose of the buyer's checklist (Due Diligence) is to obtain all relevant information about the company being acquired and to detect the risks associated with the acquisition before the acquisition is completed. Find out the most important things to check and analyze and take the time to do so. Consult experts to find out the legal and tax situation, current contracts, employment contracts, and of course, to get help with the value determination of the company. If possible, also get to know customers and suppliers. Already at this stage, make a plan for the development of the acquired company.

Contact an expert to determine the value of the company. Make a budget so you know if you can run a profitable business and pay off the loans you need to take out. Your budget indicates whether the price you are discussing is realistic.

Selling a company

For an entrepreneur, their job is more of a way of life. At some point, however, there will be a time for change. If the company is viable, it is worth strengthening it even more and not running it down. Prepare your business to sell!

If your own expertise is central to the operation, think about how you can transfer your expertise to a new entrepreneur. The form of enterprise also matters. Shares and shares in partnerships can be transferred, while a sole proprietorship does not have a company to sell. A business owner may instead sell the business. Also think about where a new owner can be found. Is there such a thing as family, employees, competitors, customers, suppliers, or is it possible that there is an outsider altogether?