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Sell My IT Services Business | 5 Tips To Get You Started

Andrew Rogerson • Jul 25, 2022

Sell My IT Services Business

Here are 5 tips in any order to get your business sold on your own terms.

  1. Prepare the business for sale at the best price
  2. Hire a business valuation expert
  3. Develop an exit strategy
  4. Market your IT services business to sell
  5. Develop a sell-side checklist
sell my it services business

How do I sell my IT services business? Here we provide five detailed answers and tips to the question.


Selling your IT services business allows you to explore other ventures and business opportunities. Still, marketing the information technology services business, and finding a suitable buyer can be tricky. Besides, you may not know the value of your IT business and end up underselling.


Developing a proper exit strategy will help you determine how to market and sell your IT services company in California. It also ensures you get good returns on your investment.


Let's dive into these five tips. 


First Tip: Prepare Adequately


Before selling an IT service business, you should prepare your company for the business sale adequately. Get all your financial records in order by liaising with your accounting team or hiring an auditor. This measure can shorten the sale process and streamline the exit.


The selling a business process will involve assessing financial health. Analyze income to identify your brand's revenue over a given period.


After that, determine the net profit and its margin over the same duration. It's also vital to evaluate your expenses by checking how much you spend and the variation in different financial periods.


See This Easy to Read Cheat Sheet: Click to Download This ExitPrep Checklist


Second Tip: Hire a Valuation Expert


Valuing your business ensures you set a realistic price. Still, this process can be complex and time-consuming when handling other operational tasks. It is however, important to do so you don't undersell your IT business in the marketplace.


Hire a valuation expert to determine the worth of your IT services business. The business valuation methods used during IT services company valuation can differ. Some valuation strategies the expert may use are:


If the expert opts for the discounted cash flow method, they will value the business based on the money it may make in the future. On the other hand, if they use the book value method, they will assess it according to the assets. Such may include physical resources and the clients' contracts.


Valuing an IT services business using the enterprise value method involves adding debt and equity. After that, the expert will subtract the cash that doesn't fund business operations.


EBITDA is one of the most effective IT services company valuation methods. This option allows you to measure the business' profitability based on operations. It also helps you to assess the costs needed to maintain its clients and assets.


A business broker will use IT services company valuation multiples to assess your company's selling price. These metrics will reflect the value of your brand based on specific financial measures.


An expert will study your business' finances and health when applying multiple valuations of an IT services company. Besides, they will ensure you don't undersell by calculating business worth based on different characteristics. With their help, you can also understand how to increase company valuation before closing.



Tip Three: Develop a Comprehensive Exit Strategy


Developing a business exit strategy allows you to plan your next steps after selling an IT business. During this process, you may need a CPA or financial manager.


Such experts will study the exit plan you designed when creating a business plan. After that, they will check if you need to alter some parts and opt for different techniques.


One ideal exit strategy example is liquidating the company and closing it. This option will be suitable if you want to shut down the business entirely.


Consider other exit methods if you want to sell your company and continue operating. For example, use an initial public offering (IPO) to boost share valuation. Alternatively, consolidate the company with another brand through mergers and acquisitions.


Developing an exit strategy when selling your IT services business has many benefits. Such include:

  • It allows you to plan for the future
  • It prepares investors for management changes
  • An exit plan helps determine how to use resources before the sale
  • You can evaluate different IT business sales methods


Creating an exit strategy when selling your company in northern California helps determine how to deal with IT business brokers. Planning the process ensures you understand each step. It also simplifies detaching from your projects and allows you to reduce risks.


Tip Four: Market Your IT Services Business


Marketing the business sale of your IT services company will increase awareness about the sale. Further, it allows you to get competitive offers and sell to a preferable qualified buyer/s.


Develop an executive confidential business summary and provide various vital details about the sale. For example, explain the company's services and goals. Further, account for its life by mentioning key achievements or changes from when it started.


As you create an executive summary to market your company, consider all potential questions buyers may have. After that, ensure the pitch answers all of them and gives a clear picture of what the brand does. This may pertain to customer acquisition, service provision, and contract management.


Once you have a detailed confidential executive summary, determine if you want to sell the company without help or hire an IT business broker. However, here are some mistakes to avoid when selling an IT services business on your own.


Working with middle-market business brokers will be ideal if you run a company with a limited IT industry services niche. On the other hand, selling on your own is suitable if you have marketing skills and aren't in a hurry to close.


Here is How Rogerson Business Services Market and Attract Qualified Buyers to Your IT Business Listed For Sale in California.


Tip Five: Develop a Sell-Side Due Diligence Checklist


Selling an IT managed services provider company involves a lot of processes. It also includes a lot of paperwork that may be challenging to track.


Creating a sell-side due diligence checklist will help you organize work and ensure you don't miss any vital steps. It also saves time and avoids costly mistakes.


Another benefit of a sell-side checklist is it allows you to identify the company's weaknesses. This measure simplifies addressing to ease competing with other listed IT service businesses.


A sell-side due diligence checklist should include various crucial items. Such are:


Including these sections in your checklist will improve market preparedness. Further, it can shorten the sale time and simplify operations before closing the sale on your business.


Get More Information on How to Sell My IT Services Business


Getting answers to the question,-' How do I sell my IT business?' can ease the process. Besides, it allows you to develop a practical plan for the IT business sale and simplifies financial decisions.


Educating yourself on business sales helps you understand how to value IT companies. Ultimately, you can recover investments and diversify your finances. For other related posts like this one, browse this page now.


Conclusion


Selling your information technology services business in the lower middle market in California is a life changing event that requires forethought and careful planning. Before selling your business, know its worth in both tangible and intangible assets. Find a reliable professional representative like a certified business intermediary specialized in M&A deals to manage the process while you continue to maintain your business. The IT broker will do the heavy lifting by marketing to and negotiate with vetted buyers and close for a reasonable price. 


See how Rogerson Business Services sold businesses in California by Visiting These Case Studies.


If you have decided to value and then sell your IT services business now or within the next six months, click here to get started with this quick and simple form, so we can understand your pain points better and prioritize your inquiry with RBS Advisors.


Go to the next article: Part of tips to selling an Information Technology Services Company in California series ->


Download Free Guide To Help Sell Your IT Services Company

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