I own a small ISV company that consist of 2 people. We sell a single product built using Microsoft web technologies (ASP/VB6, some .NET). In business for a a few years now, and with relatively stable gross revenues in the low 6 figures.
我拥有一个由2人组成的小型ISV公司。我们销售使用Microsoft Web技术(ASP / VB6,某些.NET)构建的单个产品。在几年的业务中,并且在低6位数的总收入相对稳定。
I'm considering selling the company and moving on to something else, but I'm a unclear on the best approach to to take. I'm not expecting a huge price, and I'm thinking of a gross revenue multiplier of 2 (which seems low to me... but what do I know)... so call it mid 6 figures.
我正在考虑出售公司并转向其他方面,但我不清楚最好的方法。我并不期待一个巨大的价格,而且我认为总收入乘数为2(这对我来说似乎很低......但我知道的是什么)...所以称之为6位数。
Any suggestions on how best to proceed?
有关如何最好地进行的任何建议?
note: Though not directly programming related the question may be of interest to developers. I wrote the application, every single line of code (so it's not like a phb is asking). Perhaps the moderators could give the question a bit of time to see if community takes an interest.
注意:虽然没有直接编程相关的问题可能是开发人员感兴趣的。我编写了应用程序,每一行代码(因此它不像phb要求的那样)。也许主持人可以给这个问题一些时间来看看社区是否有兴趣。
2 个解决方案
#1
When you say you are not clear about the best approach to take, do you mean you don't have any buyer yet ?
当你说你不清楚最好的方法时,你的意思是你还没有任何买家吗?
If that's what you are looking for, I would go first to your company's network: Who is the other person in the company, does (s)he wants to buy your share ? Do you have external investors who could be interested by buying the whole company out ? Do you have customers who could be interested (they are losing a provider after all) ? Do you have providers who could be interested (they are losing a customer) ?
如果这就是你要找的东西,我会先去你公司的网络:谁是公司的另一个人,他想买你的份额吗?您是否有外部投资者可以通过购买整个公司感兴趣?您是否有可能感兴趣的客户(他们毕竟失去了提供商)?您是否有可能感兴趣的提供商(他们正在失去客户)?
If none of that works for you, I would look for the "extended" network of your company: Partner in business, if you have any (like a hardware manufacturer if you do embedded software). Look at what other software your customers are buying. If it's a very niche market and as you are sharing a customer, their other providers may be interested in buying you out for having another source of revenue with an already established commercial relationship.
如果这些都不适合您,我会寻找您公司的“扩展”网络:如果您有任何业务合作伙伴(如果您使用嵌入式软件,则需要硬件制造商)。看看您的客户正在购买的其他软件。如果它是一个非常小众的市场,并且当您与客户分享时,他们的其他提供商可能会有兴趣通过已经建立的商业关系来购买另一个收入来源。
Lastly, what about your competitors in this market ? If they buy you, they will mainly buy your customers' portfolio. But maybe they are willing to expand at low cost via a "merge" with your company.
最后,你在这个市场的竞争对手呢?如果他们买你,他们将主要购买你的客户的投资组合。但也许他们愿意通过与贵公司的“合并”以低成本扩张。
It seems really like when you are looking for a new job to me: It's about using all your network first before looking somewhere else, as it is where you generally get the best results.
当你正在为我寻找一份新工作时,它似乎很像:它是关于在寻找其他地方之前首先使用你的所有网络,因为这是你通常获得最佳结果的地方。
Best of luck.
祝你好运。
#2
Consider one of the "Business for sale" web sites like www.bizbuysell.com. They also have a "Find a broker" feature.
考虑一下“Business for sale”网站,例如www.bizbuysell.com。他们还有一个“查找经纪人”功能。
Short of that I'd talk to the professionals you use (accountant, lawyer, etc). They may know of someone who is looking for a business to buy.
除此之外,我会与您使用的专业人士(会计师,律师等)交谈。他们可能知道正在寻找商家的人。
One think to keep in mind is that some buyers (like me) might be interested in buying the assets of the business (the code, the client list, the good will), but not the company it self. The distinction is a fine, but important one.
人们想要记住的是,一些买家(像我一样)可能有兴趣购买业务资产(代码,客户名单,善意),但不是自己的公司。区别是一个很好但很重要的区别。
#1
When you say you are not clear about the best approach to take, do you mean you don't have any buyer yet ?
当你说你不清楚最好的方法时,你的意思是你还没有任何买家吗?
If that's what you are looking for, I would go first to your company's network: Who is the other person in the company, does (s)he wants to buy your share ? Do you have external investors who could be interested by buying the whole company out ? Do you have customers who could be interested (they are losing a provider after all) ? Do you have providers who could be interested (they are losing a customer) ?
如果这就是你要找的东西,我会先去你公司的网络:谁是公司的另一个人,他想买你的份额吗?您是否有外部投资者可以通过购买整个公司感兴趣?您是否有可能感兴趣的客户(他们毕竟失去了提供商)?您是否有可能感兴趣的提供商(他们正在失去客户)?
If none of that works for you, I would look for the "extended" network of your company: Partner in business, if you have any (like a hardware manufacturer if you do embedded software). Look at what other software your customers are buying. If it's a very niche market and as you are sharing a customer, their other providers may be interested in buying you out for having another source of revenue with an already established commercial relationship.
如果这些都不适合您,我会寻找您公司的“扩展”网络:如果您有任何业务合作伙伴(如果您使用嵌入式软件,则需要硬件制造商)。看看您的客户正在购买的其他软件。如果它是一个非常小众的市场,并且当您与客户分享时,他们的其他提供商可能会有兴趣通过已经建立的商业关系来购买另一个收入来源。
Lastly, what about your competitors in this market ? If they buy you, they will mainly buy your customers' portfolio. But maybe they are willing to expand at low cost via a "merge" with your company.
最后,你在这个市场的竞争对手呢?如果他们买你,他们将主要购买你的客户的投资组合。但也许他们愿意通过与贵公司的“合并”以低成本扩张。
It seems really like when you are looking for a new job to me: It's about using all your network first before looking somewhere else, as it is where you generally get the best results.
当你正在为我寻找一份新工作时,它似乎很像:它是关于在寻找其他地方之前首先使用你的所有网络,因为这是你通常获得最佳结果的地方。
Best of luck.
祝你好运。
#2
Consider one of the "Business for sale" web sites like www.bizbuysell.com. They also have a "Find a broker" feature.
考虑一下“Business for sale”网站,例如www.bizbuysell.com。他们还有一个“查找经纪人”功能。
Short of that I'd talk to the professionals you use (accountant, lawyer, etc). They may know of someone who is looking for a business to buy.
除此之外,我会与您使用的专业人士(会计师,律师等)交谈。他们可能知道正在寻找商家的人。
One think to keep in mind is that some buyers (like me) might be interested in buying the assets of the business (the code, the client list, the good will), but not the company it self. The distinction is a fine, but important one.
人们想要记住的是,一些买家(像我一样)可能有兴趣购买业务资产(代码,客户名单,善意),但不是自己的公司。区别是一个很好但很重要的区别。