Situation
The offer that arrived unannounced
An e-mail arrives from a company that would like to talk about acquiring the business.
First response
Interest is worth exploring and nothing has to be decided. A short conversation to establish who they are, what they already own and why this business, costs nothing and reveals most of what matters.
What to check
- Whether they have completed acquisitions before
- How a purchase would be funded, and whether that is confirmed
- Who has to approve the decision on their side
- Whether the approach is genuine or a way of gathering competitive information
The uncomfortable truth
An unsolicited approach is, by definition, a process with one candidate. Without any comparison there is no way to know whether the terms are good, and buyers who approach directly are usually aware of that advantage.
Testing the market properly takes months and frequently produces a better outcome, even where the original candidate ends up buying. Listings and registered buyers can be found at (https://www.businessforsale.eu/online-business-for-sale).