Selling a company, from the seller's side
The part nobody writes down
Most material about selling a business is written for the people buying one, or for the advisers arranging it. This site is written for the owner: what the process feels like from the inside, what is decided when, and where the regret usually comes from.
The journey, in nine stages
- 01Deciding to sell
Almost nobody decides to sell a company in a single moment. The thought arrives, gets pushed away, and returns during a bad week.
- 02Getting the company ready
Preparation is unglamorous and it is where most of the outcome is decided. The work takes months, and every week of it removes a discount later.
- 03What the company is worth
The figure an owner has in mind usually comes from somewhere other than the accounts: a competitor's rumoured sale, a figure from a forum, or the amount that would make the years feel worthwhile.
- 04Going to market
Going to market is the first moment the decision becomes visible to anyone outside the kitchen table, and it is the stage owners worry about most.
- 05Meeting the buyers
First meetings are mutual interviews. The candidate is assessing a company; the owner is assessing whether this is someone they want to hand it to.
- 06The offer
An offer is rarely a single number. It is a structure, and the structure decides what actually arrives and when.
- 07The investigation
Due diligence is the part sellers describe as the hardest. It is weeks of being asked to prove things that have simply always worked.
- 08Signing
By the time documents are signed, most of the decisions have already been taken. The signing itself is administrative, which is why it often feels anticlimactic.
- 09The handover
The handover is where the sale becomes real. It is also the stage most often underestimated, by both sides.
Questions that come up first
- 01Is this business actually sellable?
What makes a small online business sellable, which characteristics rule it out, and how to test the question before starting a process.
- 02When is the right moment?
How to judge the timing of a sale: results, personal readiness, seasonality and the difference between a good moment and an urgent one.
- 03Who actually buys online businesses?
The types of buyer active for small online companies in Europe: individuals, operators, aggregators and investors, and what each of them wants.
- 04How long does it take?
Realistic timescales for selling a small online business, from preparation through marketing and investigation to a completed handover.
- 05Does the owner have to stay on?
What buyers expect from a seller after completion, how long support periods usually run, and how to agree an involvement that ends.
Where the transactions happen
This site describes the process. Companies actually offered for sale across Europe, and the buyers currently searching, are listed at Businessforsale.eu (https://www.businessforsale.eu/online-business-for-sale).
Situations owners recognise
- 01The owner who has had enough
Nothing is wrong with the business. The owner simply cannot face another season of it.
- 02The side project that grew
It started as something to do at weekends and now turns over more than the day job.
- 03Two founders who want different things
One founder is ready to leave. The other has just started planning the next five years.