Guide To Financing & Buying A Business Winston Rowe & Associates

Oct. 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Guide To Financing & Buying A Business

Winston Rowe & Associates, a no advance fee commercial real estate due diligence, advisory and financing firm has prepared this article to address the five most common mistakes that first time commercial real estate owners make when purchasing a business with commercial real estate.

If you would like more information about Winston Rowe & Associates and their commercial real estate financing programs, they can be contacted at 248-246-2243 or visit them on line at http://www.winstonrowe.com

According to Winston Rowe & Associates, the one common denominator that most millionaires have is, that they own their own business.

Owning your own business can be a very financially rewarding experience. The thrill of being the boss and having complete control over your own destiny are the primary reasons people leave the work force to operate their own company.

Owning your own business can easily turn in to a nightmare if you make mistakes. These mistakes are avoidable if you know what to look for in the business.

You have a better chance of becoming a millionaire if you avoid these 5 major mistakes when buying a business.

1) Due Diligence Investigation:

Winston Rowe & Associates has found that through their years of experience when performing due diligence for clients commercial real estate business financing. One thing they caution clients on is that not everything is as it seems and that is especially true when buying a business.

The owner can produce financial statements that show a business is thriving. You need to do due diligence to make sure the information presented to you is valid and shows an accurate picture of the condition of the business. For example, will they produce Business Tax Returns to verify the profit and loss statement they gave you?

Beware of sellers that are reluctant to demonstrate through documentation the financial health of their business. That great deal you found may just be smoke and mirrors. Always keep in mind that business people almost never walk away from a successful business, because they are tired of making money.

You also want to make sure you know what items the business actually owns, what is leased, what is owed to the business and what the business owes to others. You do not want to buy a business only to find out there is a huge pile of bills that are due and the income you were expecting does not materialize.

Doing a solid job of due diligence is what a firm like Winston Rowe & Associates does for clients that will helps clients avoid buying the wrong business or paying too much for the business.

2) Not Having Enough Cash Reserves:

Running a business requires capital. Successful businesses are able to generate enough revenue to cover the cost of their expenses. In times when the revenue is less than the expenses then you need cash reserves to cover the shortfall. If you spend all your money in the acquisition of the company then you will not be able to cover shortages when they occur.

This can be the quickest way to bankrupt your new business.

Winston Rowe & Associates always recommends to clients not buy a business until you have the necessary funds to both buy the business and the necessary funds to keep it open after the purchase.

3) Cash Flow & Debt Service Coverage:

There will always be a transition period when buying a new business. Some vendors will have a loyalty to the seller and will pull their business when management changes. Likewise you might lose some of your buyers after the transition. These changes are unavoidable.

They can have a tremendous impact on the cash flow of your business.

If you purchase a business assuming the current cash flow will cover the payment on your debt, then you might be in for a rude awakening. Working with Winston Rowe & Associates will ensure that the business you are financing will support the monthly mortgage payments and show a profit.

4) Don’t Pay For Future Potential:

Sellers will try to set a price on a business based on the projected value of the business. For example a self-storage business that is 40% occupied at the time of purchase may be worth $1 million dollars. If the occupancy rate was 80% then the value of the business might increase to $2 million dollars. You should not pay $2 million for the business because the seller entices you on the future potential of the business.

It will be your time, effort and energy that create the future potential in the business. You should be awarded for your efforts. Do not make the mistake of over paying for a business and rewarding the seller for your hard work.

The value of the business should be based on the condition at the time that you purchase it.

5) Wrong Finance & Entity Structure:

The worst mistake that you can make is to buy a business using the wrong entity structure.

First time business owners will buy a business and sign every contract in their name. This is a major mistake because it makes you personally liable for any loss that the business incurs.
If there is loss your creditors will go after your home, your car, and your savings. Buying a business using an entity structure such as a corporation or a LLC can minimize your personal risk.

Use an advisory and finance firm like Winston Rowe & Associates to ensure that you have the correct financing structure and a business attorney and an accountant to help determine what the best entity structure for you to use is.

Do not make the mistake of putting everything you own at risk when you buy a business.

Owning your own business can be the quickest path to becoming a millionaire but you may never reach that goal if you don’t avoid these 5 major mistakes when buying a business.

At Winston Rowe & Associates, their primary objective is to provide the most reliable and efficient means of sourcing both debt and equity for your commercial real estate loans.

Winston Rowe & Associates has an excellent knowledge based investor resource for commercial real estate valuation and market analysis located at:

http://www.winstonrowe.com/Free_Real_Estate_Resources.html

Winston Rowe & Associates provides no upfront commercial real estate loans in the following states.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,  Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,   Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming