9 Tips on How to Prepare a Courier Service Business for Sale
If you’re a business owner looking to sell your courier service business, there are a few things you need to do to make the process as smooth as possible.
In this blog post, we’ll outline tips on preparing your business for sale. Follow these tips, and you’ll be one step closer to finding a buyer for your business.
Why You Should Consider Selling Your Local Courier Service
With the courier industry booming right now, here are three reasons to consider putting your courier service business up for acquisition.
1. Highly Competitive Industry
It’s not surprising that many business owners are considering selling their local delivery company. In a highly competitive industry like this, it can be tough to survive competing with big players that have bigger networks and access to advanced technology compared to smaller companies.
So if you’re thinking about selling, do your research and find the right buyer.
2. Ever-Changing Market Demands
You need to understand your market and what customers want as a business owner. With the ever-changing landscape of technology and the way people consume media, it’s hard to keep up.
For businesses struggling to keep up, being acquired by an established player can be a catalyst for success.
3. Increased Staffing Needs
As the demand for courier services continues to grow, so does a company’s need for staff. Courier companies have to increase headcount to meet this ever-growing need and keep their customers happy.
The workload gets especially high during peak seasons or when a client has a spike in shipment needs. And yet hiring more people will only increase your expenses. This growing cost is another good reason you might consider selling your local courier business.
Looking for some of the big players?
Here are our top picks for US last-mile delivery companies and startups.
9 Tips on How to Prepare Your Local Courier Service for Sale
Before you put your business on the market, there are a few things you need to do to prepare.
1. Ensure You Have a Solid Plan and Have Your Operations In Good Order
That means making sure your operations are running smoothly and that you have a solid acquisition plan.
A clear plan shows potential buyers that you know what you’re doing. Sure, it’s a long process, but it’s all in the details. These details give your buyers more confidence during the purchase.
Doing an internal audit is a good way to identify any issues before you start making offers. Treat the audit as a chance to fix any issues, so your business is in tip-top shape when it comes time to sell.
2. Sort Any Legal and Tax Issues Beforehand
Before selling your company, make sure you’ve gotten rid of all legal and tax issues. This ensures there are no surprises during the due diligence portion of the process and potential buyers are more likely to commit.
It’s best to take care of any outstanding issues before putting your business on the market.
3. Analyze Your Current Financial Situation
Our next tip is to check your business’s financial situation. Companies often approach acquiring another business quickly before they even get a chance to review their books. Buyers like businesses that have their books in order. They expect the business to be settled and an accurate figure that shows its current financial position, with information on financial reports, taxes, cash flow, bank records, and debts.
Remember, this does not mean changing your company’s figures to look better. Buyers need to know the actual financial standing of your business any discrepancies will cause issues down the line.
4. Gather All Customer Data
Another tip is to make sure that all customer data and customer relationships are in good order. When a company is thinking about buying your business, the last thing they want is for your major customers to leave. So it’s important to let your customers be in the loop of what’s happening and secure them in coordination with the buyers’ expectations.
5. Ensure Your Company’s Technology Is Ready for Transfer
The goal is to set your company’s technology up for a smooth transition. Whether it’s putting all your data in a format that can be easily transferred or making sure any specialized software you use is transferrable, remember to be thorough.
You’ll also want to have all the licenses and permissions in order. If any processes or functions are difficult to transfer, now is the time to document them so the new owners will know what to do.
Speaking of logistical technology, check out our article on current logistics innovations and industry trends!
6. Discuss and Negotiate with the Right Stakeholders
You need to deal with the right people. You want to find buyers who are a good fit for your business and smart enough to take it to the next level. If you’re working with brokers, make sure that they have excellent knowledge of the courier industry and are pros at negotiating prices.
7. Understand the Valuation and Due Diligence Process
One of the most essential tips is understanding the valuation and due diligence process potential buyers must go through. We know that valuing a business is not an exact science, but there are methods that buyers will use to determine your company’s worth.
Buyers will typically look at your company’s historical financial information, including sales, profitability, and assets. They want to see a solid growth plan for the future, including proof of past growth and an achievable plan for continued growth. Lastly, they’ll also consider intangible factors like your company’s reputation and brand equity.
Due diligence is when buyers investigate your business before going through with the purchase. They want to confirm that everything you’ve told them about your business is true and that there are no hidden liabilities or risks. This process takes a while but be prepared for it.
Interested in learning more about courier services? Here’s how Dropoff has navigated through the last-mile delivery industry.
8. Plan the Transition of Your Employees and Managers Post-Sale
Don’t forget to plan the transition of your employees and managers. Ideally, you get to sell your business to a buyer who agrees to keep on most or all of your current staff. But even in this case, there will definitely be some changes in management structure and responsibility.
Tell your employees about the sale in advance to ensure a good transition. Let them know what the plans are and what, if anything, will be changing for them. That way, there won’t be any surprises, and everyone will be on the same page.
9. Learn How Your Business Will Operate After the Sale
Take the time to learn what will happen after purchasing your courier service business and how it will operate. This seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t do this. They assume that everything will just go back to normal after the sale, but that’s not always the case.
Sometimes the new owner will want to change things up. So take some time to sit down and process that you’re not in control anymore. If possible, talk to the new owner and get a feel for their plans.
How Dropoff Has Acquired Small Courier Service Businesses Successfully
At Dropoff, we’re always looking for opportunities to grow our business. One way we do this is by acquiring local courier services. We get to expand our reach and provide even better customer service. The acquisition process is quite complex, but we have a team of experienced professionals skilled in negotiating and completing these transactions.
Learn more about when Dropoff acquired Rightaway Delivery, Inc. after 23 years of success in Michigan.
We’re confident in our ability to identify and acquire businesses that will be a good fit for our company. We are committed to providing the best possible service to our customers.
If you’re interested in seeing if your business is a good fit for being acquired by Dropoff, reach out to our Director of Corporate Development at jburns@dropoff.com
FAQs on Preparing a Courier Service Business for Sale
1. How to prepare for the sale of your courier service business?
Steps to take when selling your local courier service:
- Ensure you have a solid plan and have your operations in good order.
- Sort any legal and tax issues beforehand.
- Analyze your current financial situation.
- Gather all customer data.
- Ensure your company’s technology is ready for transfer.
- Discuss and negotiate with the right stakeholders.
- Understand the valuation and due diligence process.
- Plan the transition of your employees and managers post-sale.
- Learn how your business will operate after the sale.
2. How do I determine the worth of my local courier service business?
The formula for figuring out how much a business is worth is straightforward. You take the assets of your company and subtract any liabilities that it has.
3. Why should you consider selling your local delivery service company?
Reasons you should sell your courier business:
- You’re already competing in a highly competitive industry.
- It’s difficult keeping up with changing market demands.
- You can’t keep up with increased staffing needs.
