Want to sell my business—need advice

Hi folks,
The other night, somewhat out of boredom, I did an estimate on one of my business on Flippa.

I was very surprised by the estimate, so much so that the idea of selling this business became very serious for me.
I must admit that the idea of throwing it all away, of leaving with my head held high, my wallet well filled, and of saying "[censured]" to all those who have looked down on me all these years seems more and more attractive to me.
But, before I get carried away, I need some sound advice.

Is it possible to sell non-English speaking business on Flippa ?
When I say "sell", I mean "sell at an attractive price".

Second question: most of the businesses I've seen on Flippa are drop-shipping sites or monetized with advertising (Adsense type). My business is based on crowdfunding. I am not allowed to sell the customer base.

But, if the buyer continues the work after me, the customers will follow and he is free to change the financing (advertising, paywall, it will be his business, not mine).
Do you think there are people who might be interested or am I deluding myself?
In summary, the two points that worry me are the fact that it is not an English-speaking site (and no, an English version is not at all relevant because it is really a national business) and that it relies on crowdfunding.

What do you think about it?

I'm asking all these questions to find out if I should take the plunge on Flippa or if I should look elsewhere.

I thank you all for your advice

Anyone ?

Alpha1404 said:

Hi folks,
The other night, somewhat out of boredom, I did an estimate on one of my business on Flippa.

I was very surprised by the estimate, so much so that the idea of selling this business became very serious for me.
I must admit that the idea of throwing it all away, of leaving with my head held high, my wallet well filled, and of saying "[censured]" to all those who have looked down on me all these years seems more and more attractive to me.
But, before I get carried away, I need some sound advice.

Is it possible to sell non-English speaking business on Flippa ?
When I say "sell", I mean "sell at an attractive price".

Second question: most of the businesses I've seen on Flippa are drop-shipping sites or monetized with advertising (Adsense type). My business is based on crowdfunding. I am not allowed to sell the customer base.

But, if the buyer continues the work after me, the customers will follow and he is free to change the financing (advertising, paywall, it will be his business, not mine).
Do you think there are people who might be interested or am I deluding myself?
In summary, the two points that worry me are the fact that it is not an English-speaking site (and no, an English version is not at all relevant because it is really a national business) and that it relies on crowdfunding.

What do you think about it?

I'm asking all these questions to find out if I should take the plunge on Flippa or if I should look elsewhere.

I thank you all for your advice

Click to expand...

Hi dude.

Earlier this year I sold a website in Spanish on Flippa. I did it for 95k and that led me to become a partner in the broker program of the platform. My website was monetized with Adsense, but I think that the language barrier should not be a real problem in big investments.

That is my experience and I hope it helps you. We can talk more if you want. Just ask!!

Mojorisin said:

Hi dude.

Earlier this year I sold a website in Spanish on Flippa. I did it for 95k and that led me to become a partner in the broker program of the platform. My website was monetized with Adsense, but I think that the language barrier should not be a real problem in big investments.

That is my experience and I hope it helps you. We can talk more if you want. Just ask!!

Click to expand...

Hello,
thanks for your answer
In the meantime, I got some feedback from Flippa and Empires Flippers. Language is not important for them, well, in my case, French language sites, it is not a blocking factor.
That's good news.
I note your offer of help!
Thanks

Try joining some flip telegram groups. I know there are a lot of people searching on there

Some news!

Firstly, I must confess that I'd completely forgotten that I'd opened this discussion, so much so that the other night I almost made exactly the same message. I know: it's not brilliant.

Since my last post, I've been doing a lot of research on the taxation of this sale. Considering the amount of money involved, I wanted to know how much the State was going to deduct from this sale.

Now that I've got the answer, I can estimate the value of my business.

I started prospecting around me, throwing out hooks, seeing if I could get a bite.

If I'm going to sell, I might as well see if there's anyone around me who's interested, before I go off canvassing strangers. Sometimes you can get surprises.

I also got the answer from Flippa and Empire Flippa: the French language is not a blocking factor for them.

Where I got a surprise was when I started thinking about the company description. I had a kind of block.

It's totally stupid: I "need" this money to start a new life. And yet, just as I was beginning to write about how buying this company was a worthwhile investment for anyone with a modicum of intelligence, I froze.

I don't know if it's something some people here have already felt, a kind of ambivalence: wanting to sell and at the same time, thinking "this will be the end of something, but, what will I be afterwards?"

I feel like I'm going to lose part of my identity and at the same time, I'm suffocating every day at the moment. Every night, I say to myself "I can't wait for this to be over".

I can imagine it must be very exasperating to read this, it makes me feel like I don't know what I want.

Jaxx77 said:

Try joining some flip telegram groups. I know there are a lot of people searching on there

Click to expand...

I hate Telegram/WhatsApp/Signal groups

I mean, I've not read all the comment, but to sell or not I guess it's depends on Price/Revenue

anttlamberty said:

I mean, I've not read all the comment, but to sell or not I guess it's depends on Price/Revenue

Click to expand...

Of course!
But, given Flippa's estimate and the fact that they pay on commission, I'm not too worried about the price.

The funny thing about all this is that I was a bit confused when I sent my last message, "should I sell or not" and so on.

I turned off the PC, did the stupid thing of going on Twitter and then, as if on cue, "I REALLY need to get the hell out of this country !".

I've never been so motivated to liquidate my assets and start a new life in another country. I have friends who have told me that if it weren't for the kids, they'd pack their bags and move elsewhere.

Is your business labor intense? Or is it more like a passive business where you don't have to do a lot of work? Is the monthly revenue not enough for you to leave the country? Or does it require you to be in a specific location?

You've put a lot of work into this business to take it to where it is today. I understand that you feel very attached, but what are the pros and cons?

Do you like working on this business? Or would you like to invest elsewhere? What's the worst that could happen if you sell and move away? What is the best that could happen?

Are you afraid of change?

Mr. Blackhat said:

Is your business labor intense? Or is it more like a passive business where you don't have to do a lot of work? Is the monthly revenue not enough for you to leave the country? Or does it require you to be in a specific location?

You've put a lot of work into this business to take it to where it is today. I understand that you feel very attached, but what are the pros and cons?

Do you like working on this business? Or would you like to invest elsewhere? What's the worst that could happen if you sell and move away? What is the best that could happen?

Are you afraid of change?

Click to expand...

Thanks for your questions, I'll try to answer them as honestly as possible.

Is your business labor intense? In fact, much of it can be automated. In fact, I do everything myself.

Or is it more like a passive business where you don't have to do a lot of work? In fact, I've got a whole bunch of crap to deal with, like accounting, administration, PEOPLE. That's the boring part of the job.

Is the monthly revenue not enough for you to leave the country? The monthly income generated, after tax, is comfortable, especially as taxation in my country is very high, and just by moving abroad, I'll gain in purchasing power, on an equal income basis.

Or does it require you to be in a specific location? If you'd asked me in October 2019, I'd have told you that location was important. Since then, COVID has passed, so no.

You've put a lot of work into this business to take it to where it is today. I understand that you feel very attached, but what are the pros and cons? It's laughable to say this, but the main benefit - apart from the pay - is the social status. You've got something to talk about at dinner parties. Except that I don't really care. My ex was like that: he LOVED to brag about his profession. Except that, in the end, he earned less than if he served burgers at McDonald's. The counters start to pile up. I'm just tired.

Do you like working on this business? The intellectual part of the job appeals to me. The rest bores me. I think I'd be a lot less bothered if I just did dropshipping or affiliate marketing.

Or would you like to invest elsewhere? I do have an idea in mind for a new business. Something a bit far-fetched. I "tested" my idea on a few people, to see how they reacted. I still think it's far-fetched, but the people I talk to think there's a card to play.

What's the worst that could happen if you sell and move away? To fail, to lose the money I would have made from the sale, to have to start from scratch, to lose my address book.

What is the best that could happen? That my far-fetched idea works, that I create a new business that allows me to live decently, make new friends, maybe even find a husband, buy a house, have time to enjoy life, win an election and become a Member of Parliament, because I'd have had time to build relationships with the inhabitants of my target constituency.

Are you afraid of change? I think so. Possibly because for the first time, I have a choice. Before, I've never had a choice, I've always been subject to change and adapted to it. Maybe that's why I'm getting on everyone's nerves on the forum.

Some news since Sunday.

On Monday, I had a meeting with someone who might be interested in taking over my business.

Two hours of detailing, explaining and so on.

Between you and me, I'm not at all sure that it's going to happen with this person.

I've contacted one person again, and they're supposed to put me in touch with another. No news on this front. I'm stopping myself from sending nervous messages: “Have you spoken to her?” every five minutes.

I took myself by the hand today and contacted two companies in sectors quite similar to mine. Let's just say we have interests in common. We'll see if anything comes of it.

I'm waiting until I've exhausted my immediate leads and if that doesn't work out, I'll go for Flippa.

In absolute terms, I'd like to sell to someone I can talk to face-to-face. But if that's not possible, I'm not going to wait forever for someone to show an interest.

Or I'll take my chances and approach one of my country's best-known entrepreneurs.

What happens then? The guy laughs in my face. Great, it won't be the first, and I'll get over it.

When I set up the business I want to sell today, everyone laughed at me, told me it would never work, that there were already companies in the same sector, blah blah blah.

The result: it's been running for eight years, it's generated decent sales, without being outrageous, it's acquired a notable reputation and my competitors ... they've gone out of business.

I've also been thinking about the point raised by @Mr. Blackhat : I'm planning to return to the town where I want to settle around October, to visit the different districts and do some real estate prospecting, pure and simple.

We'll see where I am by then, but if worse comes to worst, he's right: there's nothing to stop me leaving, continuing to develop my business while putting it up for sale on Flippa.

I'll let you know if I have any news, even if I'm not convinced that my tribulations are of interest to many people here. Let's just say it feels good to be able to talk about it somewhere.

A little advice: Keep doing your current job with your business until you sell it, it makes your business more valuable in the eyes of buyers

Davis Ads said:

A little advice: Keep doing your current job with your business until you sell it, it makes your business more valuable in the eyes of buyers

Click to expand...

I do
Anyway, until the sell is not done, I will not "kill" it.

This looks interesting. I would like to know more details about your business. Please send me PM

Note: I am willing to sign NDA

Alpha1404 said:

I do
Anyway, until the sell is not done, I will not "kill" it.

Click to expand...

Well then, you seem bored when you mention it
Be proud that you worked hard for it

Much better to find an independent buyer who can pitch your entire business to the right way. Flippa is okay but probably won't get much on there.

Davis Ads said:

Well then, you seem bored when you mention it
Be proud that you worked hard for it

Click to expand...

I'm not as motivated as I used to be, but I can't move forward until I sell my current business, so it's in my interest to keep it growing. Also piyr to increase its value.
If I let it go downhill, it won't be worth anything.

rocketpr said:

Much better to find an independent buyer who can pitch your entire business to the right way. Flippa is okay but probably won't get much on there.

Click to expand...

I'm not convinced.
A guy contacted me on LinkedIn. I explained the business to him. Since then, radio silence.
On Flippa, the site takes a commission on the sale, so it's in their interest to find buyers.

AlexAkimbo said:

This looks interesting. I would like to know more details about your business. Please send me PM

Note: I am willing to sign NDA

Click to expand...

I will

Hi there! Selling a non-English speaking business on Flippa is definitely possible, although it may limit your potential buyer pool. That being said, if your business has a strong following and revenue stream, there may still be interested buyers.


As for your second question, it's important to be clear about what you're selling and what you're not. If your business is based on crowdfunding and you're not allowed to sell the customer base, you'll need to make that clear in your listing. However, if the buyer is interested in continuing the work and has their own financing strategies in mind, there could still be potential for a sale.

Anis Hull said:

Hi there! Selling a non-English speaking business on Flippa is definitely possible, although it may limit your potential buyer pool. That being said, if your business has a strong following and revenue stream, there may still be interested buyers.


As for your second question, it's important to be clear about what you're selling and what you're not. If your business is based on crowdfunding and you're not allowed to sell the customer base, you'll need to make that clear in your listing. However, if the buyer is interested in continuing the work and has their own financing strategies in mind, there could still be potential for a sale.

Click to expand...

I'm well aware that selling a site that isn't in English severely limits the potential spectrum of buyers.

As for what I do and don't sell, it's obvious that I'm not going to lie to my potential buyers, especially as my whole business is based on transparency.

I've been testing the waters a little to see how my customers would react in the event of a sale. They clearly told me, “if the buyer works well (I'm just summarizing), there's no reason why we shouldn't follow him”.

After that, the most likely switch a buyer could make is to switch the site to a full paywall, with a subscription system, and change the current economic strategy. This is perfectly possible.

The most important thing to remember is that this is a very healthy ecosystem, with a good digital reputation. I'm not just talking about search engine reputation, I'm really talking about brand recognition.

And I'm perfectly willing to support the transition with the future buyer, to give him all the keys to the business, to help him, and so on. This can be part of the sales contract.

Jaxx77 said:

Try joining some flip telegram groups. I know there are a lot of people searching on there

Click to expand...

can you list a few groups here?