Mergers and Acquisitions Advisor to alarm,
integration, guard, fire and security distribution companies.
(416) 925-7474
SELLING YOUR BUSINESS
We secure the best offers on your behalf, taking little time away from you and your operations.
In its selling function, Harding acts as an intermediary to help owners sell their security
business. Selling your business is not as easy as putting a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window. Victor Harding has been selling security businesses for more than 20 years.
Like using a good realtor to sell your house, we bring market knowledge, a large
network of contacts and experience in closing deals.
Sellers need to understand that the Buyer will undoubtedly have all sorts of advisors
(accountants, lawyers etc.) working on their side; so you, the Seller, need someone on
your side.
Working with an experienced broker in the industry helps guarantee you get the best possible price. In addition, using an intermediary usually gets the deal done faster and under more confidential conditions.
What Harding will do for you
➔ Review your selling proposition to ensure that you are selling for the right reasons and at the best time.
➔ Provide you an estimated valuation of your business to establish realistic expectations.
➔ Review the broad tax implications of any deal and push you on your plans after you sell.
➔ Create a selling package that best describes your business to potential buyers.
➔ Search out potential buyers and solicit bids from the best of them.
➔ Advise you on choosing the best offer and negotiate a Letter of Intent.
➔ Monitor the due diligence process for the Seller.
➔ Help the seller and their lawyer in the review on the final Purchase and Sale agreement, which is usually drafted by the buyer.
➔ Work to close the deal.
We take charge of the entire selling function from start to finish.
We believe the seller needs multiple competing offers to get the best price for your business. We also believe it is best that you continue to run your business while we work on selling it. Harding Security Services Inc. has an extensive buyer contact list, knowledge of the market, valuation skills and the ability to get a deal done. If you already have a buyer for your business and need unbiased advice on the terms being offered and assistance getting the deal closed, Harding Security can help you here as well.
Our fees are a small percentage of the final selling price.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several reasons to hire an independent party to help you sell your business. Just as you know how to run your business, a good intermediary will know how to sell your business. They will know what your business is worth and who might buy it. Secondly, an intermediary is there to do the work to get multiple offers for your business. Finally, it is far easier to keep the sale of your business confidential if you are using an outside intermediary.
We sell all kinds of security companies—alarm, integration, fire protection, distribution and integration guard companies. The common element is recurring monthly revenue (RMR).
We have sold or bought businesses for as little as $30,000 in purchase price - all the way up to several million. We work across Canada and the United States.
From a tax perspective, it usually makes more financial sense to sell the shares of your business. You can use part, or all of your one-time capital gains exemption on the sale of shares of a Canadian Controlled Private Corporation. However, not all buyers will buy shares, particularly of smaller companies. Selling assets (or just the accounts) can be done faster and usually attracts a higher price than shares.
It depends. Most deals can be closed in 6 months - some in even less time. Trickier deals can take as long as a year or more.
Our fee is a small percentage of the final selling price. This can vary from 2–8% depending on the size of the deal. Smaller sized deals attract a higher percentage.