Being an entrepreneur, you understand the challenges of running a startup. There’s a lot to overcome in terms of expansion and stability, and you have to do everything from the scratch, in the right way. However, some businessmen beg to differ and take a different route altogether, i.e., buying an existing business. At least, it’s a relief for them to escape the painful startup period.
While you may foresee many benefits of investing your time in an already established venture, it does come with a lot of risks. It has its own set of challenges. In this blog, we’ll discuss all of it in detail.
What the Pros of Buying an Existing Business?
The product is already tested
When buying an established venture, you may have a decent idea about the product’s market reach or how well its services have been accepted by the customers. In a layman’s language, if you buy an established general store, you’ll have it easy retaining loyal customers and attracting large footfalls. It’s already known to many people, and you’re more likely to take it from that standpoint rather than conducting market surveys to know your customers better.
It’s the prime benefit of investing in an already existing business. You can scale up your business from a middle point and build strategies around retaining your loyal clientele and how to attract new prospects. The business plan will differ. However, a lot depends on the success of the business. If you’re investing in a failed business, you may have to take everything in your stride and build it from the first day. But it comes easy with a successful establishment.
Easy selling
No doubt that an already existing business paves a way for you to sell its products and services easily and quickly. You’re certainly not obliged to look after it as a startup and build a network first to attract customers. In the case of a retail shop that already has a good presence, you don’t have to think on the lines of purchasing inventory, equipment, or hiring resources. You can directly shift your focus to sales and marketing strategies. Here, your staff will already be trained, and you’ll already have a solid rapport with your vendors and suppliers.
Easy to avail of credit facility
As a passionate entrepreneur or a leading MSME, you would realize the significance of business financing that allows your freedom to grow your business. Now when you’ll be running an established venture, several investors and lenders will look through your business credit report but not minutely. They may already be under the impression that your business holds a good rapport in the market, and there’re no risks in lending you funds.
There’s another way to look at things here that can save your business from fraud. The business you buy may come with a list of debtors. So, how do you ensure payment settlement in this case? Well, you can report your business credit defaulters on the CreditQ platform and benefit from its relatable services. It helps MSMEs and businessmen settle payments with their business credit defaulters through a standard approach. It’s smart to think about how to save your business from fraud alongside creating strategies to grow an existing business.
What the Cons of Buying an Existing Business?
Your business may demand to restructure
When you decide to take up things on your shoulders, you may come across different challenges to make things right to secure or survive an establishment. Contrary to your hopes, your business may fall tight and encounter problems, such as demotivated employees or frequent turnover. Your equipment might be outdated, or your vendors and suppliers are not reliable enough to trust them for a longer time. It’s equally possible that you’ll have to pay an existing debt. Remember, if there’re advantages to buying an existing business, you should be ready to face the struggles as well.
You could fall into suspected fraud
Buying an existing venture could be risky. You may find out that the previous business owners took it casually and may have misrepresented financial figures or paid no attention to business repair. Or, they may have debts more than expected, and you’ll have to bear the brunt in that case. These things are challenging and may take time to repair. To make things easy, you can consult a lawyer and review all legal documents with him or her. Also, you should scrutinize and conduct thorough research or a background check before buying an existing business.
You may find it difficult to set a vision
When you take over an existing business, it’s your responsibility to flourish it from there. However, when a business is already set, it reflects the vision of the previous business owner and what he or she wanted out of it. Your way of working and business strategies may differ, and by the time you want to do things your way, your customers are habitual of an existing business model. It takes time and money to build a good business. You can rather wait to find a relevant opportunity to start your business rather than investing your time and money in an already established venture.