In a business sale transaction, the parties, through their negotiations and discussions, initially may reach a meeting of the minds on the basic terms of the deal such as price, timing and other major issues. The next step is typically for one of the parties to have his or her attorney draw up the definitive sale documents that will be signed as part of the transaction. However, the drafting process can sometimes be costly and time consuming, and thus it is often advisable for the parties to sign a “letter of intent” or “term sheet” to memorialize the basic terms of the deal and to make sure that both parties are clearly in agreement on those basic terms. 

As usual, to do this you will need to spend time working ON the business, not just IN the business.

Ideally, business owners become motivated to sell their business at the same time business buyers are willing to offer the sellers an attractive price. Unfortunately, that is usually not the case. Many business owners wait to plan the sale until the reasons to sell become a compulsion.

In any event, more and more people are looking to themselves for the answer to future employment. As a result, business sales are increasing nationwide. There is an emergence of a new breed of entrepreneur -- the "modified risk taker." The dictionary defines "Entrepreneur" as, "a person who organizes, operates and assumes the risk for a business venture." This definition implies that the "classic entrepreneur" starts a business from scratch. Starting a business from scratch is a risky venture. Consider that nearly two thirds fail during their first three years of operation. The "modified risk taker" coming out of corporate America typically buys an existing business or franchise to bypass most of the start-up risk.

In order to limit risk, all would-be entrepreneurs should examine their strengths and weaknesses. See if you are even qualified to consider business ownership, because not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. The following questions from the American Small Business Institute can help you see if you possess some of the more vital entrepreneurial traits:

While certain tangible elements like financial analysis, return on investment, market conditions, industry trends, etc. are important to any buyer, often times, intangible elements separate your business from the rest. Many times this comes down to nothing more than sales savvy when positioning your business for sale… a trait you undoubtedly gained by being a business owner.