Starting, running and growing any business can require a massive mental physical and financial commitment. Many new skills have to be developed outside the owner’s core area of competence – with mistakes along the way being part of the learning process.
An amusing historical item describing reactions to various terrorist threat levels in different countries that seems appropriate for our ‘Friday Funnies’.
We have had periods of apparent confusion for nine months over differences in COVID-19 guidelines for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales - in alphabetical order to avoid accusations of bias. We are now facing a myriad of travel, meeting, activity and sector related issues with the new tier criteria.
Many entrepreneurs that were contemplating a sale or retirement in the next few years have had their plans thrown to the wind by the experiences of the last nine months.
I wish I’d spent more time at the office - a quote that you will rarely hear when remaining life becomes short. The opposite comment is almost invariably the case. Lost time with one’s partner, children and grandchildren is impossible to catch up – but you can reassess the future and take action to redress the balance.
When lockdown started in March many fishermen lost most of their traditional market overnight with the closure of restaurants and the reduction in business for the food service sector with the closure of offices and factories. Prime catch was selling from the boats for a tiny fraction of its usual market rate.
In some sectors, serious buyer interest has already returned despite rapidly changing COVID-19 restrictions, and the continuing trading uncertainties relating to BREXIT – indeed current exchange rates are encouraging European, US and far eastern acquirers to transact now.
Despite difficult COVD-19 dominated market conditions there are still more quality buyers than there are good companies to buy. Some buyers understand this and use it to their advantage. They are keen to find businesses that are not for sale and situations where they have no competition, in an attempt to end up with a better “deal”. Smart sellers should also understand this.