Frequently Asked Questions

SellYourPrintingBusiness.com was created by Minuteman Press International to help independent print, sign, and promo shops sell their printing business at no cost to them. We are the world’s largest printing franchise with over 50 years of experience as industry leaders. Since opening our doors in 1973 and since we started franchising in 1975, we have helped buyers with ongoing training and support while securing sellers with an exit strategy when they are ready to sell their business.

Our straightforward process has one goal in mind: to simply sell your printing business to a qualified buyer who will then receive the benefits of franchising with us. We do not charge any commissions or broker fees because our goal is to keep our franchise system healthy and growing. We also strive to carry on the legacy of your business and make sure your clients receive the same high standards of quality and service that they have been accustomed to from your business.

• We offer a free evaluation of your printing business to help you set the right price
• We save you time by locating and qualifying buyers for you
• We save you money by placing ads for the sale of your business at no cost to you
• We save you time by training and supporting the buyer after the sale is completed

According to SCORE, a non-profit association for entrepreneurs and partners of the U.S. Small Business Administration, a business sale usually takes between 6 months to 2 years (source: investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/sell-small-business.asp). That means once you decide to sell your business you can’t lose focus and still have to operate it until it’s sold.

If you’re looking to retire, but aren’t quite ready yet, you’ll want to make sure you time things properly. Even if you aren’t thinking about selling your business just yet, you want to make sure you are preparing now. Making minor changes today can equate to a higher return on your business during the sale down the road.

One advantage of partnering with Minuteman Press is that we can help facilitate the sale in a timely manner while doing the legwork for you. Minuteman Press will be there for you every step of the way, saving you the extra effort, time, and money on locating a buyer.

In addition, because Minuteman Press is already tasked with evaluating printing businesses and then connecting buyers and sellers, we can help you handle the selling process in a timely manner. After all, when a current franchise owner is looking to retire or sell the business, Minuteman Press steps in to assist with finding qualified buyers and securing a proper exit strategy. That infrastructure within our franchise system is already in place, which gives us an edge on helping people sell their printing businesses.

Yes! All inquiries are strictly confidential.

Minuteman Press has relationships with the top business for sale websites and has a proven method to market and advertise a printing business. We will spend money on campaigns that are specific to your business locally and nationally.

By partnering with Minuteman Press, you will be able to save time and money, and everything is done in a confidential manner. In addition, Minuteman Press has local representatives who will meet with buyers face-to-face. We will interview, vet, and qualify buyers before you meet with them, which can save you from having your time wasted.

The buyers also know that after the sale is completed, they will receive full training on ongoing support from Minuteman Press. That is also a huge benefit to you, since you won’t have to worry about training the buyers, and you’ll have the extra added peace of mind that your business will be in good hands.

As the first step of conducting a proper evaluation of your business, some of the business & financial documents would be reviewed first, including the following:

• Brief history of the business
• Financial records
• 3 to 5 years of tax returns and P&Ls
• Balance Sheet
• Equipment list
• Equipment leases
• Employee details

Many buyers also like to have a detailed overview of the business that explains what the business is all about, the history, and how business is conducted. These not only help the buyer feel more confident with their purchase of your business but it will also ease their transition and make life much simpler down the road as they begin to operate as the new owner.

The business evaluation can make or break the sale, so it’s important to get a proper evaluation. Many owners may evaluate their business on potential, past earnings, the amount they invested in it, and the time, effort, and emotional attachment to the business. However, what it really all comes down to is the financial performance of the business and how it compares to similarly sold businesses.

Minuteman Press will help you assess and evaluate your business. Our free evaluation will look at factors such as:

• Past performance history
• Revenue & expenses
• Equipment (owned and leased)
• Trends for the business – are sales up or down?
• Cost of goods & labor expense – are percentages in line with industry standards?
• Owner’s responsibilities and duties
• Employees’ responsibilities and roles

The main objective for this free evaluation is to get to an idea of what the business can sell for and to make sure it is priced right. Minuteman Press can provide insight on what similar printing businesses that are in line with similar performance are selling for.

Also, while selling your business is understandably an emotional decision, this evaluation will help get to a fair asking price that fits with the financials that buyers will be assessing.

1. Trying to figure out what your business will really sell for. Most industry experts will evaluate and value your business on a multitude of factors. However, we’ve found that the best and most important indicator is mainly what similar businesses are currently selling for based on a multiple of earnings. This information is not always available or accessible as it takes a lot of experience, time, and effort.
   
   The bottom line is that a proper evaluation and the right selling price can make the sale, while an improper evaluation and the wrong selling price can break the sale. If you set too high of a price, potential buyers who are reviewing business for sale opportunities will gravitate towards more fairly priced businesses, and yours will only make the other options look better.
2. Having to spend the extra time and money to find and qualify buyers while still running your business. This is very time-consuming and the costs can add up. You’d be spending a lot of your own money upfront to advertise the sale, and then you’d be spending a lot of your own time having to interview, qualify, and vet potential buyers.
3. Having to provide additional training and support to the buyer yourself after the sale. Even if you do find a buyer, there is also the issue of providing the buyer with training and support after completing the sale. This can tie you up in the business after the sale, causing extra work and effort on your end.

1. Our free evaluation conducted by our experienced team will help you set the right price for your business.
2. We are able to attract a wider pool of qualified buyers who are looking to join our franchise, plus we will place ads for the sale of your business at no cost to you.
3. Following the sale of the business, we will provide comprehensive training and ongoing support to the buyer.

Minuteman Press can assist with the negotiation process and also help qualified buyers obtain financing. When a printing, sign, or promo business is priced properly, we have found this to be a very straightforward and quick process.

Once terms are agreed upon and then finalized, the buyer will attend our training school. We will then continue to train them onsite assisting with the transition. Typically, your responsibility in the transition process will be to introduce the new owner to clients and provide them with an overview of daily operations.

Perhaps the most important benefit of utilizing the resources provided by Minuteman Press is that in addition to getting the proper value for your business, you’ll also know that the business you’ve put all that hard work into is going to be well taken care of after you move on, as well as the clients you’re leaving behind.

Following the sale, Minuteman Press will provide the buyer of your business with full training and ongoing support. During this time, you would introduce your clients to the new owner, which allows for an easier transition. Our goal is to ensure that your business continues to build strong relationships with your clients.

Because the buyer will be supported by Minuteman Press, it means your clients will be left in good hands. Minuteman Press has over 45 years of experience in training and supporting buyers. With our longevity in the industry and support capabilities, you can rest assured that your customers will be taken care of after the sale is complete.

In the last several years, we have helped many business owners like you sell their printing business. Here are some recent stats and figures:

• We’ve sold businesses that have had in excess of $7,000,000 in yearly sales
• We’ve sold businesses located in the USA, Canada, the UK & Australia
• The average location was in business for 31 years
• The timeframe for selling has typically ranged from 3.5 months to 1.5 years
• Most of the buyers we have found did not have prior industry experience (our training, support, and franchise system can attract a wider pool of buyers)

Call us at 1-800-645-3006 to speak with one of our experienced team members or fill out the form on this page – all inquiries are strictly confidential: https://sellyourprintingbusiness.com/contact-us/