Selling your business: How to navigate the legal minefield
By Scott McKenzie and Andrew Henshaw, Directors, Velocity Legal
Selling a business can be a bittersweet moment.
On one hand, you are ‘cashing in’ and will have the opportunity to free up time for other priorities. However, ending your journey can be a tough moment, particularly where you have a strong personal connection with your business.
Being emotionally invested can make it difficult to maintain focus and objectivity. In our experience, this often heightens risk. Although adopting a cavalier approach and rushing to settlement to ‘get the deal done’ might seem like the easiest option in the short term, it can potentially cause sleepless nights and financial losses in the years after the transaction is finalised.
When selling your business, the dream is to reach settlement and walk off into the sunset without having to worry about the business ever again. In order to do so, a vendor needs to carefully navigate the transaction process, and ensure that they have robust protections in place.
The Process
Selling a business is not just a matter of signing a contract and waiting for payment. Even the most simple business sale transactions will have six key milestones, which are as follows:
Navigating the Minefield – The Key Traps!
Business owners looking to sell often fall into avoidable legal traps. Careful planning and meticulous execution of the transaction can reduce these risks significantly. The table below provides some guidance about navigating the minefield.
| Issue | Description |
| Why can the purchaser pull out of the deal at the last minute? | Vendors are often too generous with ‘conditions precedent’, which create a platform for the purchaser to pull out of the transaction.
Some common conditions precedent are:
Although the conditions precedent above might seem benign, it is important to place appropriate parameters around these conditions to minimise the risk of the purchaser being able to pull out of the deal at the last minute. |
| Where did my money go? | Many business owners negotiate a great purchase price, but then end up having it whittled away by various adjustments within the Business Sale Agreement. Some examples of common adjustments which can erode the purchase price include:
|
| Why haven’t I got my money yet, and why does the future performance of the business matter? | Another key potential issue regarding the purchase price is whether there is any ‘Deferred Consideration’ or ‘Earnout’ component. These aspects can be briefly summarised as follows:
Getting clarity on the operation of any proposed deferred consideration or earn out arrangement is critical, because you can potentially end up with far less in your bank account at the end of the process than what you expected. |
| Get me out of here! | Vendors are at risk of mentally and emotionally ‘checking out’ from the business once the Business Sale Agreement is signed. Cunning purchasers might identify issues during due diligence and then use those issues as leverage to re-negotiate the purchase price. |
| Why am I still on the hook? | A ‘clean exit’ will be impossible to achieve if appropriate vendor protections are not included in the Business Sale Agreement. There are two main traps for vendors in this area, which are:
|
| That’s not what we agreed! | The devil is in the detail with the Business Sale Agreement, and generic or ‘off the shelf’ contracts should be avoided at all costs.
Vendors can find themselves in a very precarious position if the terms of the deal are not accurately reflected in the Business Sale Agreement. A disconnect between the verbal agreement between the parties and the wording of the contract has the potential to cost a vendor tens of thousands of dollars. |
| Why can’t I do anything? | Restraint of trade obligations can greatly restrict your freedom after you sell your business. Some common restrictions include:
Although restraints are sometimes a necessary evil, it is important to understand exactly what you are restricted from doing to ensure that there are no nasty surprises after settlement. |
Dictionary of Terms
There are a lot of technical legal terms used during business sale transactions. Here is a short dictionary of common legal jargon used in these processes, along with a short simple English explanation.
| Term | Simple Explanation |
| Heads of Agreement / Memorandum of Understanding | A short form contract which sets out the key terms of the deal. This document must be very carefully worded to avoid any unexpected Capital Gains Tax consequences. |
| Warranties | Contractual promises about the business. For example, the vendor might provide a warranty that ‘the business is not currently involved in any court disputes’. |
| Indemnity | A promise to protect another party against something. For example, the vendor might provide an indemnity to the purchaser relating to financial losses which flow from any historical underpayment of employees. In this situation, the vendor will essentially be required to reimburse the purchaser for any financial loss suffered due to underpayment of employees. |
| Completion / Settlement / Closing | This is the point at which the ownership legally transfers from the vendor to the purchaser. |
| PPSR | This is an abbreviation for ‘Personal Properties Securities Register’. The PPSR is a public noticeboard which provides a list of security interests which have been registered against a particular ACN, ABN or company name. |
| Conditions Precedent | A condition which must be satisfied before the parties are required to complete the transaction. For example, ‘subject to finance’ is a condition precedent. |
Summary
The end of the business ownership journey can be a very exciting time, and a time that many business owners dream about. It is important to carefully navigate the minefield of potential legal traps to ensure that this dream does not turn into a nightmare.
Insight Authors…
SCOTT MCKENZIE
Director
Scott has been recognised as a leading commercial lawyer in Australia. He is held in high regard for his strategic mindset and is renowned for being technically sharp. Scott’s practice covers all aspects of commercial law, with a strong emphasis on complex transactions and business co-ownership matters. Scott is focused on leading by example. He provides precise advice and tenaciously protects his clients.
Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law.
0432 920 510 • VIEW DETAILED PROFILE • READ ALL OF SCOTTS ARTICLES
ANDREW HENSHAW
Director
Andrew leads Velocity Legal’s Sydney practice.
If you are in a fight with the ATO or looking to restructure your business, you should have Andrew in your corner. Andrew is passionate about getting wins for his clients, solving difficult legal issues, and giving his clients clear and confident guidance. Andrew is a Chartered Tax Advisor, holds a Masters of Law from the University of Melbourne and is the author of ‘Life, Death and Taxes’. Andrew is also a passionate snowboarder and is always up for the next adventure in life.
0421 219 553 • DOWNLOAD VCARD • READ ALL OF ANDREW’S ARTICLES
