How To Sell Your South African Business Online

As a business owner, you've been successful by finding ways to meet demands in your local area or specific sectors of the economy. You were their ability to sell your skills, your network, your labour, your ideas or products to willing buyers at a profit. Marketing yourself and your brand to customers been ingrained in you day after day so isn't it ironic that when it comes to selling your business, many business owners find that it is a task they struggle to complete?

Now when it comes time to sell something you've to build and know everything about many find it hard due to sentimental reasons, not having a network with financers, not having the time to attract and profile buyers and so much more. Selling a business is also not a quick sale, it can take months, even years to find a buyer to complete the purchase, and in that time, the business needs to continue running. Splitting your focus between the two can also leave your business lacking leadership or resources, or see you miss out on potential offers by spreading yourself too thin.

Thankfully this is not a unique struggle, and thousands of business owners across South Africa looking to move on, sell up, retire or exit for new opportunities have come across. Business selling platforms have started to spring up locally to meet this issue and help connect buyers and sellers.

If you're keen on selling your business or checking out its market value, then these online business selling platforms could be the right fit for you.

1. Bizexchange

Bizexchange is a website run by a Business Brokerage and is part of the prestigious Aldes business brokerage franchise group with 40 offices in South Africa since 1979. They have years of business experience in various industries, such as corporate executive positions to small business expertise.

To get started, all you need to do is complete a sell my business request, and they will help you with the rest of the process.

Visit them at: http://www.bizxchange.co.za/SellMyBusiness.aspx

2. Biz2sell

Greig Fitzell founded Biz2Sell Business Brokers in 2015 with a focus on helping business owners sell in the Johannesburg area. Since October 2019 we now assist sellers of Businesses in Cape Town, Durban and Tshwane East through our carefully selected and trained Area Licensees. We have many Areas still available, and our goal is to have 15 thoroughly trained and successful Licensees in all major cities by the end of 2020.

Visit them at: https://biz2sell.co.za/

3. Business for sale

BusinessesForSale.com is a family-run business headquartered in London; along with their teams spanning the world with people in Sydney, North Carolina and Mexico City. It also has a South African domain for locals to register and use the service which has been going since the mid-90s.

Visit them at: https://www.businessesforsale.co.za/southafrican/sell-a-business

4. Business hunters

Business Hunters is a South African business sales, business valuation and merger and acquisition intermediary firm. They specialise in working with business owners, individual investors and private equity groups in the private sale, acquisition and valuation of privately held businesses.

Visit them at: http://sellyourbusiness.co.za/

5. Business2sell

Established in 2006, the Business2Sell Group has experienced a stellar rise to the upper-tier of websites that specialise in business and franchise sales. Business2Sell now has a worldwide reach with sites in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and the USA.

Visit them at: https://www.business2sell.co.za/

Taking the hassle out of selling

Part of getting a favourable offer for your business is taking your time; sellers can smell desperation and are looking to capitalise, the less they can pay the quicker they can turn a profit on your old business. If you're willing to wait it out and leverage multiple offers, it can be a great way to ensure exit on a high. Using online selling platforms can help you tap into "buyers" you would not have otherwise had access to and the more comprehensive your range of offers, the more options you have to negotiate.

Have you sold your business recently?

How did you sell it? What was your experience like moving on from what you built? How would you do it differently? Let us know in the comments section below.

Contact us

If you would like to know more about marketing for your business then don’t be shy we’re happy to assist. Simply contact us

Are you looking to promote your business?

South African small business owners can create your free business listing on nichemarket. The more information you provide about your business, the easier it will be for your customers to find you online. Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign up form and follow the instructions.

If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles. 

• How to create a nichemarketer profile 
• How to create a nichemarket business listing 

Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have a little extra time to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, why not check out the following posts on small business.

• 5 Tips for Funding Your Small Business
• Small Businesses That Can Go Digital During The Lockdown
• 10 Retail Market Secrets That Every Small Business Should Know
• Don't Ignore These 4 Digital Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
• 14 Ways To Leverage Facebook As A Small Business
• How South Africans Can Kickstart Their Side Hustle
• Alternative Funding Solutions a Small Business Needs to Know
• How South African Small Businesses Waste Money

Tags: Business