Confidentiality is an issue over which we find views crossing the spectrum of concern, from complete paranoia, to very little or no concern at all. We are of the view that confidentiality does matter and will matter to both parties, and that any disregard for confidentiality threatens the value of the Company to both buyer and seller.
For important reasons, we recommend to any owner thinking about selling the company today, tomorrow, or any day, that the event be approached quietly.
We recommend that NO information be release at any time, indiscriminately. Instead, we recommend that a selling strategy be carefully calculated, developed and prepared in written detail, and thereafter, that such information be disclosed only under strict terms of confidentiality and only to those who have been pre-qualified and identified as having sincere and capable buying interests.
Many would be interested in ‘looking and learning,’ given a chance. Some may be interested in buying the Company for less than fair market value. Fewer will be both capable and seriously interested in purchasing the Company for its full market value, but such is the interest that should be identified before any identified disclosure is made, and such disclosure should be limited to just those few.
At the same time, in order to be of interest to a buyer seriously, and in order to ascertain the sincere interests of any potential buyer, one must be prepared to disclose a great deal of confidential information. And, while this might sound like the chicken or egg conundrum, it is achievable.
Commencing with Registration, any and all information Business-Trader.com will receive from our Users will be held and handled as follows:
REGISTRATION: User Registration information; Name of Business, name and address, telephone, login and password will be treated as Confidential Information and for the purposes of registration only. However, Contact Information within the registration form is designed to be posted within the Ad for the purpose of providing the Ad reader a point of contact.
CONTACT INFORMATION: We recommend therefore, that such “Contact Information” within the registration form be such that does not identify the business. But, even if it does, you will have a second chance when you are creating an Ad, to override and replace any identifying contact information (such as an email address perhaps), with another that does not.
AD POSTING: All information that will be incorporated into an Ad Posting will of course be displayed on Business-Trader.com as intended, for all to see, so again, not confidential. In such case therefore, in order that you retain your anonymity as well as that of your company and business, we suggest that you exercise real care and attention so as not to identify the business or its ownership, either directly by name or address, email or telephone, etc., or indirectly by the detail of your descriptions, until you are satisfied with respect to the other party’s interest, capabilities and legitimate intent, and until both buyer and seller agree to take the step that will identify each to the other.
CONTACT US: All information provided to Business-Trader.com will be treated as Confidential Information.
FURTHER ASSISTANCE: Business-Trader may be in position to provide further assistance to some with respect to the buy/sell processes; assistance in the processes of creating and posting a strong Ad perhaps, or maybe in the development of a business valuation, or with the preparation of a sale presentation package, or with respect to any other process set out in the seven selling steps, (see menu to the right). In order to provide such assistance may necessitate our review of certain confidential information, such as financial statements, for example, if assisting in the development of a business valuation and/or sales presentation package. We will enter into a Confidential Agreement from the outset of any such engagement, and will hold any and all such Confidential Information in the strictest of confidence.