Recently we spoke with Azhar (Bill) Khan, President of Sunbelt Business which is the largest business brokerage firm in the Philippines and the world has sold more businesses over the past 30 years than any other company.
Sunbelt Business Brokerage Philippines is starting its operations officially in Eastwood City, August 2017.
Mr Khan and I agreed for this interview that he be referred within as “Bill”.
In a careful analysis, Bill decided to start Sunbelt Business Brokerage in the Philippines since it was difficult for buyers to buy an existing/operating business for overseas (OFW’s), foreigners and even local residents due to (a) no set systematic approach of specialization in this area. Current laws in the Philippines have made it very complicated for a new buyer to have full independence professional guidance to make sure that they are fully protected from all possible areas which may not be openly disclosed by and between the sellers or buyers.
Azhar (Bill) Khan
Bill who has lived in over 25 countries, managed or owned various types of business operations from small franchises to large public companies, some even trading on US Stock Exchanges, brings his unique experience to both buyers and sellers to make sure the process goes smoothly.
To add further to Bill’s extensive resume, he has substantial experience within the Philippines over the past 7 years in operating, managing new startups to successful operating business operations from Call Centers, Information Technology Development Companies, Commercial Real Estate, International Trading to Night Club Operations.
The acquisition of Sunbelt Business Brokerage, Philippines will provide business owners of commercial operations from as small as 2 million, up to 50 Billion pesos adequate comfort to know they are dealing with the company who can guide them in a professional manner from the beginning, to ongoing, to even re-selling at a later time. Transactions will be completed in a very confidential way not to affect current operations, staff or suppliers, who may get worried knowing that the business could change hands with little time notice. Overall these processes are carefully monitored in a manner not to affect ongoing business operations.
Sunbelt is by far the largest business brokerage firm in the world with a network of over 300 offices worldwide, it provides an existing base of potential buyers for their business which enables Sunbelt Philippines to select qualified buyers that can meet the goals of the seller in the way the future business is operated.
In addition to Bill, Sunbelt Philippines has a very strong team of seasoned current & former business owners in the Philippines & overseas with specialization in various industries.
At Sunbelt all transactions are approved by the company’s highly experienced legal team, independent accountants and bank escrow companies for distribution of funds, in addition, validating all documents with various agencies as to their authenticity
Sunbelt Business Brokers Philippines Team
Currently, there is a major demand from OFW’s wanting to return to their home country in the Philippines and to operate their own business as the Philippines economy continues to grow and the standard of living continues to improve countrywide. With incentives in place, we expect Sunbelt to play a major role in providing avenues for OFW’s to return and acquire obtainable businesses base on their individual financial needs within the scope of businesses they seek. In addition, the Philippines been one of the fastest growing economies of the world with the population of over 130 million, we have lots of foreign investors looking to move away from western countries to settle down in the country with better weather and lifestyle than their own countries, providing them longer happier life.
In my interview with Bill, we embarked on a question and answer session that extremely informative, not only to me but hopefully for those reading this article now.
-Julie: “Sunbelt Philippines corporate office in Eastwood City has started operations with a very professional team of former business/current owners as Professional Business Brokers to provide a very unique experience for both buyers and sellers.
Why buying or selling a business is important and how does the business brokerage compare between USA and Philippines?”
-Bill: In our lifetime, we will make any major purchases and buying or selling a house is likely one of the biggest. While most home buyers and sellers know precisely what they are looking for: from the number of bedrooms to the size of the property, to the listing price – purchasing or selling an entire business is unique, presents a number of challenges, and requires specialized expertise to ensure both business sellers and buyers receive the greatest value for their Pesos or dollars.
Buying or selling a business – from Automobile Dealerships, Casinos, Night Clubs, Gas stations, Hotels, IT Companies, Resorts, Private Islands, Mining, Oil & Gas Companies, Various franchise brands, Online Internet companies and more – is about much more than numbers. By sitting down with owners who have put their heart, soul, time and money into their business, Sunbelt discusses all aspects of valuation in detail.
These include the location of the business, processing systems, an age of staff, market positioning, where customers come from, age of equipment, risk, and more. “The numbers don’t tell the whole story, and I don’t trust other peoples’ valuations. Even if the business owner had a valuation, we insist on re-doing it. Only in this way, can he come up with an accurate, objective value for the entire business, and go to market with pricing and strategy that reflects true worth.
Many business owners are not only professionally invested in their companies, but have worked to build them up for decades in some cases, and have developed a personal attachment to their work. Unlike someone who works for another company and retires at sixty-five, the average business owner sells at seventy-one years of age and has literally invested their life into their work.
Selling a business can be complex. You need to be a psychologist, a financial analyst, a great salesperson, and more. By the time we finish a deal, not only did we deal with the financials, the valuation, funding the transaction, educating the buyer and the seller, but we have also had to deal with the seller who has a tough time letting go. There were many strong emotional attachments and part of the issue with some sellers even after they have received full payment is that some still find themselves unhappy since they did not realize that the business was no longer be part of their life. Therefore, we also have to educate business sellers to start planning for life after the sale, as some can become a disruption to the new owners of the business since they mentally did not prepare themselves that we will be able to finalize the sale of their business that quickly.
Furthermore, it is very important for business sellers to gather all the required documents necessary for the sale. Since we have qualified buyers and they do not want to review the business fully it makes major financial commitments along with time unless all legal documents of the business are in proper legal order. Otherwise, we are unable to present the business to our buyers with full confidence with missing documents, since this can delay a sale for finalization by months, as time is money for the buyers. Further, we only work on an exclusive listing basis and not waste the time of the seller or buyer.
Entrusted with helping business owners find the right buyer, Sunbelt maintains professionalism and the utmost discretion throughout the entire process of packaging a company for sale. Working confidentially, Sunbelt does not disclose the name of any business for sale to anyone, unless the prospective buyer already signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Taking the process seriously, the highly trained team at Sunbelt will ask potential buyers for their net worth, aspirations, passions, skills and more to match them with a business that is the right fit.
For Philippines owners, selling a business through anyone else can be risky for a number of reasons. Some less than reputable organizations or individuals value a business at two to three times its actual worth, with the result that the business never sells.
Ultimately, the goal of a successful business owner is not to keep working into old age, but to retire, spend time with family, and transition their companies, processes, staff and systems to new ownership. Currently, a large number of business owners of Philippines children who have grown up, graduated from college are pursuing different professional careers rather than join the family business as this has also created situations for current owners to sell the business as we see many companies contacting us with this situation.
For anyone interested in selling or buying a business in the Philippines, Sunbelt’s highly trained team is available to make this process as smooth as possible. Realizing that many who come to Sunbelt are first-time buyers, company staff will help educate them and guide them step-by-step through locating, valuing, financing, and purchasing a privately held business that is right for their needs.
Undergoing extensive training, many Sunbelt brokers are themselves former business owners, well-educated, almost all of them with first-hand experience. Most of our business brokers already been successful in their own businesses, and they do it because it is fun and exciting in making people’s dreams and goals come true.
Further, we have a major advantage with qualified buyers in the Philippines and worldwide with our own personal contacts. Further Sunbelts over 300 offices worldwide provides a unique base of fully qualified buyers.
In Metro Manila, mostly the developers have been very successful with excellent projects with ongoing growth expanding to other areas of the country with the current government limiting more development permits in Metro Manila area so growth can take place in other areas of Philippines. Further infrastructure projects are going to be very big for the country as the population expands. Will see more highways, railroads, airports around the country growing at a fast pace.
We see huge potential growth and more importantly providing a company for people to make it easier to obtain a business and fulfil their dreams of owning a business for personal financial growth.
The Philippines is one of the fastest & established markets for franchises whether locally developed or major international brands. We see continued growth in this market especially with expansion to the province areas.”
About Sunbelt Business Brokers Philippines
Sunbelt Business Brokers was founded in 1979 in Charleston, South Carolina. It began franchising in 1993 and has franchises throughout the United States and internationally. The company is now based in Independence, Ohio.
Sunbelt has expanded to become the world’s largest business brokerage operation with over 300 franchised office locations worldwide.
Sunbelt has been able to maintain its leadership in the business brokerage industry by investing in professional education programs for our office owners and brokers, developing leading-edge technology and systems, and leveraging our international office network to better serve our clients.
Sunbelt Business Brokers Philippines is owned by Master Franchisor, Azhar (Bill) Khan. Under his vision and management, Sunbelt Philippines has quickly grown to serve the Philippines fast-growing economy. Head offices are located in Eastwood City, Metro Manila. Sunbelt sells more businesses than any other firm in the whole world.
For further information:
Sunbelt Business Brokers, Philippines, 11U Cyber One Eastwood Ave, Cyberpark Eastwood 1110, Philippines :
Contact: Azhar “Bill” Khan (639) 17115 5973