When is the best time to sell a tanning salon?

Wow!!! Ok this is a loaded question!

First you have to ask your self why you are selling it. If you have a time line, like it has to be sold by next week....well you are most likely out of luck,as most tanning salons that sell take about 90 days to 9 months from the time your tanning salon is listed for sale to the time the new buyer and you shake hands and exchange keys and payment.




I have witnessed salons that were off the market with otherwise happy owners sale in a week when the market changes and the perfect buyer walks in the door with the coffers to back up an offer in cash.

I have also personally tried to buy a salon for five years before buying that tanning salon on my terms at 90% off original asking price and then flipping my interest on it 9 months later at almost a 1000% return.

With this said The best time to sell, is when you don't need to, and don't have to and to an extent don't really want to. Why is this? its projection

Yep projection. Basically if sales are going well, customers are happy and you like being there, it translates to a good thing, and buyers want a good thing and understand if there are reasonable that it will take more motivation on there part (more money to you) to get you motivated to hand the shop keys over to them.




With that said, since most sales that are realistically going to happen, happen in 9months or less (for many but not all salons that eventually sell), I suggest listing your salon for sale about 6-8 months before your busy season normally begins, this will position most sales to occur right before or at the beginning of busy season which normally translates to a faster close of a deal, and a higher deal price, plus immediate satisfaction for many tanning salon buyers since they get to step in right at the best, busiest and for many most intriguing  part of the tanning industry year..... busy season!!!