01
The generalist problem
A broker who has sold nine restaurants and one machine shop will price your machine shop like a restaurant. Industry specialists know the buyer pool, the normal add-backs, and what a strategic acquirer will actually pay.
For Owners Preparing to Sell
Most owners hire the first broker they call.
You get one shot at selling the business you spent decades building. We help you understand what it is worth, learn what separates a good broker from a bad one, and get introduced to two or three who actually work deals like yours.
No cost to you, ever. Brokers pay our referral fee out of their commission, never out of your proceeds.
Why this matters
~20%of listed small businesses actually sell
2–4×SDE is the typical main street sale multiple
6–18months from listing to closing table
94%of asking price is what businesses average
The problem
Picking a broker badly is expensive, and you won't find out for a year
Business brokerage is lightly regulated. In roughly 33 states you need no license at all to sell someone's company. The gap between the best broker in your market and the average one shows up in your wire transfer.
02
The listing-mill problem
Some firms sign every seller who walks in, list high to win the engagement, then let it sit. Your business goes stale on the market, and a stale listing sells for less or not at all.
03
The size mismatch
Business brokers generally work up to about $5M in value; M&A advisors work above it. They reach different buyers and run different processes. Hire across the line and you get the wrong process for your deal.
“The best thing a seller can do is spend two weeks choosing an advisor instead of two hours. It is the highest-leverage decision in the entire transaction.”
What experienced M&A attorneys tell first-time sellersHow it works
Three steps, about a week
We are not a broker and we never take a side in your negotiation. We are the front door: we help you get oriented, then hand-pick advisors worth your time.
Tell us about the business
Industry, location, roughly what it earns, and when you want out. Four minutes. Your business name stays confidential and is never shown to a broker until you approve an introduction.
A person reviews your file
Not an algorithm spraying your details to twenty firms. Someone matches you on deal size band first, then industry, then geography, and checks the broker has current capacity.
You meet two or three
We make a warm introduction and step back. You interview them, compare, and pick. If nobody fits, tell us and we go again. There is no obligation to list with anyone.
Start here
What is your business actually worth?
Buyers price main street businesses off Seller's Discretionary Earnings, not revenue. Our free estimator runs the same math a broker will, in about two minutes.
The library
Everything we know about selling a business
Written for owners who have never done this before, which is almost everyone.
Choosing an advisor
"Business Broker or M&A Advisor: Which One Do You Need?"
Learn how business brokers and M&A advisors differ in process, buyer reach, and fees—and how to figure out which one fits your deal siz
Read the guide →
Fees
"What Business Brokers Charge, and What's Actually Negotiable"
A plain-English breakdown of broker success fees, Lehman formulas, retainers, minimum fees, tail clauses, and what you can actually neg
Read the guide →
Licensing
"Does Your Business Broker Need a License? A State-by-State Reality Check"
Learn which US states require a business broker to hold a real estate license, which have no requirement, and what to look for when you
Read the guide →
Valuation
"How to Calculate SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) Without an Accountant"
SDE is the number buyers use to price small businesses. Learn the exact calculation, which add-backs survive due diligence, and how SDE
Read the guide →
Preparation
"Twelve Months Out: The Pre-Sale Checklist That Raises Your Multiple"
A timeline-driven checklist covering what to do 12 months before listing your business to maximize your sale price and avoid deal-killi
Read the guide →
Confidentiality
"How to Sell Your Business Without Your Employees Finding Out"
What happens when a sale leaks, how blind profiles and NDAs protect you, and when to tell your employees. A practical confidentiality p
Read the guide →
You built it once. Sell it once, correctly.
Find out what it is worth, then meet the two or three brokers actually qualified to sell it.
Get matched with a broker