The Questions Owners Actually Ask
Selling a business is unfamiliar territory for almost everyone who does it — most owners only do it once. These are the questions we hear most, answered the way we'd answer them on a phone call: honestly, and without the sales gloss.
Getting Started
3 questions
A business broker manages the entire sale of your business on your behalf — pricing it, preparing the financials, writing the marketing materials, finding and qualifying buyers, negotiating the deal, and guiding you through closing. That is the entire reason this firm exists: most owners have never sold a business before, and the process is full of decisions that quietly determine whether a deal closes — and at what price.
Sooner than you think. Ideally, 12–24 months before you want to be out. The businesses that sell for the most are the ones that were prepared quietly, over time — not the ones rushed to market in 60 days. Starting early gives us room to clean up the financials, normalize the add-backs, and make the business look the way a buyer needs to see it before they pay top dollar.
Readiness is part financial, part personal. Financially: Are your books clean, your add-backs defensible, and your revenue trend stable or growing? Personally: Are you ready to step away — emotionally and practically? If you are not sure, that is exactly the kind of thing we talk through in a confidential conversation. No pressure, no commitment — just an honest read on where you stand.
What Your Business Is Worth
5 questions
It depends — and anyone who gives you a number in the first five minutes is not doing the work. Valuation is driven by your trailing financials, your add-backs, your industry, your growth trajectory, your customer concentration, and the quality of your books. We build a defensible valuation from the ground up, and our accounting team recasts your financials so a buyer (and their lender) can see the real earning power of the business.
We use a combination of methods — primarily multiples of Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) for smaller owner-operated businesses and EBITDA multiples for larger ones. We look at comparable sales, industry benchmarks, and the specific risk profile of your business. The number that matters is the one a buyer and their lender will actually underwrite — not a theoretical figure that sounds good but falls apart under diligence.
A recast adjusts your tax-return financials to show the true economic reality of the business — adding back personal expenses, one-time costs, owner compensation, and non-recurring items that a buyer would not need to pay. Without a recast, your business looks less profitable than it actually is, and buyers price it accordingly. With one, the real earning power is clear — and defensible.
Yes. A valuation is not a commitment to list — it is information. Many owners get a valuation years before they actually sell, because it tells them what to fix, what to grow, and what the business is worth today versus what it could be worth with another year of preparation. Think of it as a diagnostic, not a listing agreement.
Consistent earnings. A buyer is buying future cash flow, and they pay more when that cash flow is predictable. The factors that drive the multiple — not just the revenue, but the multiple a buyer applies to it — include:
The financial recast is where the real work begins. Most owners see a lower number on their tax return than the business actually earns — because they have been optimizing for taxes, not for sale. A proper recast closes that gap, and it is the foundation everything else is built on.
Learn how we approach valuationCost and Timeline
3 questions
Our commission is a percentage of the sale price and is paid at closing — which keeps our incentive aligned with yours: get the best deal, on the right terms, and actually close it. Fees depend on the size and complexity of the business, so we go through every part of them with you in our first conversations, and all of it is documented in the engagement agreement before you commit to anything.
On average, 6–12 months from listing to close — though well-prepared businesses in active markets can move faster, and complex deals can take longer. The timeline breaks down roughly as: 30–60 days of preparation and marketing, 60–120 days of buyer outreach and LOI negotiation, and 60–120 days of diligence and closing. The single biggest factor is preparation. A business that is ready to be shown sells faster and for more.
Prep & Marketing
30–60 days
Outreach & LOI
60–120 days
Diligence & Close
60–120 days
Prep & Marketing
30–60 days
Outreach & LOI
60–120 days
Diligence & Close
60–120 days
If a business does not sell, it is almost always because of one of three things: the price was wrong, the books were not clean enough, or the buyer pool was too narrow. We address all three before going to market — which is why most of our listings do sell. If a deal falls through after an LOI, we go back to the qualified buyer pool and continue. You do not start over from zero.
Confidentiality and Marketing
3 questions
Confidentiality is the foundation of everything we do — and the structure of it is deliberate. Every buyer signs a Non-Disclosure Agreement before they see any detail about your business. Marketing materials are written to describe the business without naming it. Employees, customers, vendors, and competitors are never told the business is for sale. We control who sees what, and when.
Only the buyers we qualify and approve — and only after they have signed an NDA. Your employees, customers, suppliers, and competitors are not informed. We take it as a given that a breach of confidentiality can damage your business, your staff morale, and your customer relationships — so we treat it as a hard line, not a preference.
We produce a full set of professional-grade materials: a Blind Teaser (a one-page anonymous summary used to generate initial interest), a Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) (the comprehensive document buyers use to evaluate the business), and supporting financial summaries. You can see examples on our Marketing & Presentation page. These are not templates — they are written and designed specifically for your business.
Buyers, Financing and Closing
5 questions
We run an active, targeted outreach process rather than waiting for buyers to find us. We maintain a database of qualified buyers, private equity groups, family offices, and search fund operators, and we go to them directly with a blind teaser. As we often say, one buyer is not a buyer at all — you need competition for your business to get the best price and terms. We create that competition.
Broadly, three: Individual buyers (often transitioning from a career, buying a business to operate), Strategic buyers (companies in your industry or an adjacent one, buying for synergy or market expansion), and Financial buyers (private equity groups, family offices, and search funds, buying for return on investment). Each type values different things, structures deals differently, and moves at a different pace. We target the right mix for your business.
Every prospective buyer signs an NDA, completes a buyer profile, and provides proof of funds or financing pre-approval before they see the CIM or any identifying detail. We verify that they have the financial capacity to close, that their background fits the business, and that they are not a competitor fishing for information. If a buyer cannot pass these checks, they do not see your business.
Seller financing means you carry a portion of the purchase price as a note, paid back over time by the buyer. It is common in smaller deals and can help a transaction close when a buyer cannot fully fund with bank financing alone. Whether you need to offer it depends on the deal size, the buyer, and the financing environment — and we lean on relationships across the lending community to maximize bank-side funding before seller financing is needed.
No — it is the best time. The owners who get the best outcomes are the ones who started the conversation early. Our Growth Program is built for exactly this: we work with you over 6–24 months to strengthen the financials, reduce risk, and position the business for a higher sale price — before it ever goes to market. You are not committing to sell. You are preparing to sell well.
Let's Have a Conversation
The fastest way to get a real answer about your specific business is to ask someone who does this every day. A confidential, no-obligation conversation — we'll listen, answer your questions, and give you an honest read on what you've built.