Questions Owners Ask
Straight answers for owners thinking about a sale.
The answers below are short on purpose. If yours isn't here, book a call and ask us directly.
No questions match that search. Try seller financing, worth, or confidential.
How a Sale Works
The first questions most owners ask us.
01Do you keep my team?
In most cases, yes.
A good business sells because of the people running it. That is how we structure our deals, with the team in place from day one.
Our deals are structured to keep the people who helped you build it in place.
02How long does a sale take?
Once terms are agreed, we aim to close in four to eight weeks.
A first conversation can happen this week.
A real close date in weeks, not a listing that sits while the market decides.
03Do I need a broker?
No.
You're welcome to use one if you have one you trust. The choice is yours from the first call.
One conversation with the buyer, not a parade of strangers through your business.
04What does it cost me?
Nothing in fees.
We charge sellers no fees, ever. On a $1M sale, the success fee alone runs $100,000. Valuation and legal costs come on top of that, along with the other costs of selling. You may still cover your own legal and tax advice, as on any sale.
Source: Double Lehman fee scale, published broker guides, 2026.
You keep the money a broker would take.
05Is the conversation confidential?
Yes.
Nothing gets listed, and nothing gets announced. Your staff hears it from you, when you say so. Early conversations stay between us while you decide what comes next.
Your staff, customers, and competitors never find out from a listing.
Sources: BizBuySell, 2025 Year in Review. IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse, Q2 2026. Double Lehman fee scale, published broker guides, 2026.
Take our free five-minute assessment to get an estimate of what your business could sell for.
What's My Business Worth? Book a CallPrice and Fit
How we price a business, and what we're looking for.
$1M to $10M a year
That range is firm. We hold to it on every deal.
At least $300K
At least $300K in cash flow provable from tax returns. The price conversation starts from your real numbers.
A wide range of industries
Commercial cleaning
Staffing and recruiting
Agencies and consulting firms
Bookkeeping
IT services and MSPs
Home and commercial services
Light manufacturing
Specialty distribution
Sign and print shops
RV parks and campgrounds
Laundromats
Fire protection services
Software and SaaS companies are looked at one at a time. You get a straight yes or no on fit early.
Continental United States
A business doesn't get ruled out because of its zip code.
06How do you decide what my business is worth?
We start with your tax returns.
We look at what the business has actually made, then tell you the price the deal can support and walk you through the math. You see the reasoning before you decide anything.
A straight number early, with the reason behind it.
07My business runs on a license I hold. Can you still buy it?
It depends on your team.
The business has to be able to run under a qualified member of your team. If everything stops without your personal license, it probably isn't a fit. We'll tell you that early, before you spend time on a full process.
After the Sale and Your Advisors
What happens after a sale, and who can bring us a deal.
08Will you change the name or move the business?
In most cases, no.
The name is a big part of what we're paying for in the first place. That is how we structure our deals, keeping the business in place under its existing name.
Our deals are structured around the name and place your customers already know.
09I have a broker, CPA, or attorney. Will you work with them?
Yes.
Bring your own advisors into the conversation whenever you like. We will work through them from the first call and keep them in the loop at every step.
Seller Financing
How seller financing works, and how you are protected.
10What is seller financing?
Some or all of your price arrives as monthly payments after closing, with interest.
Whatever you do not finance is paid at closing from the buyer's cash and any bank loan.
The amount you carry is written up as a note with a rate, a payment schedule, and an end date.
The long version is here: How Seller Financing Works.
11Why do buyers ask for seller financing?
It reduces the cash a buyer must bring to closing.
Banks rarely lend the full price of a small business.
A note from the seller can cover the part the bank will not.
It also shows the buyer's bank that the seller stands behind the numbers.
12Why would I agree to seller financing?
Deals with financing attached can support a stronger price.
More buyers can afford to close, so the pool you choose from is wider.
You also collect interest on the note for as long as it runs.
You trade cash today for a higher total across the deal.
13How much of the price would I be asked to finance?
It varies, and it is set deal by deal.
How much is financed turns on the business, the structure of the deal, and your situation as the seller.
There is no standard share, and the share is one of the terms agreed in the offer.
14How does seller financing work next to a bank or SBA loan?
Your note sits behind the bank's loan.
On an SBA deal, the bank may require your note to be on standby for a period.
Standby means the bank is paid first and your payments wait, or run smaller, until the bank allows them to start.
The exact standby terms are set in the loan paperwork.
15How am I protected, and what happens if payments stop?
Your protections are the ones written into the note and the closing documents.
They are agreed before closing, and they can include security over the business and its assets.
If a payment is missed, the note sets out late fees and a cure period first.
If payments stay missed, you can enforce the protections the documents give you.
Your protection is written into the note before closing, not negotiated after a problem.
16How does seller financing change my taxes?
Your gain is usually spread across the years you are paid.
Sellers who are paid over time can often report the gain in installments as the payments arrive.
The rules are specific to your situation, so run the structure past your own CPA before you sign.
What Goes Into Your Price
The factors that set your number, in the order buyers weigh them.
17What is SDE, and why does it drive my price?
SDE is the cash flow an owner-operator takes out of the business.
It starts with profit and adds back your salary, your benefits, and one-time costs.
Buyers multiply SDE by a factor for your industry to reach a price.
For owner-run businesses, it is the number the whole conversation turns on.
The companion measure is covered here: SDE vs. EBITDA: Which One Prices Your Business?
18Which add-backs count, and which ones get rejected?
An add-back counts when you can prove it.
Owner salary and one-time costs with receipts behind them usually hold up.
Personal spending with no paperwork usually does not.
Every add-back you claim will be checked against your tax returns during diligence.
Tracking them properly starts here: Getting Your Books Ready to Sell.
19My books are messy. Does that actually lower my price?
Yes, because buyers price what they cannot verify as risk.
Tax returns carry the most weight in any valuation.
Clean monthly books that match your returns make your earnings easy to believe.
Gaps and personal spending mixed in give a buyer reasons to pay less or walk away.
20What pushes my multiple up or down?
The multiple is a judgment about risk, and it moves with proof.
Small service businesses often trade between two and a half and four times SDE.
Revenue that repeats under contract is worth more than work you win fresh each month.
A business that runs without the owner earns more than one that stops when the owner leaves.
One customer carrying a large share of revenue pulls the number down.
A steady growth trend pushes it up. So do a team in place and sound equipment.
Your lease position matters too, because a buyer needs time in the location to earn the price back.
The full walk-through is here: What Is My Business Worth?
Getting Ready and Getting Through It
The handover, the deals that fail, and what to do before you are ready.
21What does the transition period look like after I sell?
You stay on for a handover, and its length is set in the deal.
Most buyers want you around to introduce key customers and train whoever takes your seat.
Some handovers run a few weeks and some run a few months.
What you will do during it should be written down before closing.
22Why do deals fall apart?
Most die on numbers that do not match, not on price.
Earnings that cannot be proven from the returns are the usual cause.
The rest die in diligence, when surprises surface or financing falls through. Some end because the owner gets cold feet.
What diligence actually checks is covered here: Due Diligence When You Sell a Business.
23What should I do now if I want to sell in a year or two?
Make your earnings easy to prove and your role easy to hand over.
Close your books monthly and keep them matched to your tax returns.
Move personal spending out of the business accounts.
Write down who does what, so the business is not a mystery without you.
Two guides cover this ground: Getting Your Books Ready to Sell and Reducing Owner Dependence Before You Sell.
Start now and the proof is already sitting there when a buyer asks.
Still have a question?
Take the assessment for a price estimate. Or book a call and ask us directly.