Sell your business
Sell Your Business with a Full Sell-Side Process
If you're looking for a business broker to sell your company, SMB Exit Partners represents owners of privately held businesses through preparation, buyer outreach, negotiation, due diligence, and closing.
We primarily work with businesses generating approximately $1 million to $20 million in annual revenue and work with business owners across the United States.
Our approach goes beyond posting a listing and waiting for inquiries. We prepare the business, identify the buyer universe, conduct targeted outreach, and remain directly involved through closing.
Prefer to start on your own? Try the valuation estimator →
- $1M–$20MRevenue focus
- Partner-ledStart to close
- NationwideBusiness owner representation
Who Is SMB Exit Partners a Fit For?
SMB Exit Partners is built for owners of established privately held businesses who want professional representation through a sale.
Our primary focus is businesses with approximately $1 million to $20 million in annual revenue.
We work with owners across the United States and across a range of service and lower-middle-market industries.
Revenue alone does not determine whether we are the right fit. The business, its financial profile, ownership goals, timing, industry, likely buyer universe, and what the owner wants from a transaction all matter.
Some owners contact us because they are ready to sell now. Others want to understand what their company may be worth, what buyers are likely to care about, and what should be improved before going to market.
What Does Full Sell-Side Representation Actually Include?
Hiring someone to sell a business should involve more than placing the company on a marketplace.
- financial analysis and normalization
- preparation of buyer-facing information
- buyer research and targeted outreach
- confidentiality and buyer qualification
- offer analysis and negotiation
- diligence and closing coordination
Different firms use different titles, including business broker, M&A advisor, intermediary, and investment banker. Those labels can overlap.
For an owner, the more useful question is:
What will this firm actually do to sell my business?
That is the question our process is designed to answer.
How to choose a business broker →
Before We Take a Business to Market, We Want Five Questions Answered
More buyer outreach is not automatically better.
Before approaching the market, we want to know whether the business can be explained clearly and whether qualified buyers will have enough information to evaluate it intelligently.
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What Does the Company Actually Earn?
Reported financial statements do not always tell the complete economic story of a privately held business.
Before buyers evaluate the company, we want a clear understanding of historical performance, appropriate normalization adjustments, and the earnings framework most relevant to the business.
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Why Are Those Earnings Transferable?
Buyers are not purchasing the seller's past.
They are evaluating what they believe the business can produce after ownership changes.
That means understanding customer relationships, recurring or repeat revenue, management, employees, systems, owner dependence, and other factors that influence whether performance can continue.
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Which Risks Will Buyers Identify?
Every business has risks.
Customer concentration, owner dependence, employee issues, unusual financial adjustments, deferred investment, inconsistent reporting, contracts, leases, or other issues can become important during diligence.
Known issues are generally easier to prepare for before a letter of intent than after a buyer discovers them.
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Which Buyers Have a Specific Reason to Care?
Not every buyer will value the same company the same way.
A strategic acquirer may care about customers, geography, capabilities, employees, or market access.
A financial buyer may focus more heavily on earnings, management, growth, and durability.
An individual operator may evaluate the business differently again.
The objective is to identify buyers for whom the company makes sense rather than assuming the same story will appeal equally to everyone.
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What Will Buyers Need to Make an Informed Offer?
A buyer cannot intelligently evaluate information it does not have.
Before going to market, we want important financial, operating, customer, employee, and company information organized well enough that qualified buyers can understand what they are evaluating.
If those five questions cannot be answered clearly, the first priority may be better preparation—not more buyer outreach.
Not sure what your business is worth?
Request a Free Valuation Review
If you are considering a sale, tell us a little about the business.
We can review the basics with you, discuss the factors buyers are likely to care about, and provide an initial perspective on valuation and next steps.
There is no obligation to engage SMB Exit Partners.
A preliminary valuation discussion is not an appraisal, fairness opinion, or guarantee of what a buyer will ultimately pay.
Thanks, we received it.
We'll review what you shared and follow up to learn more about the business. If you would prefer to talk sooner, call (914) 200-3388.
Four Things We Want in Place Before Going to Market
Clear Financial Story
A buyer should be able to understand what the company earns, what adjustments have been made, and why those adjustments are supportable.
Transferable Business
The buyer should understand what depends on the current owner and what is expected to remain after ownership changes.
Defined Buyer Universe
We want a reason for specific buyers to care about the company rather than assuming every buyer will see the same value.
Prepared Diligence
Known issues and important documents are generally easier to address before an LOI than after a buyer begins intensive diligence.
Good preparation does not create value that is not there.
It helps buyers understand the value that is there.
What Happens After You Engage Us?
Once the business is prepared, we define the buyer universe, conduct appropriate outreach, manage interest and offers, and stay involved through due diligence and closing.
The exact process depends on the company and transaction, but the principle is consistent: prepare carefully, reach buyers deliberately, evaluate more than headline price, and remain engaged after an LOI is signed.
What Should You Expect From the Firm Selling Your Business?
| Area | What you should understand before hiring a firm |
|---|---|
| Valuation | How the firm develops and supports its view of value. |
| Preparation | What financial analysis, company information, and buyer-facing materials will be prepared. |
| Buyer development | Whether the process relies mainly on listings or also includes targeted buyer research and direct outreach. |
| Confidentiality | When identifying information is released and what protections are required. |
| Buyer qualification | How prospective buyers are screened for fit, seriousness, capital, financing, and transaction readiness. |
| Offer evaluation | How price, structure, financing, contingencies, rollover, earnouts, working capital, escrow, timing, and closing risk are compared. |
| Diligence | Who stays involved after an LOI is signed and how requests and negotiations are coordinated. |
| Execution | Who will actually work on the transaction from the first conversation through closing. |
A seller should be able to ask exactly how each of these areas will be handled before signing an engagement agreement.
Read the complete business broker selection guide →
How Does SMB Exit Partners Get Paid?
Our sell-side engagements include an engagement fee when work begins and a success fee if the transaction closes.
Most of our compensation is therefore tied to a completed transaction.
Exact economics are provided in writing before an owner decides whether to work with us.
When comparing firms, owners should understand more than the headline percentage.
- Is there an upfront engagement fee?
- Is there a minimum success fee?
- How is the success fee calculated?
- What is included in transaction value?
- Are expenses separate?
- Is there a tail period?
- What work is actually included?
Read more about broker fees and engagement terms →
Questions Business Owners Ask Before Selling
Should I use a business broker to sell my business?
Many owners benefit from professional representation because selling a privately held company involves preparation, buyer sourcing, confidentiality, negotiations, due diligence, and transaction management.
Whether a particular broker or firm is worth hiring depends on the quality of the process they will actually run, who will do the work, the economics of the engagement, and the needs of the specific business.
Can I sell my business without a broker?
Yes.
An owner can sell without hiring a broker or sell-side firm.
Doing so means the owner is responsible for preparing the company, finding buyers, protecting confidentiality, evaluating interest, negotiating offers, managing diligence, and coordinating the transaction.
Owners should compare the cost of representation with the time, expertise, reach, and execution required to manage the process themselves.
What is the difference between a business broker and an M&A advisor?
The terms overlap.
“Business broker” is commonly associated with privately held small-business transactions, while “M&A advisor” is generally used more often as transactions become larger or more complex.
There is no universal dividing line.
Owners should focus on the actual service being provided, who represents them, how the business is prepared, how buyers are reached, and who remains involved through closing.
What should I ask before hiring someone to sell my business?
Ask how the firm will value and prepare the business, how buyers will be identified, who will work on the transaction, how confidentiality will be handled, how buyers will be qualified, what happens after an LOI is signed, and exactly how the firm is compensated.
The answers should be specific enough that you understand what will actually happen after you sign the engagement agreement.
How does SMB Exit Partners get paid?
Our sell-side engagements include an engagement fee when work begins and a success fee if the transaction closes. Exact economics are provided in writing before an owner decides whether to work with us.
Does SMB Exit Partners work with owners nationwide?
Yes. SMB Exit Partners works with business owners across the United States.
The appropriate buyer universe for a privately held business can extend well beyond the seller's immediate geography, although location may still matter depending on the company and industry.
Next step
Thinking About Selling Your Business?
You do not need to know exactly what your company is worth or have a sale timeline figured out before starting a conversation.
Some owners come to us ready to sell. Others want to understand what the business may be worth, what buyers are likely to care about, what should be improved before going to market, or what a professional sale process would involve.
If your business generates approximately $1 million to $20 million in annual revenue and you are considering a sale, the first step is a confidential conversation.
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Your inquiry has been received. We respond within one business day, usually faster. If you would prefer to talk sooner, call (914) 200-3388.