Before We List Your Business,
Let’s Make Sure It’s Ready to Sell.

Revenue is the primary driver of valuation methodology, buyer type, and transaction structure. Sub-$1M businesses attract individual buyers using SBA financing. $1M–$5M businesses attract lower middle-market buyers and private equity-backed strategics. Over $5M, you enter a different deal universe entirely — larger buyer pool, higher multiples, more complex terms. Approximate is fine. This is not a commitment to a number.

Financial record quality is the single most common reason deals fall through after an LOI is signed. Buyers do not walk away from good businesses — they walk away from businesses whose financials cannot be verified. Clean, CPA-reviewed books with 3 years of tax returns accelerate the deal and protect the valuation. Messy books create retrading risk. Your honest answer here tells us what preparation work needs to happen before we go to market.

Seller motivation directly affects deal timeline, price flexibility, and buyer confidence. A seller who is financially motivated and emotionally ready moves faster and closes more cleanly than a seller testing the market. This is not a judgment — it is a structural factor. Buyers sense ambivalence in negotiation and during due diligence. Knowing your actual motivation helps us position the engagement and the business correctly from day one.

Owner dependence is one of the top three valuation discounts buyers apply. A business where revenue, relationships, or operations flow through the owner is a higher-risk acquisition than one with documented systems and a leadership team. This does not disqualify your business — but it determines how we position it, what transition timeline we build into the deal structure, and what your realistic valuation ceiling looks like.

Price expectation alignment is responsible for 25% of all failed business sales, according to the International Business Brokers Association. Sellers who have unrealistic price expectations based on emotional attachment rather than market multiples waste months — theirs and their broker’s. We use revenue, EBITDA, and comparable sale data to establish market-clearing valuations. Your honest answer here tells us whether we are starting from the same data set.

Timeline is a major deal-structure variable and a significant input to your readiness score. The business sale process typically takes 6–12 months from engagement to close. Sellers who need to exit in 90 days require a different approach — and a different kind of buyer — than sellers with 18 months of runway. Your timeline also affects whether we pursue a broad-market process or a targeted outreach to a specific buyer type. Be realistic here — optimistic timelines create pressure that damages deals.

Prior market exposure affects deal velocity and buyer perception in ways most sellers don’t anticipate. A business that was listed for 18 months and did not sell carries a market stigma — buyers assume something is wrong. If your business has been to market before, we need to understand why it did not sell and what has changed before we go back out. Honest answers here save months of wasted effort on both sides.

Referral source tells us about your expectations and your awareness of what the process involves. Sellers referred by attorneys, accountants, or financial advisors typically arrive more prepared than those who found us through a cold search. That is not a quality judgment — it is a calibration. We adjust the first conversation accordingly so we meet you where you are, not where we assume you are.

You have answered 9 of 10 questions. Your Seller Readiness Score, deal tier classification, and recommended first step are already calculated — enter your contact information to release your results and route your assessment to the appropriate advisor. This is the last step. Your information is used only to follow up on this assessment. Your business is always treated as confidential.