Seller Resources

Selling a Business: The Complete Guide

Preparing to Sell

3 guides

• Business Sale Checklist: The Quick Reference Version
  A condensed business sale checklist covering financial, legal, operational, and buyer-facing items — the quick reference, not the full guide.
• Increasing Your Business's Value Before You Sell
  Increasing your business's value before you sell means fixing what actually moves your multiple. Here's what to prioritize, and in what order.
• Selling a Small Business Checklist: What to Prepare
  A selling a small business checklist covering financials, legal documents, operations, and what buyers ask for at each stage of the sale.

The Selling Process

13 guides

• Best Resources for Selling Your Small Business
  From valuation tools to brokers to legal prep, here are the best resources for selling your small business — and how to use them in the right order.
• Best Way to Sell a Small Business: How to Choose
  There's no single best way to sell a small business — the right path depends on your priorities. Here's how to actually choose one.
• Need Help Selling Your Small Business? Start Here.
  Not sure where to start? Here's who to call, what to prepare, and how to avoid the mistakes that kill most deals when selling your small business.
• Selling Your Accounting Business: A Practical Guide
  Thinking about selling your accounting practice? Here's what the process looks like — valuation, finding a buyer, and protecting client relationships through the sale.
• Selling Your Business Fast in the United States
  Need to sell your business fast? Here's what actually speeds up a sale in the U.S. — and what sellers accidentally do that makes the process drag on for months.
• Selling Your Business Yourself: A Practical Guide
  Want to sell your business yourself? Here's the step-by-step playbook — setting a price, finding buyers, handling offers, and closing the deal.
• Selling Your Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
  Thinking about how to sell your business? Here's what the process actually looks like — valuation, finding a buyer, due diligence, and closing.
• Selling a Business Idea: What Buyers Actually Pay For
  Wondering how to sell your business idea? Here's what buyers and investors actually pay for — and the fastest path from concept to a deal that closes.
• Selling a Small Business Online: A Practical Guide
  Selling a small business online means more than posting a listing. Here's how to list, vet buyers, and protect confidentiality.
• Selling a Small Business Privately: What It Involves
  Selling a small business privately means no public listing and a hand-picked buyer list. Here's how a private, off-market sale actually works.
• Selling a Small Business Quickly: Why Local Buyers Matter
  Want to sell a small business quickly? A local buyer pool often closes faster than a national search. Here's why, and how to find one.
• Selling a Small Business to a Competitor: The Trade-Offs
  Selling a small business to a competitor can mean a higher price, but real risk too. Here's how to protect yourself if a rival wants to buy.
• Selling a Small Business to an Employee: What to Know
  Selling a small business to an employee? Here's how internal buyouts work, how they're financed, and when this path beats an outside sale.

Exit Planning & Transition

11 guides

• Business Exit Planning Guide
  A business exit planning guide covering the strategic decisions before a sale — which exit route fits your goals, and when to start planning for it.
• Business Exit Strategy Options: 7 Ways to Exit
  Business exit strategy options range far beyond a sale. Here are 7 real paths, with examples, and how to figure out which fits you.
• Business Exit Strategy: What It Actually Means
  What is a business exit strategy? Here's the real definition, why it matters even if you're not selling soon, and how it fits your plan.
• Business Ownership Transition Plan: A Smooth Handover
  A business ownership transition plan covers the handover itself, not just the exit decision. Here's what it should include, step by step.
• Family Business Exit Strategy: Passing It On
  A family business exit strategy comes with financial and relational stakes a normal sale doesn't. Here's how to plan a transition that lasts.
• Planning a Business Exit Strategy: Where to Start
  Planning a business exit strategy starts years before you leave. Here's the actual process, step by step, and when to bring in help.
• What Is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)?
  What a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) actually does, how the credential differs from a business broker, and when hiring one makes sense.
• How to Hire an Exit Planning Advisor
  How to find, vet, and hire an exit planning advisor, including how fee structures work and what questions actually matter before you commit.
• Exit Planning Advisor vs. M&A Advisor: What's the Difference
  The real difference between an exit planning advisor and an M&A advisor, and which one you actually need depending on your timeline and deal size.
• Exit Planning for Insurance Agency Owners
  What's different about exit planning for insurance agency owners, from book-of-business valuation to carrier appointment transfer considerations.
• Is Burnout a Good Reason to Sell Your Business?
  Whether small business owner burnout is a good reason to sell, and how to tell the difference between genuine exhaustion and a temporary rough patch.

Industry-Specific Guides

7 guides

• How to Sell a Restaurant: A Practical Guide
  How to sell a restaurant step by step, including the liquor license, lease, and equipment considerations that make restaurant sales different.
• How to Sell a Restaurant Without a Broker
  What's involved in selling a restaurant without a broker, from finding your own buyer to handling license transfer paperwork yourself.
• How to Sell a Restaurant Fast
  How to sell a restaurant fast without giving away most of its value, including which shortcuts are reasonable and which ones cost you more than they save.
• How to Sell a HVAC Company
  How to sell a HVAC company, including licensing transfer, technician retention, and the recurring-revenue factors that shape its valuation.
• How to Sell a Manufacturing Business
  How to sell a manufacturing business, including equipment valuation, customer concentration risk, and the specialized buyer pool this industry attracts.
• How to Sell a Manufacturing Business Quickly
  How to sell a manufacturing business quickly without sacrificing significant value, and which parts of the process genuinely can't be rushed.
• How to Sell a Construction Company
  How to sell a construction company, including bonding capacity, licensing transfer, and backlog valuation considerations unique to this industry.

Finding a Buyer & Working With a Broker

4 guides

• Finding a Buyer for Your Business: Where to Look
  Finding a buyer for your business means using more than one channel at once. Here's where real buyers actually come from, and how to reach them.
• Selling Your Business With a Broker: What to Expect
  Wondering how to sell your business with a broker? Here's what a business broker does, what it costs, and how to find one worth hiring.
• Selling Your Business Without a Broker: What to Expect
  Thinking about how to sell your business without a broker? Here's what the FSBO process actually involves — and where most sellers hit a wall.
• Who Buys Small Businesses? A Buyer Profile Overview
  Who buys small businesses? An overview of individual buyers, competitors, search funds, and private equity, and what each means for a seller.