Find the Right Broker to Sell My Business

We help business owners find the right broker to sell their business. You tell us your industry, state, size and timeline. We review the request and introduce a short list of business brokers or M&A advisors who sell companies like yours. You interview them and decide whether to hire anyone. We are not a broker ourselves, we do not list businesses for sale and we never hold deal money.

No. Getting matched, speaking with us and interviewing the brokers we introduce costs you nothing, and you are under no obligation to sign with anyone. If you later hire a broker, you pay that broker under your own engagement agreement with them. Some firms in our network may pay us for introductions; that never changes the fee a broker quotes you. How this website works.

Not from us. We never publish your request or your business name, and we only share your details with the brokers we introduce. Ask every broker how they keep a sale confidential: blind listings without the business name, signed non-disclosure agreements before buyers see financials, and screening buyers before any site visit are standard questions.

A short list, usually two or three, chosen for your industry, deal size and location. The goal is enough choice to compare fees, buyer reach and approach without a week of sales calls.

Start with your type of business and your state. After that we ask for an approximate revenue range, an approximate earnings range, your timeline and your main reason for selling. Ranges are enough; you do not need financial statements to get matched.

Look for a broker who has recently closed sales in your industry and size range, who can explain how they would find buyers for your business specifically, and whose fee terms you understand in writing. Interview at least two. Ask for recent comparable closings, how many listings each agent carries, who will actually work your file, and what happens if the business does not sell. The questions to ask a broker list on this page covers the rest.

The terms overlap. Business brokers usually handle smaller Main Street sales, often sold to individual buyers and frequently financed with SBA loans. M&A advisors usually work on larger companies in the lower middle market, run a more formal process with private equity and strategic buyers, and tend to charge a retainer plus a success fee. Your size, not the title, decides which one fits.

Local brokers know local buyers, lenders and landlords, which matters for restaurants, retail and service businesses with a fixed territory. National and industry-specialist firms reach buyers across the country, which matters when the likely buyer is a competitor, a roll-up or a private equity platform. For many owners the right answer is whoever has sold the most businesses like theirs.

Yes. Owners sell to employees, family members, competitors or a buyer who approached them, often with help from an attorney and an accountant only. A broker earns their fee by pricing the business, finding and screening more buyers, keeping the process confidential and keeping the deal on track through due diligence. If you already have a qualified buyer, ask a broker or advisor whether a reduced, deal-only fee is possible.

Be careful with a broker who promises a price far above what others suggest without showing comparable sales, asks for a large upfront fee on a small business, wants a long exclusive term with a long tail period, cannot name recent closings in your industry, or will not put fees and terms in a written engagement agreement.

Most business brokers are paid a success fee at closing, calculated as a percentage of the sale price, often with a minimum fee. Some also charge an upfront retainer or marketing fee, which is more common with M&A advisors on larger deals. Read the fee section above for the terms to check, including the tail period and what counts as the sale price.

Brokers surveyed for the IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse report for the second quarter of 2026 put Main Street sales at six to 10 months from engagement to close, and lower middle market deals at 11 to 12 months. Preparing your financials before you hire a broker is the best way to stay at the short end.

BizBuySell reported a median sale price of $350,000 across 2,132 businesses sold in the third quarter of 2026, in its Q3 2026 Insight Report. Your own price depends on your earnings, industry, growth, owner dependence and how the deal is financed, which is why a broker opinion of value comes first.

It depends on the state. Some states treat the sale of a business as real estate brokerage and require a real estate license. Florida, for example, includes the sale of a business enterprise in its definition of a broker in Chapter 475, Florida Statutes. Other states have no license for business brokers at all. Voluntary credentials such as the IBBA Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) show training and experience but are not a license. Ask each broker which rules apply in your state.

Three years of tax returns and profit and loss statements, a current balance sheet, a list of add-backs (personal or one-time expenses run through the business), your lease terms, key customer and supplier contracts, and a short note on what the business needs from you day to day. Brokers can value and position a business much faster with these in hand.