ServicesSell a Business
Sell a Business in Cedar Park
We sell owner-operated companies by rebuilding the numbers buyers care about, screening every buyer under a nondisclosure agreement and managing the deal through closing. Listing your company with us costs nothing up front. Nobody learns it is for sale until you say so.
What selling with a broker actually involves
A buyer does not purchase your revenue. They purchase a stream of cash flow they believe will continue after you leave. Most of our work is documenting that cash flow so a buyer, and the buyer's lender, can verify it without guessing.
That means recasting your tax returns and profit and loss statements into seller's discretionary earnings, identifying legitimate add-backs like your own salary or a one-time equipment write-off, and listing what transfers with the sale. We tell you what the records support, not a number picked to win the listing.
Owners across Cedar Park, Leander and Round Rock usually call us when they want to retire, step back or move on to something new. If you are a year or more away, our exit planning work may be the better first step.
What the sale includes
Financial recast
We rebuild three years of returns and statements into seller's discretionary earnings. Each add-back is tied to a document, because underwriters strike anything they cannot trace.
Pricing based on evidence
Your asking price comes from a written business valuation that compares your earnings, assets and risk factors to how similar companies trade. You see the reasoning, not just the figure.
Confidential marketing
Listings describe the industry, size and general area without naming the company. Buyers who have registered with us see new opportunities before the wider market does. Nobody receives the company name or the confidential information memorandum until a nondisclosure agreement is signed.
Buyer screening
We check each buyer's liquidity, experience and financing path before they meet you. That keeps your time, and your staff's privacy, away from people who cannot close.
Offer and deal management
We help you compare letters of intent on more than price: cash at closing, seller note terms, earnouts, working capital and your transition period. Then we coordinate due diligence with the buyer, lender, your CPA and your attorney through closing.
Signs it is time to call about selling
- You are planning a retirement date
- A sale usually takes months of preparation and marketing. Starting before you are worn out protects both price and leverage.
- The business depends on you
- If customers, vendors or key licenses run through you personally, buyers discount for that risk. We help you see where the dependency sits and how to document the handoff.
- You received an unsolicited offer
- An approach from a competitor or private buyer is worth testing against the open market before you sign anything.
- Your books mix personal and business spending
- That is common, and it can be sorted out. It does need to be cleaned up and explained before a lender will finance a buyer.
From the first conversation to the closing table
- 1
An introductory talk
We go over what you want, when you want it and how the company works, at our office or by phone or video. There is no cost and no commitment.
- 2
Pricing and getting ready
You send returns, statements, leases and a list of equipment. We recast earnings, arrive at a price the records back up and point out what a buyer's diligence will turn up.
- 3
Confidential marketing
We prepare a listing that does not name you and a confidential information memorandum, and share specifics only with screened buyers who have signed an NDA.
- 4
Negotiation and diligence
We work out the letter of intent with the buyer, then handle document requests, lender questions and site visits so the business keeps running normally.
- 5
Closing and handoff
The two sides' attorneys complete the purchase agreement, and we work through the checklist until the money changes hands and the agreed training period starts.
What affects the cost and the outcome
There are no retainers and no hidden fees. Our fee is earned at closing, so we only get paid when the seller does. The terms for your sale are explained in writing before you list, and these factors shape how much work the deal takes and what it ultimately brings.
- Size and complexity
- A single-location service company with one owner is simpler to document than a business with several entities, locations or product lines.
- Condition of the records
- Clean, reconciled books shorten diligence. Missing years or unexplained cash adjustments add work and can lower what a lender will finance.
- Real estate and equipment
- Owned property or major equipment changes the structure. When the building is part of the sale, our business and property sales service handles both pieces together.
- Buyer financing
- Most small business deals use SBA-backed loans with a seller note. Lender requirements affect timing, appraisal needs and how much cash you receive at closing.
Questions owners ask about selling
- What is a realistic timeline from listing to closing?
- Plan on somewhere between six months and a year for a typical owner-operated company. The industry, the asking price and the condition of your books can push that in either direction. Work done before the listing goes live tends to pay off later, since a buyer's diligence moves quickly when the documents are already sorted and reconciled.
- Will my employees or customers find out?
- Not from us. Listings never name your company, buyers sign a nondisclosure agreement before seeing details, and meetings can happen after hours or at our office. You decide when to tell your team, and we can help you plan that conversation.
- Is it better to sell assets or stock?
- Most small business sales are structured as asset sales, which buyers and lenders tend to prefer. Stock sales can make sense when contracts or permits are hard to transfer. The tax effects differ for each side, so we work alongside your CPA and attorney on that decision.
- How long will I need to stick around once the buyer takes over?
- Most sellers agree to a defined training period, and its length is set in the letter of intent. Lenders often want to see that handoff in writing. A seller note or earnout can keep you tied to results for longer, so we walk through what each term asks of you before you agree.
- What should I gather before we talk?
- Three years of tax returns, year-to-date financial statements, your lease, and a rough list of equipment and inventory are enough to start. If you do not have them handy, call anyway and we will walk through what is needed.
Find out what a buyer would see
A short conversation tells you where your business stands, what it could bring and what to prepare first. It is free, confidential and carries no obligation to list.