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Sell Your Business on Your Terms, With a Sell-Side Advisor

A guided exit from readiness to close: valuation, buyer screening, negotiation, and legal representation, all on the seller's side of the table.

Talk Through Your Exit

About Exit Service

Selling a business is not one decision. It's a hundred of them, made over months, usually by someone who has never done it before and is still running the company at the same time. A sell-side advisor is the person who runs that process for you: figuring out what the business is really worth, getting it ready for scrutiny, finding and qualifying buyers, and negotiating the deal so you reach the table from a position of strength. Done well, it's the difference between a sale that happens on your terms and one that happens to you.

Most owners go to market the same way. They get a rough number in their head, maybe a broker's estimate, and start taking calls. Then reality arrives. Buyers pick apart financials that were never prepared for scrutiny. The business turns out to lean too heavily on the owner. One slow stretch of diligence, and the buyer walks or chips the price. Meanwhile the owner is trying to negotiate the biggest deal of their life while still keeping the company running. Most listed businesses never actually sell, and the ones that do often go for less than they could have, because no one prepared the seller to defend the number.

That's the work we do. We're not a broker. We don't list businesses or represent buyers, and we don't get paid to rush a deal to close. We work on the seller's side, start to finish: we tell you where you stand, fix what a buyer would flag before they flag it, build the valuation and the materials buyers expect to see, screen for serious buyers, and negotiate and represent you through to signing. The goal is simple. You walk into the sale prepared, you defend your number from a position of strength, and you leave the business on your terms instead of someone else's.

Statistics

20 to 30 percent of businesses that go to market actually sell, which means most owners who try to sell never close a deal. Going to market unprepared is the most common reason a sale never happens.
6 to 25 percent more: that's how much sellers get with an M&A advisor, in a University of Alabama study of nearly 4,500 private business sales. The benefit held across deals of every size.
53 percent of private sellers go to market with no advisor at all. Most of them leave money on the table doing it.

~30%

of businesses that go to market actually sell

6-25%

more is how much sellers get with an M&A advisor

53%

of private sellers go to market with no advisor at all

What to Expect

The Exit Service is a single engagement that carries you from "thinking about it" to a signed deal. Here's what's included.

Exit Readiness Assessment.

Where you stand today, what a buyer will flag, and what to fix before you go to market.

Valuation and CIM

A realistic market value and a Confidential Information Memorandum that presents the business the way buyers expect to see it.

Pre-Diligence Readiness

Your financials, operations, and documentation prepared for buyer scrutiny before it begins, so diligence doesn't derail the deal.

Buyer Screening

Identifying and qualifying buyers for fit, credibility, and intent, so you spend time only with serious parties.

Negotiation and LOI

Guidance through offers, structure, and terms, and refining the letter of intent to protect your position before you commit.

Legal Deal Representation

Staying alongside you through the legal process so the final agreement reflects what was negotiated and protects your interests through close.

Thinking about selling in the next few years?

The best exits are planned long before the business goes to market. Tell us where you are and what you're hoping for, and we'll walk you through how the process would work and what it would take to get you to the table ready.

15 minutes, no commitment
We work for the seller, never the buyer
CMAA Certified advisors

Talk Through Your Exit

Frequently asked questions

How is a sell-side advisor different from a business broker?

A broker is hired to find a buyer. A sell-side advisor is hired to get you ready and represent your interests through the whole process: valuation, preparation, buyer screening, negotiation, and close. BBA works only for the seller and never represents buyers.

How long does it take to sell a business?

A well-run sale usually takes 6 to 9 months from engagement to close, plus preparation time before the business goes to market. The cleaner your financials and the more realistic your price, the faster serious buyers engage.

When should I start preparing to sell?

Earlier than most owners think. The businesses that sell fastest, and for the most, spent 12 to 24 months before going to market cleaning up financials, reducing owner and customer dependence, and documenting how the business runs. If you have a target date, plan backward from it.

What is a CIM?

A Confidential Information Memorandum is the document buyers rely on to evaluate your business: the overview, the financials, and the story behind the numbers, shared with qualified buyers under NDA. A strong CIM presents the business the way buyers expect to see it, and it's part of what we build for you.

Do I need a specific buyer in mind before working with BBA?

No. Most sellers come to us before they've had any buyer conversations. The earlier you start, the more time you have to fix what buyers scrutinize and to bring multiple qualified buyers to the table, which is what puts you in a stronger position.