• No fee is charged unless the business is sold.
• No fee is paid by the buyer.
• We analyze the client's business by:
  • Researching our affiliates' national database for the same or similar businesses
  • Obtaining marketing strategies from the data
  • Gathering national financial information
• Prepare a real-world marketing analysis
• Notify all our affiliates in 50 states
• Advertise in newspapers
  • Local, regional
  • If appropriate, national and/or trade publications
• Contact businesses in the same or similar business/industry that are in a national database
• Direct mail information to our exclusive buyer list
• Internet Exposure
  1. Regional Business Brokers Listings
  2. Empire International Home Page
  3. NEBB {National Equipment & Business Brokers Web Page}
  4. MBBI {Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries}
  5. IBBA {International Business Brokers Association®}
  6. M&A {Merger's & Acquisition Source}

How Long Does It Take To Sell the Business?

It takes nine months to sell most businesses.

Three major factors that affect the time it takes to sell a business are as follows:

1. Asking Price
   
   Amazingly, a snapshot review of businesses on the market at any one point in time indicate that individual business owners over price their business by 25% to 40%. This is understandable. These businesses often lack an independent third party evaluation. Only 27% of businesses with sales less than five million dollars are sold in twelve months or less. The remaining 73% are not sold primarily due to their over pricing problem.
   
   
2. Down Payment

Ed Pendarvis, recognized leader and CEO of the largest brokerage firm in the U.S. believes that buying and selling a business is driven by the amount of the down payment.

We also agree! The down payment is inversely proportional to the selling price of the business. Frankly, the lower the down payment the faster it sells. Conversely, the higher the amount of the down payment, the longer it takes to sell.

Statistically only 10% of small businesses sold, are a "total cash transaction." Generally, 25% to 35% of the selling price is the down payment amount. A seller holds some form of a promissory note in 90% of all small business sales. However, there are many laws designed to protect the seller when he/she carries the note.

3. Cash Flow

It is vital that any business on the market show some positive cash flow. Yes! There are cases where companies without any profit are sold. However, these are exceptions. In most cases, a positive cash flow of both past and present years results in a faster sale.

In summary, for a successful sale the prospective buyer must understand and accept the selling price, down payment amount, and the cash flow results.