What Kind of Businesses Do Business Brokers Work With?

The International Business Brokers Association notes that business intermediaries — business brokers, merger and acquisition advisors (M&A advisors), and investment bankers — tend to segment themselves by dollar amounts of value or revenue. 

While many business brokers work with what are commonly referred to as “Main Street businesses” —  those valued at less than $2 million — some, like Sunbelt Business Brokers, work with lower-to-middle market companies valued at more than $20 million.

Be that as it may, as you wonder whether business brokers would work to buy or sell your business, it’s better to focus more on the complexity of your business and the transaction as opposed to strictly considering the value of your business. 

Selling or buying a business is a complex transaction no matter its size; what’s most important is having a professional business intermediary or team that can handle your deal from beginning to end, allowing you to stay focused on running your company. With that being said, read on to find out what kinds of businesses work with business brokers in order to be bought or sold.

Businesses Handled by Business Brokers

The experience, skills, and services of business brokers most often determine the businesses they work with. 

Nevertheless, handling everything from valuations to negotiations and maintaining confidentiality to ensuring compliance with regulations means they often work with a wide swath of businesses, including (but certainly not limited to) the following:

• Auto body shops

• Hair salons

• Restaurants

• Pet stores

• Construction companies

• Tech companies

• Printing shops

• Cleaning businesses

• Lawn care

• Property management firms

For you, the key is finding the business brokers that fit for buying or selling your company; if you’re selling, consider starting your journey with the business valuation calculator provided by Sunbelt Business Brokers.

Small and Medium Businesses Bought and Sold

Among business intermediaries, business brokers handle transactions for small and medium businesses from initial consultation to closing, and they often help with valuation, marketing, vetting buyers, and negotiating and structuring deals, among many other tasks.

With that said, it’s clear that business brokers come from a range of backgrounds and wear a lot of different hats in bringing buyers and sellers together, so as you work to choose business brokers to handle a purchase or sale, ask the following questions:

• How long have you been a business broker?

• What is your success rate?

• What accreditations do you have?

• Are you a real estate agent?

• What size businesses do you buy and sell? 

That answer to that last question, in particular, will let you know the kind of companies your prospective business brokers normally work with, allowing you to ascertain whether they’d be a good fit for you right out of the gate.

Find the Right Business Intermediary for Your Business

When it comes to business intermediaries, there are no clear boundaries establishing the types of companies business brokers work with; some business brokers, like Sunbelt Business Brokers, have dedicated advisors who have bought and sold Main Street and lower-middle market businesses. Your business might be one of the businesses on the list above, or it might have revenue below $25 million. Either way, there are business brokers who will work with you, but you have to put in the work to find the ones who will work best for you.