Prove the worth. Then get paid for it.
Five steps, run by three partners, built to end with multiple buyers bidding on evidence.
01
Value. The truth first.
A real valuation and readiness diagnostic, the kind owners pay $12,000 to $20,000 for elsewhere, delivered under a separate contract. You get a defensible number and a list of exactly what is holding it down. If the truth says wait, or you decide to walk, it costs you the diagnostic, never a percentage of your company.
02
Prepare. We fix what discounts the price.
Books cleaned and normalized so diligence moves instead of stalling. You lifted out of daily operations so the buyer sees an asset, not a job. Systems, team, and lead flow assembled into an evidence package a buyer cannot argue with.
03
Find buyers. A demand campaign, not a listing.
We market your business the way a launch team markets a product: targeted outreach to strategic acquirers, search funds, private equity, and qualified operators. The target on every mandate is three to five qualified buyers at the table.
04
Structure. Terms are where sellers get hurt.
Rollover equity, seller notes, earnouts, tax posture, and guarantees, negotiated on your side of the table, with your counsel, before anything is signed. The price is only half the deal.
05
Close. Negotiation with competition behind it.
When multiple qualified buyers know they are not alone, the price defends itself. We run the process to signature while you keep running the company, because a distracted owner tanks the numbers right when they matter most.
The fee model
Paid the way you would want us paid.
An engagement fee to start. A light monthly retainer that keeps both sides serious and credits against the final fee. A success fee at close, so the biggest part of our pay depends on your outcome. For scale: a full independent valuation alone runs $12,000 to $20,000 elsewhere; ours is built into the front of the engagement.
The diagnostic and the sale mandate are separate contracts. You can take the truth and walk. That is the point.
Everyone in this market stops short of the full job.
| BuiltWorth | Business brokers | Exit planners | Buy-side advisors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepares the business | Yes, 12-24 month program | No, list as-is | Yes, plans only | No |
| Runs a real buyer process | Yes, 3-5 qualified buyers | Listing and waiting | No | One buyer: their client |
| Sits on your side only | Yes, engaged by sellers | Often works both sides | Yes, but stops at advice | No, works for the buyer |
| Paid on your outcome | Success fee at close | Commission either way | Hourly or flat fee | Paid by the buyer |
| Operating experience | Three owner-operators | Rarely | Sometimes | Sometimes |
Straight answers.
Owner-operators, mostly aged 52 to 68, with businesses earning roughly $1M to $5M in EBITDA and likely sale prices under $25M. If you built it yourself, still run it daily, and want to be paid fully for it once, you are who we built this for.
Brokers list businesses and wait for inquiries. We work inside the business first, fix what discounts the price, then run an active campaign that brings three to five qualified buyers into competition. We are advisors engaged by the seller, and our largest fee only exists if your sale closes.
We take full sell-side mandates in states where the regulatory path is clean, and we offer diagnostics, coaching, and preparation everywhere in the US. Where you are located shapes structure, not the quality of the work. Ask us about your state on the first call.
Then you found out at the right time. The Grow Then Sell path spends 12 to 24 months on marketing and operations before going to market, and prepared owners sell for roughly 40% more. Some clients bank the improved profit for a few years first. Both outcomes beat listing unprepared.
We maintain an application-gated network of qualified buyers: strategics, search funds, PE groups, and operators. Buyers get first access to prepared, diligence-ready businesses. We are engaged and paid by sellers, and buyers get honesty, speed, and businesses worth buying.
Free. Anonymous. Two minutes. No financials needed.