Selling your business
How to sell your business
Most owners only do this once. Here's what your business is worth, what buyers look for, and how a sale actually runs, start to finish.
Who this is for
You're probably in one of these spots
- You own a Florida business and you're starting to wonder what it's worth.
- You've had an unsolicited offer and you don't know if it's a good one.
- You have licenses, permits, or a lease that has to transfer cleanly.
- You're 6 months to 3 years out and want to know what to fix before you sell.
- You want your people and your customers to land somewhere good.
If none of those quite fit, reach out anyway. Half of what I do is help owners figure out whether this is the year or not.
About confidentiality
This is the fear I hear most: if word gets out, my people leave and my customers start shopping. Fair. Here's how I handle it.
- Your business is marketed blind: industry, region, and numbers only.
- Every buyer signs an NDA and gets screened before they learn your name.
- Financials go out in stages, not all at once.
- Site visits happen after hours or on weekends, on your terms.
- You decide who finds out and when, including your team.
Industries
The businesses I sell
Main Street and lower middle market businesses across Florida. If yours isn't listed, ask anyway.
Home services
HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and remodeling contractors.
Landscaping & pool service
Route-based service businesses with recurring monthly customers.
Auto repair & collision
Independent shops, tire, and specialty service.
Restaurants & food service
Independents, franchises, catering, and food trucks.
Retail & e-commerce
Neighborhood storefronts and online brands.
Childcare & education
Daycare centers, preschools, tutoring, and learning centers.
Medical & dental practices
Practices, clinics, and therapy and wellness groups.
Salons, spas & fitness
Membership and appointment-based businesses.
Animal services
Grooming, boarding, kennels, daycare, and veterinary. I owned a grooming salon myself, so this one is close to home.
Professional & B2B services
Accounting, staffing, marketing, IT, and commercial services.
Manufacturing & distribution
Light manufacturing, wholesale, and logistics.
Independent insurance agencies
Commission books, retention, and carrier appointments.
Valuation
Four things that move the number the most
Value gets quoted as a multiple of owner earnings, but the multiple itself is decided by these.
Recurring and repeat revenue
Service contracts, route work, memberships, and customers who come back every month are worth more than one-time sales. Buyers pay for predictability, and your history is the cleanest proof you have.
How much of it depends on you
If every customer calls you personally and every quote runs through your head, that's a risk to a buyer, not a strength. We show how the work is really handled so the business doesn't look like it walks out the door with you.
Clean books and transferable paperwork
Financials that reconcile to your tax returns, plus the licenses, permits, leases, franchise agreements, and vendor contracts that have to transfer. This gets checked early, not in the middle of diligence.
Margins and customer concentration
Where the profit actually comes from, and how much of it sits with your five biggest customers. Concentration is priceable, as long as we tell the story first.
Buyer's eye view
What makes a business attractive to buyers
- Books and tax returns that agree with each other
- Systems and processes someone else can follow
- Staff or crew leads who stay after closing
- Steady revenue across the year rather than one big season
- A customer base that isn't leaning on one or two accounts
- A transferable lease, or property you're willing to lease to the buyer
- An owner willing to stay 30–180 days to hand off relationships
Who's buying Florida businesses right now
Three kinds of buyers, and they don't value your business the same way:
- Strategic and competitor buyers
- Buy for territory, crews, and customers, and often keep your staff intact.
- Private equity and platforms
- Pay strong multiples for scale, but usually want you around for a while.
- Individual owner-operators
- Frequently SBA-financed. Slower to close, but they'll often run it the way you did.
Part of my job is figuring out which of those you actually want, because the highest offer and the best outcome aren't always the same envelope.
Why work with me
A broker who has been the seller
A sale has moving parts that only show up once you've been through a few of them.
I've sat in your chair
I built and sold two businesses on Main Street before I ever got my license, including a grooming salon. I know what the waiting feels like.
I know how buyers actually price it
Owner earnings, add-backs, working capital, and lease terms decide your number as much as the multiple does. Get those wrong and you leave real money on the table.
I know what kills these deals
Landlords, licenses, key-person risk, and lender requirements. We deal with them early instead of three weeks before closing.
I'm backed by an experienced firm
You work directly with me, backed by FitzGibbon Alexander, Inc., whose partners have completed over $1B in transactions across their careers.
Step by step
What actually happens, start to finish
From the first call to the wire hitting your account, here's the whole thing.
A confidential conversation
No paperwork, no pressure. Just a conversation about your business, your timing, and what a sale would need to look like for it to be worth undertaking.
What your business is worth
I go through your revenue, your earnings, your customer concentration and your margins. You get a clear marketable range and the reasoning behind it, and a clear answer on whether you could get more if you wait to sell.
Finding buyers who'll run it well
Your business is presented confidentially to buyers I've screened for funds, experience, and intent. Nobody sees your name until they've signed an NDA and I've checked they can have what it takes to close the transaction.
Getting to the closing table
I help you compare offers on more than price, manage due diligence requests, coordinate with your CPA and attorney, and keep the deal moving through lender approval, if needed, to the closing table.
Let's find out what your business is worth
Prefer email? Chance@FitzGibbonAlexander.com