Start With the Price a Buyer Would Pay
Owners decide to sell for many reasons. Some want to retire, a partner may be ready to leave, or an unasked offer arrived and nobody could say if it was fair.
All of them need the same first fact: what an outside buyer would actually pay. Guess too high and the listing sits. Guess too low and the buyer keeps the difference.
A broker who sells Dallas area companies can show you a realistic range and point out what moves it up or down.
How Buyers Judge a Company
Buyers pay for profit they can prove. Sales get attention, but price follows earnings. A company with seven million dollars in sales may sell for far less than that figure suggests.
When the owner works in the business every day, brokers measure seller's discretionary earnings, which is what one working owner can take out. Larger firms with managers are priced on EBITDA.
Most Main Street companies sell for about two to three times cash flow. Where yours lands depends on risk, such as how much rests on you and how spread out your customers are.
Our notes on add backs a buyer accepts show how owners adjust their numbers before a sale.
A Metroplex With Many Kinds of Buyers
The Dallas area runs on freight and logistics near the airport and rail yards, insurance and finance downtown, technology in Richardson and Plano, roofing and trades across the suburbs and shops in every city.
That mix helps. A freight brokerage may draw a regional logistics group, while a roofing firm attracts storm and retail operators. See the company types pages for what buyers check first.
Signs You May Be Ready
- Yearly sales are around a million dollars or higher
- Your tax returns and your books tell the same story
- The company keeps running when you take a week away
- No single customer is a big share of sales
- Your lease, or your ownership of the building, is documented
If several are missing, you now know what to fix first. A broker can tell you which gaps cost real money and which ones buyers ignore.
How Long a Sale Takes
Plan on seven to nine months from signing with a broker to closing. Six months counts as fast, and many owners feel it drags even when the sale moves at a normal pace.
Keep the company performing the whole way. A slump worries buyers, and a sudden jump right before listing makes them suspicious. Steady results sell best.
How buyers pay also affects timing. See how SBA financing shapes your sale price.
What a Broker Does That You Cannot
Most owners sell once, while many buyers have bought several companies and know the terms by heart. A broker evens that out, screens buyers, keeps the sale confidential and builds a competitive process.
Some owners ask whether a broker's fee is worth it. Taxes on the sale are usually a bigger cost than the fee, and a broker's value often shows up in a higher price, a faster close or a deal that does not fall apart in diligence.
A broker also keeps you from signing a letter of intent with a buyer who approached you directly. Those offers often come from buyers hoping for a cheap deal.
Your Details Stay Private
We send your answers to one brokerage partner, which may pay us a referral fee. Nothing about your company is shown to buyers without your approval, and the first call carries no commitment.