Start with the number
Most owners have a number in their head before they call a broker. Sometimes it came from a friend who sold, sometimes from a revenue multiple they read about. Buyers do not pay for revenue. They pay for the cash the business produces for its owner, and they check that number against tax returns before a lender will fund the deal.
So the first step is recasting your financials. We add back the owner salary, the personal expenses that run through the business, and the one time costs, then look at what a buyer and a lender will accept. That gives you a real range before you commit to anything. The valuation page explains how that works and what multiples look like for med spas, clinics and surgical centers.
What to have ready
You do not need everything on day one, but the owners who have these ready sell faster and lose fewer buyers in due diligence:
- Three years of business tax returns and profit and loss statements, plus year to date numbers.
- A list of personal or one time expenses paid by the business, so they can be added back.
- Your lease, every amendment, and the landlord's contact. The lease often decides whether a deal can close.
- An equipment list with rough values, and any equipment leases or loans.
- A staff list with roles, pay and tenure. This stays private until late in the process.
- Licenses, permits and major contracts: vendors, software, insurance and payer agreements.
- For medical businesses, your medical director and supervision agreements and who holds each license. The med spa page covers what buyers ask.
How long it takes
Plan on a few weeks to prepare the numbers and the confidential package, then four to nine months from listing to closing. The first part is finding the right buyer and agreeing on terms. The second part, from a signed letter of intent to closing, is usually where the time goes.
Clean books and a lease that can be assigned move a deal faster. SBA financing, license transfers, landlord approval and a partner who has to agree all add time. We will tell you early where your deal is likely to land and what could stretch it.
How confidentiality works
Your business is marketed with a blind profile: the type of business, the county, the financial range and what makes it attractive. No name, no address, no photos that give it away. A buyer sees identifying details only after signing a nondisclosure agreement and showing they can fund the purchase.
Information is released in stages. Serious buyers get the financials. Only a buyer with a signed letter of intent visits the location or meets key people, usually after hours. Most owners tell their staff close to closing, and we plan that conversation with you. No process can promise that nobody ever finds out, but a disciplined one keeps the circle small.
Financing and closing
Many small business sales in Florida are financed with an SBA loan. Lenders look closely at the recast earnings and the lease, and many deals also include some seller financing, where you carry part of the price as a note. That can widen the pool of buyers and support a stronger price, but it means part of your payment comes later, so we look at the terms with you before you agree to anything.
Before closing, the lease has to be assigned or replaced, licenses transferred or reissued, and a transition period agreed. Because we are also a licensed Florida real estate brokerage, the lease or building is handled in the same deal instead of by a second broker. Here is why that matters.
How we run the sale
The five steps below are the process from first call to closing. For more on what a broker does and how fees work, see business brokerage, and for quick answers, the FAQ.