The owner's library.
What a business is worth, how a sale actually works, and how to keep it confidential. Written plainly by the team that has closed $182M+ in transactions.
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Market reportWhat businesses are asking, and who is buying.Asking multiples, listings in market and buyer demand by industry, rebuilt from our data before every update.Read the report → Free guideThe 2026 Valuation Guide.How a buyer prices a business, step by step: earnings, the multiple and what moves it.Get the guide → Free checklistThe Exit Readiness Checklist.What to fix before a buyer looks, in order, from 24 months out to closing.Get the checklist →
What is it worth?
How buyers price a business, the multiples by size and industry, and what moves your number.
- Business Valuation What Multiple Do Small Businesses Sell For? Asking Multiples by Industry, From 27,000 Listings Most small businesses for sale ask between 2.2x and 3.2x their annual cash flow, with a median near 2.6x. The multiple climbs with size, to about 4x above $1M of cash flow. Industry by industry, from 27,346 listings we tracked.
- Business Valuation EBITDA Multiples by Deal Size in 2026: What Lower Middle Market Businesses Sell For Median EBITDA multiples by deal size from Vanla Group's closed transactions, plus market multiples by industry from 21,894 business-for-sale listings.
- Business Valuation Business Add Backs: The Money You Are Owed, and the Paperwork That Proves It Which expenses count as add backs when you sell a business, which ones will not survive diligence, and the documentation buyers and lenders actually accept.
- Business Valuation What Online Business Valuation Calculators Miss (And How to Get a Real Number) Free online valuation tools give you a number that feels real, but it's built on assumptions that have nothing to do with your specific business. Here's what a professional valuation actually looks like.
- Business Valuation What Is My Business Worth? Why the Online Calculator, Your Accountant and Your Family All Give Different Numbers An online calculator said one number, your accountant said another and your family has a third. Here is how buyers actually value a business: net income to SDE to a market multiple, adjusted for the risks no calculator can see.
How a sale works
From the first call to the closing table: buyers, the process, fees, terms and confidentiality.
- M&A Advisory What Buyers Actually Look For How private equity, strategic acquirers and individual buyers evaluate a lower-middle market business, the red flags that kill deals, and how to close the gaps.
- M&A Advisory Earnout, Seller Note or Escrow Holdback: The Three Structures and the One You Should Refuse How earnouts, seller notes and escrow holdbacks work when you sell a business, who carries the risk in each, and why we tell owners to refuse an offer built on an earnout.
- M&A Advisory Who Buys Small Businesses? The Three Kinds of Buyers and Why You Want All of Them at the Table Individual buyers with SBA loans, private equity and family offices, and strategic buyers already in your industry. What each one pays for, who usually buys under $5M, and how to tell a real buyer from a wishful one.
- M&A Advisory Business Broker and M&A Advisor Fees in 2026: What It Costs to Sell a Business Success fees by deal size, the Lehman formula worked out, how common retainers are, and exactly how Vanla Group is paid.
- M&A Advisory How to Sell Your Business Without Employees, Customers, or Competitors Finding Out Confidentiality is the number one concern for business owners considering a sale. Here's how a properly structured confidential process protects everyone from your first conversation to closing day.
- Local Market Selling a Business in Orange County: 2026 Market Conditions, Multiples & What Buyers Are Paying Orange County's M&A market is one of the most active in California. Here's what local business owners need to know about buyer demand, current multiples, and how to position your company for a successful exit in 2026.
Preparing to sell
What to fix and when, the mistakes that cost owners the most, and the tax decisions to make early.
- Exit Planning 5 Mistakes Owners Make When Selling a Business The avoidable errors that cost owners the most when they sell: going to market unprepared, misreading value, signing the wrong LOI and tax surprises.
- Exit Planning The Tax Trap: What to Know Before You Sign Asset versus stock sale, purchase price allocation, non-competes and installment sales: the tax decisions to understand before you sign anything.
- Exit Planning Can You Sell a Business That Can't Run Without You? Yes. Owner dependence is a structuring problem, not a disqualification. What buyers check, five moves to make in the year before a sale, and how the handover after closing really works.
- Exit Planning Business Exit Planning Timeline: What Actually Happens in the Months It Takes to Sell Week by week from signing with an advisor to money in the bank: where the time really goes when you sell a business, why a rushed exit costs you, and what to have ready before you start.
- Exit Planning Selling Your Business While Running It: How to Manage the Deal Without Losing the Company The hidden risk in selling a business is CEO distraction. Here's how to manage an M&A process in parallel with running your company, protecting revenue and operations throughout the deal.
Your industry
What buyers look for and pay in the industries we sell most.
- Ecommerce How Is an Ecommerce Business Valued? SDE & EBITDA Multiples Guide (2026) Ecommerce businesses are valued on a multiple of SDE or EBITDA, adjusted heavily for platform dependency, customer acquisition cost, and brand strength. Here's how buyers actually run the numbers.
- Home Healthcare Home Healthcare Business Valuation: What Your Agency Is Really Worth Home healthcare and home care agencies are valued on EBITDA multiples that swing widely based on payer mix, caregiver retention, and licensure transferability. Here's how the math actually works.
- Medical Billing Medical Billing Business Valuation: What Your RCM Company Is Really Worth Medical billing and RCM companies are priced on client concentration, payer mix, and compliance discipline as much as EBITDA. Here's how buyers actually value these deals in 2026.
- SaaS & IT SaaS & IT Business Valuation: How ARR, Churn, and NRR Set Your Multiple (2026) SaaS and IT services businesses aren't valued like other companies. Here's how buyers actually weigh ARR multiples against EBITDA, why churn and net revenue retention move your number more than growth, and what gets diligenced before an LOI.
- Staffing Staffing Agency Valuation: What Your Recruiting or Staffing Business Is Really Worth in 2026 Staffing and recruiting agencies aren't valued on revenue size alone. Placement mix, client concentration, and workers' comp exposure move the multiple more than most owners realize.
- B2B Services Selling a B2B Service Business: What Buyers Pay For and How to Maximize Your Multiple B2B service businesses from staffing and consulting to IT services and facilities management can command exceptional multiples when positioned correctly. Here's what drives value in this sector.
- Distribution How to Sell a Distribution Business Without Disrupting Operations or Tipping Off Competitors Distribution businesses require careful handling during a sale: supplier relationships, customer contracts, and key staff are all at risk if the process isn't managed confidentially. Here's how to do it right.
- Home Services HVAC Business Valuation: What Your Company Is Really Worth Before You Sell HVAC businesses with strong service contract revenue are some of the most desirable acquisition targets in today's market. Here's what your company is worth and how to maximize it before going to market.
- Construction Selling a Construction Business: Valuation, Timing and How to Protect Your Employees Construction businesses are complex to sell, but with the right advisor and the right preparation, they can command strong multiples. Here's everything you need to know before you go to market.
- Manufacturing How Much Is My Manufacturing Business Worth? EBITDA Multiples & Valuation Guide (2026) Manufacturing businesses are among the most sought-after acquisition targets in today's market. Here's how buyers value them and what you need to know before you sell.
Reading is a good start. Let's talk.
Four short answers, then a confidential call with an advisor. Nothing is owed unless your business sells.