BreakThru Realty

Sell a Franchise Business in Florida

A franchise resale is a business sale with a third party in the room. The franchisor approves the buyer, charges a transfer fee, may hold a right of first refusal and sets the training the buyer must complete, and the remaining term on your franchise agreement is part of what you are selling. Owners who plan for the franchisor sell faster.

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Last reviewed November 7, 2026

Find Buyers for My Franchise Business · (786) 914-1017

Your first step: Confidential Business Exit Review

Start With a Confidential Business Exit Review

Your business represents years of decisions, relationships and work. Before anyone hears it might be for sale, know what it would sell for, whether a buyer already working with BreakThru Realty is looking for a business like yours, what a buyer's lender will accept, and what you would take home. A licensed business broker prepares it and walks you through it privately.

What you receive

  • A private check of your business against the criteria registered buyers have given us, with no buyer named and nothing about you shared
  • A recast of your earnings into seller's discretionary earnings, or EBITDA for a larger company, with the add backs documented
  • A price range from closed sales of comparable Florida businesses, with the reasoning
  • The lease, staffing and financing issues that would move the price, and what to fix first
  • What a buyer's SBA lender is likely to accept; consult a lender for terms
  • How buyers are screened for funds and experience, and the confidentiality agreement each signs before learning your name
  • An estimate of what you would take home after the fee and any payoff, and how the transition to a new owner would run

What happens next

  1. Answer a few questions about the business. Revenue and what you take home are enough to start.
  2. A business broker checks the buyer criteria on file and prepares the review from comparable sales.
  3. We call within one business day to walk through it, privately.
  4. Nothing is listed, and nobody is contacted, unless you decide to sell.

Free and confidential. The details you give us are seen only by the broker preparing the review. We do not contact your landlord, staff or customers, and no buyer learns who you are without your consent and a signed confidentiality agreement.

Find Out If We Have a Buyer · How a business sale works

What the Franchise Agreement Allows

Before anything else, the franchise agreement is read for the transfer clause: the franchisor's approval rights, the transfer fee, any right of first refusal, the conditions the buyer must meet, the training required and whether the buyer signs a new agreement at current terms or takes over yours. The remaining term and the renewal rights are part of the price, because a buyer's lender wants the agreement to outlast the loan. The franchise disclosure document the franchisor must give the buyer under the federal Franchise Rule is requested early, so the buyer's review runs alongside yours.

How a Franchise Resale Is Priced

A resale is priced on seller's discretionary earnings after royalties and brand fund contributions, which is why two units with the same sales can be worth different amounts under different brands. The brand's strength, the territory, the remaining term, any required remodel coming due and whether the unit meets the franchisor's current standards all move the multiple. Where the franchisor publishes unit level economics, a buyer will compare your unit with them, so the numbers are prepared with that comparison in mind.

The Lease, the Remodel and the Transfer Fee

Many franchise units sit in leased space where the franchisor holds the lease or a right to take it over, so the landlord, the franchisor and the buyer each have a say in the assignment. A remodel or equipment upgrade the franchisor requires at transfer is a cost the buyer prices in, and the transfer fee is paid by one side or the other and negotiated with the rest of the terms. The timeline includes the franchisor's approval window and the buyer's training dates.

Confidentiality With a Franchisor Involved

The franchisor usually has to be told that a unit is for sale, and some require notice before marketing; your staff and customers do not. The unit is marketed as a blind profile that describes the brand category, the area and the figures without naming the location, and a buyer signs the nondisclosure agreement and shows funds before learning which unit it is. Some franchisors keep their own lists of approved buyers, which widens the pool.

Who Buys Franchise Resales

Operators already in the system adding a unit, which the franchisor often prefers; first time owners who want a brand and a playbook and who the franchisor must approve; and multiunit groups buying territories. Each is approved differently, and the right buyer is the one the franchisor approves on the timeline you need.

Questions you may be asking

Do you already have a buyer for my business?
We say so only after a specific buyer has reviewed a blind profile, signed a confidentiality agreement and confirmed interest. The review first checks your business against the criteria registered buyers have given us and tells you privately whether anything fits. If nothing does, it explains how a confidential campaign reaches more buyers.
Will my employees, customers or landlord find out?
Not from us. The review itself involves nobody but you and the broker. If you later sell, the business is marketed without its name or address, buyers sign a nondisclosure agreement and prove their funds before they learn who you are, and the landlord is approached only once there is an accepted offer.
What does a business broker charge?
A success fee paid from the proceeds at closing, set out in writing in the listing agreement before you sign anything. The review costs nothing.
My books are not perfect.
Few are. The review shows which add backs a lender will accept and which records to tidy before a buyer looks, so the price holds through due diligence.
I only know my revenue.
Tell us the revenue and what you take home, even roughly. We work out the rest with you and ask for tax returns later, only if you want a firm range.

Find Buyers for My Franchise Business

Tell us the type of business, the city, how long it has operated, annual revenue, owner benefit or seller's discretionary earnings, EBITDA if you track it, monthly rent and lease expiry, number of employees, how involved you are, why you are selling, your timeline and whether you would consider seller financing. A licensed BreakThru business broker prepares a confidential valuation from comparable sales and replies within one business day. Everything you tell us is confidential, the valuation is free, and nothing is listed or announced unless you decide to sell. Prefer to talk now? Call (786) 914-1017.

Questions Owners Ask

Can the franchisor block the sale of my unit?
The franchisor can refuse a buyer who does not meet its standards, and may hold a right of first refusal to buy the unit itself on the same terms. The agreement sets the conditions, so it is read first and the buyer is qualified against it before an offer is accepted. Have the agreement reviewed by counsel.
Who pays the franchise transfer fee?
The agreement names a fee; who pays it is negotiated with the rest of the offer. It is one of the terms in the letter of intent alongside price, training and the lease.
What does a business broker charge?
Brokers selling small businesses usually charge a success fee paid from the proceeds at closing, commonly quoted in the market at around ten percent of the price, often with a minimum fee; larger sales are usually priced on a sliding scale. BreakThru's fee is set out in writing in the listing agreement before you sign anything, and the valuation costs nothing.

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