BreakThru Realty

Sell a Salon or Spa in Florida

Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, spas and med-spas. The value is in the people and the clients who follow them, so the way the sale is handled is as important as the price.

Styling chairs and mirrors in a bright salon ready for the day

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

Find Buyers for My Salon Or Spa · (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

Booth Rental or Commission

A salon where stylists rent their chairs sells on predictable rent income and the lease; a commission or employee salon sells on its service and retail profit. Buyers value the two very differently, and some want one and not the other. Show the chair rents or the service revenue by provider and the retail sales separately, and the buyer can see exactly what they are paying for.

Keeping the Clientele

Clients follow stylists and technicians. A buyer will ask how many providers there are, how long they have been with you and whether they have agreed to stay. Retention is the biggest risk in a salon sale, so the providers are usually told only when a buyer is committed, and the best transitions introduce the new owner as a partner before the handover.

Licences, Ventilation and the Lease

In Florida a salon licence is issued to an owner and location by the DBPR, and a new owner normally applies for its own; each provider keeps their individual licence. Nail salons need ventilation that meets code, and spas offering medical services need medical direction. The lease has to be assignable, with enough term for the buyer's loan. Confirm the current licensing rules with the DBPR before you list.

Equipment and Product

Chairs, stations, pedicure units, dryers, treatment beds and lasers are listed with ownership and any finance still owed; retail product is usually sold at cost on top of the price. Lasers and med-spa devices are expensive and sometimes leased, and a buyer will want their service records.

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 Salon Or Spa

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

What is my salon worth?
A multiple of the owner's earnings adjusted for how much of the revenue follows individual providers, whether chairs are rented or staffed, and the lease. A confidential valuation gives you the range for yours.
When should I tell my stylists?
Usually once a buyer has committed and before closing, with the buyer present, so the providers meet the person they would work for. Telling them too early risks losing them and their clients before there is a sale.
Does my salon licence transfer?
In Florida the new owner normally applies for its own salon licence, and the individual providers keep theirs. Confirm the current rule with the DBPR, and build the time into the closing calendar.
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.

Sources

Also for Owners

Where Buyers Are Looking

Start Here

Sell by Business Type

Sell by Area

Recently Sold Businesses

Guides for Business Owners