BreakThru Realty

How to Choose a Business Broker in Florida

Choosing the broker is the first decision in a sale and one of the hardest to undo, because a listing agreement usually runs for months. These are the questions that separate a broker who can sell your business from one who will list it.

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

Find Out What My Business Is Worth · (786) 914-1017

Check the Licence First

In Florida, selling a business for someone else for a fee is real estate brokerage, so a business broker needs an active Florida real estate licence and works under a licensed broker. You can look up any licence on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's website in a minute. Professional designations from business-brokerage associations show training on top of the licence; they do not replace it.

Ask What They Have Sold

Ask how many businesses like yours, in your price range and your area, the broker has sold in the last few years, and how close to asking they closed. A broker who sells restaurants knows liquor licences and landlords; one who sells medical practices knows credentialing and who may own a practice. Ask to speak with a past seller.

Ask How They Find Buyers

A good answer names more than one channel: a list of qualified buyers, the MLS and business-for-sale networks, competitors and suppliers, franchise owners, and how the listing is kept confidential. Ask how buyers are screened before they learn your name, and who answers their questions day to day.

Ask How They Arrive at a Price

A broker who quotes a high number to win the listing costs you months on the market and usually a lower price at the end. Ask to see how they recast your earnings, which closed sales they compared you with and what a buyer's lender is likely to accept. The reasoning matters more than the number.

Read the Fee and the Agreement

Most business brokers are paid a success fee at closing. Look at the percentage and any minimum, whether anything is due upfront, the length of the agreement, what counts as a sale, and the tail period after it ends. BreakThru sets its fee out in writing in the listing agreement before you sign anything.

Find Out What My Business Is Worth

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

How much is my business worth?
Most owner-operated businesses in Florida sell for a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings: net profit plus the owner's salary, benefits and one-time or personal expenses run through the business. Where the multiple falls depends on the industry, the lease, the staff, the trend in the numbers and how much the business depends on you. A confidential valuation gives you the range for your business and the reasons behind it.
Will my employees, customers or landlord find out?
Not from us. The business is marketed without its name or address, buyers sign a non-disclosure agreement and prove their funds before they learn who you are, and showings happen after hours or are presented as something else. The landlord is approached only once there is an accepted offer, because the lease has to be assigned.
How long does it take to sell a business?
Six to nine months from listing to closing is common for a well-prepared small business, faster when the price is right and the records are clean, longer for businesses that need a licensed buyer or a franchisor's approval. The escrow period after an accepted offer is usually sixty to ninety days.

Also for Owners

Where Buyers Are Looking

Start Here

Sell by Business Type

Sell by Area

Recently Sold Businesses

Guides for Business Owners