Why don't you just list my business right away like other brokers?

Because 70-80% of businesses listed for sale never sell, often due to poor preparation. We've found that spending 1-6 months preparing properly results in faster sales at higher prices. Our job is to maximize your outcome, not just collect a listing fee.

How is this different from other business brokers?

Most brokers are paid to get listings, regardless of sellability. They often tell sellers what they want to hear about pricing to secure the exclusive agreement. We're paid to get businesses SOLD, so we focus on honest assessment and proper preparation first.

What happens if my business isn't ready to sell?

We provide a detailed assessment report with specific recommendations for improvement. You can implement these changes yourself, work with our recommended partners, or wait until market conditions or your situation changes. There's no pressure and no upfront fees for our consultation.

What if I need to sell quickly due to health or other circumstances?

We understand urgent situations exist. We'll conduct a rapid assessment and, if your business is market-ready, can begin marketing immediately. However, we'll be transparent about any challenges and work to address them quickly rather than give false hope.

The three-goal advisory process

Most brokers list businesses and hope buyers show up. We run a structured process that takes motivated sellers from uncertainty to a successful close in 6 to 9 months for most businesses.

Selling a business you spent decades building is not a transaction. It is one of the most important financial and personal decisions you may ever make. The three-goal advisory process gives you a clear path: know what you have, get ready for the market, then close with the right buyer. Each goal builds on the one before it. Skipping steps is often how deals fall apart.

First Choice Business Brokers (FCBB) has guided this process since 1994. Mike and Lynn Lee lead the Mountain West practice. Mike Lee serves as Principal Broker and is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).

Goal 1: Valuation

Question this goal answers: "What do I actually have?"

Timeline: 1 to 2 weeks

Deliverable: Market Readiness and Value Assessment

Most owners value their business based on revenue, gut feel, or what they need for retirement. Buyers value businesses on something different: normalized earnings, comparable transactions, and risk. Goal 1 closes that gap.

Over 1 to 2 weeks, we work through four areas:

Real earnings analysis. We calculate Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and Adjusted EBITDA, normalize for owner compensation and personal expenses, and document every legitimate add-back. Tax returns are built to minimize income for IRS purposes. Buyers want to see what you actually earn.

Comparable transaction data. We pull 8 to 12 actual sales of similar businesses from the past 12 months. Not listed prices. What buyers actually paid. From that data, we identify your realistic multiple range.

Buyer demand assessment. Strategic acquirers, financial buyers, and individual operators each value a business differently. We identify which buyer type fits yours, what they value, and what they typically pay.

Owner readiness review. Post-sale financial planning, tax considerations, timeline flexibility, and legacy priorities. The headline number matters less than what you actually net at close.

What you walk away with

An Estimate of Value with the data behind it, a clear view of which buyer type fits your business, and an honest answer to whether you are ready now or could benefit from a few weeks of preparation first. The Market Readiness and Value Assessment becomes the foundation for every decision that comes next.

Goal 2: Preparation

Question this goal answers: "Am I ready for the market?"

Timeline: About 30 days if financials are clean. 60 to 90 days if cleanup is needed. 6 to 12 months only when major structural issues exist.

Buyers underwrite risk. Anything they cannot quickly verify often becomes a discount on their offer. Goal 2 removes those discounts by getting your business documented, clean, and packaged before it ever goes to market.

Financial cleanup. P&Ls recast for 3 years, add-backs documented with supporting evidence, monthly trial balances reconciled. Most of this work happens in 2 to 6 weeks if your books are reasonably current. Your accountant does the heavy lifting. We provide the buyer-ready format and review every deliverable.

Operations documentation. Org chart, key roles, standard operating procedures, customer concentration analysis, vendor relationships, and recurring revenue identification. Buyers want to see a business that runs without you.

Confidential Information Memorandum. The CIM is the document buyers actually read. We tell the story of your business with the financials, the market position, and the growth opportunity. Strengths up front, concerns addressed honestly. Professional packaging signals a professional operation.

Deal structure planning. Cash at close, seller note, earnout, equity rollover. The right structure depends on your goals and which buyer type you target. We map the options before LOIs come in, not after.

Buyer outreach plan. A target list of strategic acquirers, financial buyers, and individual operators matched to your business. A blind teaser that reveals nothing identifying. An NDA workflow that screens out the unqualified.

All of this happens quietly. No public listing. No employee chatter. No customer alarm. You stay focused on running the business.

What you walk away with

A market-ready business with clean financials, a professional CIM, a deal structure that works for you, and a vetted target buyer list. When we go live, we go live ready.

Goal 3: Exit

Question this goal answers: "How do I close with the right buyer?"

Timeline: 4 to 8 months from going to market through closing.

This is where the preparation pays off. With a clean package and a target list, we run two outreach tracks in parallel and end in a closing that fits your priorities.

Confidential buyer outreach. Targeted outreach to qualified buyers, not mass listings on public sites. Every buyer signs an NDA and completes an application before receiving the CIM. We screen for financial capacity, industry experience, and culture fit with your business and your people.

The Strategic Buyer Search. This is a second track most Main Street brokers do not run. It is a proactive, confidential, and structured outreach to strategic acquirers, private equity groups, and family offices. We bring lower-middle-market M&A rigor to Main Street: indications of interest move to letters of intent, then to exclusivity and close. Running several qualified buyers in parallel creates competition, which often produces better price and terms. For larger businesses, including those over $20M in value, this track frequently makes the difference.

Buyer-seller introductions. Once we have qualified, motivated buyers, you meet them. These are fit interviews as much as sales conversations. Their plan for your team, your culture, and your customers matters as much as the price they offer.

LOI negotiation. We push for competitive offers from multiple buyers when the market supports it. Price is one variable. Deal structure, contingencies, transition terms, and seller protections all get negotiated before you sign.

Due diligence management. Typically 60 to 90 days of verification work. We run the data room, manage information flow, and address buyer concerns proactively with documented solutions. Surprises kill deals. The preparation in Goal 2 prevents most of them.

Closing and transition. Final documents, funds wired, ownership transferred. A defined transition plan covers employees, customers, and operations. Most sellers stay involved 30 to 90 days post-close on terms set in advance.

What you walk away with

A closed deal at a fair price, a buyer who fits your business and your people, a transition you can be proud of, and the next chapter of your life ready to start.

Why this process works

Preparation before listing. Businesses that go to market unprepared often face buyer skepticism, valuation discounts, and deal-killing surprises in due diligence. The 30 to 90 days spent in Goal 2 routinely pays for itself many times over in the final sale price.

Confidentiality throughout. Leaks cost businesses customers, employees, and value. We control who knows what, and when. Blind teasers, signed NDAs, and qualified outreach are not optional steps. They are the entire game.

The right buyer, found on purpose. A buyer who pays a premium but plans to gut the company is rarely a good outcome. Our Strategic Buyer Search reaches strategic, private equity, and family-office buyers most Main Street brokers never contact, then runs them in parallel so competition works in your favor. We screen for fit, then negotiate for value. Both matter.

What this process delivers

95% Employee retention 12 months after close
92% Customer retention through transition
89% Sellers report values and culture preserved
87% Listed deals reach successful close

Frequently asked questions

What if my business is not ready for market when we finish Goal 1?

That is one of the most useful outcomes of the Market Readiness and Value Assessment. If the assessment shows you are 6 to 12 months out from being market-ready, we will be honest about what needs work and connect you with the right specialists. CPAs and fractional CFOs for financial cleanup. Exit planning advisors for owner-dependence and value enhancement. Attorneys for legal structure issues. We stay in touch through the preparation period and pick up the brokerage role when you are ready to go to market.

Do I have to commit to listing after Goal 1?

No. The Market Readiness and Value Assessment is a standalone deliverable. You can use it to make an informed decision about timing, take it to other advisors for a second opinion, or sit on it for a year while you prepare. There is no listing agreement required to complete Goal 1.

Can we skip preparation and go straight to market?

Sometimes we can, when the business is already clean and the seller has urgent timing. We will be transparent about the trade-offs. Unprepared businesses typically sell for less, take longer to close, or fall out of contract in due diligence. The 4 to 6 weeks of focused preparation work usually returns multiples of itself in the final price.

How long does the whole process take?

For motivated sellers with solid businesses, 6 to 9 months from first conversation to close. About 1 to 2 weeks for Goal 1. About 30 to 90 days for Goal 2, depending on how clean your financials are. About 4 to 8 months for Goal 3, from going to market through close.

What does this cost?

Goal 1, the Market Readiness and Value Assessment, is free, with no listing agreement required. Goals 2 and 3 are covered by a success fee on the closing transaction. We will walk through the specific fee structure during your discovery call. No surprises and no upfront fees for the consultation.

Start with Goal 1:

Contact us using the button below and we will complete a free valuation for you. There is no contract to sign and no obligation to work with us. We seek first to help business owners, with the idea that when you are ready, we will be there to guide you. To earn your trust, we provide a free Market Readiness and Value Assessment, which takes 1 to 2 weeks depending on how fast you can supply the information we need. We sign an NDA upfront that protects your data. Once it is complete, you will have a complete picture of what your business is worth, what buyers may pay, and what, if anything, needs work before you go to market. No listing agreement required.

Start Process with Free Valuation