Search Services

There are 183,521 Businesses
in the Puget Sound market^*

13,764 are for Sale!^** 

Where are you going to shop?

Why not shop both?

We’ll connect you to by-owner sellers
most of which, without our introduction,
won’t admit to you they’re for sale.

We’re NOT a business broker; we don’t represent these sellers; we’re a buyer advocate.

* June 2001 Dun & Bradstreet Marketplace.
** According to the SBA, 10-15% of businesses are available for sale at any time if properly approached. We use 7.5% to be conservative.

Why does my search work for you?

• Commitment. It's typical for my client to say, "You work harder to help me than I would for myself."
• Credibility. If the owner doesn't know who I am, it's easy to check me out before he tells me he might be willing to sell his company. I have credibility with business brokers who know I only represent serious buyers.
• Communication, behind the scenes. I work with the broker to get the deal done. Just like opposing lawyers who discuss if their clients should get in the ring or settle without a fight.
• First on scene. Because I am in constant contact with owners, I am first on the scene when they decide to sell. This puts you ahead of buyer competition and gets you the right of first refusal.
• Experience. An owner expects to hear certain things in a certain way. If he doesn't hear what he expects, he becomes suspicious or loses patience. I know what to say and when to say it.
• Time & resources. I, and my associates, have the time to work for you. It's our job. We're efficient, because we have a databank of owners and sources of referral. We work from proven communication scripts. We know when to make contact and what to say.
• I'll be around tomorrow. The seller knows I survive on my reputation. He knows I'll be around long after you (if you don't buy his business). The way he treats you and me determines whether I will introduce him to another buyer if you decide to "pass" on his business.
• I motivate. An owner needs continuous motivation to sell. Like you, he is busy. He has to add the task of selling his business to everything else he does. An owner also needs to know a fair offer when he sees one. I help him understand the risk he incurs if he delays his sale or decides to "shop" his company among multiple buyers. A seller believes me when I say I know how to minimize his effort to sell, and I represent a buyer who intends to make a fair offer.
• I don't take advantage. Owners need to know they won't be taken advantage of. Confidentiality is vital to them. I can prove I have a history of fair dealing. My reputation transfers over to you.
• I court the owner. Few owners blurt out they're open to the idea of selling their business. Even if they want to sell, they fear being for sale. Trust and rapport precedes disclosure.
• Answers. As a buy/sell expert, I can answer some of the seller's questions. This is important, because I can forestall him from seeking the advice from advisors who might have been useful to him in operating his business but who do not know enough about how to sell it (and may act as a deal-killer).
• Impartiality. A seller will suspect everything a buyer says to be primarily beneficial to the buyer, probably at the seller's expense. When I say something is "normal" that my buyer wants or offers, the seller will give me the benefit of the doubt, then seek confirmation from his personal advisor before judging the merit of the request or offer.
• Reality. I bring reality to the seller. If his advisors are not competent, I suggest replacements. If his asking terms are out of line, I explain why. If he stalls, I show him the cost of delay. If my buyer can't make his case to a seller, I do it for my client.
• Advocate for the deal. Buyers and sellers come and go. A good deal lasts. It's beneficial to everyone. I am an advocate for a win-win deal, so the seller gets paid the full price when he finances the buyer, and the buyer gets a good return on investment. (I also keep in mind that today's seller might become tomorrow's buyer, and a buyer someday will be a seller. I want to be of service for a long time.)
• Warriors at battle. No matter how much you know, no matter how prepared you are, no matter how aggressive you can be, when you go onto the buyer/seller battlefield you compete against people who fight every day, people such as me and the buyers I represent.
• I can spot a fake. It's surprising how many owners pretend to be for sale, so they can test the market for their business, learn about its value, and glean free management advice from hopeful buyers.

Before you can buy a business, you first have to find one! - Advocates for Business Buyers Since 1974.

To go back to the seminar page click here.