A buyer and operator for $250K–$5M businesses. We come in with cash at close and an equity carry on the next sale — then run the operating playbook the previous owner couldn't. LOI in 14 days. Messy books welcome.
Most owners never run this math. Adjust the sliders, walk through the 5-year journey, and see your total founder take — cash now plus carry at exit.
Most owners think their only options are "sell to a stranger" or "keep grinding." We offer a real third door — and a real fourth. Pick the one that fits where you actually are.
You want out. We come in with cash at close and an equity stake on the next sale. We take over operations. You step back inside 90 days. You get paid twice — once now, once when we sell again.
Owners ready to exit. Broker-failed listings. Seasoned operators winding down a business they no longer want to run.
See if you fit to sell →You want capital, not an exit. We bring funding, take a controlling stake, and deploy the operating playbook to scale the business. You stay involved. We unlock growth and capital the bank wouldn't give you alone.
Fundable businesses that can't access traditional capital. Owners who want a co-pilot, not a buyer. Operators who'd rather scale than sell.
See if you fit to partner →Roughly 1 in 5 small businesses listed for sale actually closes. Not because they're bad — because the buyers who shop them are looking for something else. Here's what gets in the way.
You ran lean. Personal expenses on the company card. Cash deposits. Owner draws instead of payroll. A buyer asks for three years of audited statements plus a quality-of-earnings report — and the deal dies in diligence.
~70% of small-biz deals die in diligenceYour customers love you. Your team escalates everything to you. The vendor relationships live on your phone. To a traditional buyer that's not a business — that's a freelancer with overhead — and they walk.
Owner-dependent businesses discount 40–60%PE starts at $1M+ EBITDA. Search funds want clean financials and a five-year growth story. Strategic acquirers want synergy. If you're below the floor and above the bootstrap exit, you're stranded in the middle.
PE rejects 95% of sub-$1M EBITDA businessesThe "I'll buy with seller financing" crowd usually wants 0–10% down, weak personal guarantees, and all the risk on your side. If they fail you're stuck operating a business you already mentally retired from.
Most SBA-financed small deals close in 10–18 monthsYou sign with a broker. Pay a retainer. Get a glossy CIM. Then nothing — three NDAs, two tire-kickers, and after 14 months your broker stops returning calls. You're back where you started, just older.
Average broker time-to-close: 9–14 monthsWhen the exit doesn't happen, owners eventually wind it down. Fire the team. Sell the assets at scrap. Walk away with a fraction of what the business was worth as a going concern. Twenty years of work, evaporated.
Roughly 1 in 5 small businesses actually sellsWe're not a broker, a search fund, or a private equity firm. We're operators. We underwrite the business — not the audit. We buy small companies, run the playbook the previous owner couldn't, and share the next exit with the founder who built it.
See if you fit →Most $250K–$5M businesses are stuck because the owner is the system. We swap the system. Here's the playbook we run — and we apply the levers that fit your business, not all of them.
Owner-dependent businesses sell for 40–60% less. We rebuild the workflows, customer ops, and reporting so the business runs without a hero.
Most acquired businesses have an underused marketing lever. We pull it — paid acquisition, content systems, lifecycle, SEO — using a stack the previous owner didn't have time to build.
"Messy books" is what got you here. We clean them, normalize them, and package the business so the next buyer can underwrite it in 30 days, not nine months.
Automation, AI tooling, and modern software where they actually move the number. Not buzzwords — concrete operational uplift on the workflows that compound.
Some businesses are fundable but can't get to the capital. We unlock it — for working capital, growth investment, or acquisition fuel. This is core to the Partner path.
Some businesses are worth more combined with others in the same vertical. Where it makes sense, your business becomes part of a roll-up that sells at a premium multiple.
This portfolio — applied to the right business — is the math behind the equity carry. The next buyer pays a premium for a business that runs without you. That premium is what you share in.
Every deal has cash at close and equity carry on the next exit. Some deals also include monthly notes between the two — depends on the business, your needs, and how we underwrite. Always tailored.
Wired the day the deal closes. Sized to the business — typically a meaningful percentage of total consideration. The amount you walk away with on day one.
A real share of what we sell the business for. Most founders only exit once. With SellFi, you exit twice — once today, once when we sell again.
Some deals are structured with monthly payments bridging close and exit. Others aren't. It depends on the business and on what works for you — every monthly note is tailored.
The example deal card at the top of the page is just that — an example. Every deal is structured around the actual business, not a template.
A traditional acquisition takes your business and your name and leaves you with a wire transfer. Our model is structured around making the business worth more after we take over — and keeping you in the upside.
We do our own diligence. QuickBooks held together with duct tape, cash deposits, add-backs — we underwrite the business, not the audit. You don't need a CFO to sell to us.
Intro call inside 48 hours. Written LOI in 14 days for businesses that fit. No broker queue. No "buyer is still reviewing your CIM." If we're a fit, you know almost immediately.
We don't make you stay on for three years operating a company you just sold. Want to consult for 30 days? Fine. Want to be done at close? Also fine. Your equity carry stays intact either way.
Operational cleanup, growth deployment, books and packaging, modern systems, funding access, and (where it fits) roll-up upside. The premium the next buyer pays — that's what funds your carry.
No public listing. No CIM circulated to 200 strangers. No teaser blasted to a broker email list. Your team, customers, and vendors don't have to know anything until the deal closes.
We don't acquire everything. We look for businesses with real customers, real revenue, and untapped operating levers. Here's where we play — for both the Sell and Partner paths.
One set of criteria, two paths: if you fit, you fit for either Sell or Partner. The structure flexes — the underwriting doesn't.
No branded framework. Just the deal-mechanical protections we use on every transaction — escrow, third-party servicing, performance deposits where they apply, and a confidentiality posture that starts at the first call.
Funds and signed documents move through a third-party escrow. Nothing transfers until both sides have signed and the wire is confirmed.
When the structure includes monthly notes, servicing runs through a third-party administrator with institutional reporting and tax documentation. You get a 1099-INT, not a Venmo receipt.
On qualifying deals, a portion of consideration is held independently as a performance deposit. Specifics negotiated deal-by-deal and documented at close.
NDA on day one. No public listing. No CIM circulated to 200 strangers. Your team, customers, and competitors learn nothing until you decide.
These protections are operational mechanics confirmed in the binding transaction documents at close. Specifics — including escrow agent, servicing administrator, performance deposit amount and triggers, and confidentiality terms — are deal-specific. Nothing here constitutes insurance, a fiduciary guarantee, or a security.
No 14-month broker engagement. No glossy CIM circulated to strangers. A clean four-step process designed for owners who'd rather get to a real answer fast.
A 30-minute call. We learn the business, the numbers, what you want. You learn how we work. NDA on day one. Nothing leaves the room.
If we're aligned, you get a non-binding LOI in writing: cash at close, equity carry, and (where applicable) monthly note terms. Reviewed by your counsel before anything is signed.
We do our own work — financial review, customer concentration, vendor contracts, traffic and product metrics. You answer questions; you don't hire a banker.
Purchase agreement and (where applicable) promissory note signed through escrow. Cash wired. Performance deposit funded where the deal calls for it. Handover on your timeline.
Not every option is wrong for every business — but most owners end up choosing between bad options because they didn't know a structured buyout was available. Here's the honest comparison.
| Feature | SellFi Acquisition | Business Broker | Cash Buyer / Search Fund | Wind Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to Close | ✓ 45–60 days | 9–14 months | 6–12 months | 3–6 months |
| Cash at Close | ✓ 25–40% | Full (if it closes) | Full | Asset scrap value |
| Total Proceeds | ✓ Maximized over time | Market less commission | 60–80% of value | ✗ Fraction of value |
| Upside on Future Growth | ✓ Equity carry (10–20%) | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✗ None |
| Operating Playbook Deployed Post-Close | ✓ Full playbook | ✗ N/A — broker leaves | ✗ Buyer's call | ✗ No operator |
| Messy Books OK | ✓ Yes | ✗ Requires clean P&L | ✗ Requires QofE | N/A |
| Earnout / Stay-On Required | ✓ Optional | Often required | Typically 2–3 years | N/A |
| Confidentiality | ✓ Fully private | Listed via CIM | Targeted outreach | Public |
| Risk of Deal Falling Through | ✓ Low (we close) | High (70%+ die) | Moderate | N/A |
| Fees to You | ✓ $0 | 10–12% commission | Banker fees common | Legal + wind-down costs |
These are people who had tried — really tried — to sell. Brokers, listings, cold inquiries from strangers. None of it worked. Until they took a different route.
Submit your business in under 3 minutes. If we're a fit, you'll have a call on the calendar within 48 hours and a written offer within 14 days. No fees. No public listing. No obligation.