Business Brokers of Small and Lower Mid-Market Companies
Buyer FAQ
Does Codiligent offer businesses with 100% seller financing, or little
money down?
In short, "no." We've all heard of deals where a seller carries a very large note, but they are rare. If a business owner was willing to sell for no money down, why wouldn't they just hire someone to run the business and keep any excess profits? About the only time a seller may be willing to do this is if the business has very poor performance. Usually that's not a great business to acquire, and it wouldn't be a good match for Codiligent to represent.
However, the SBA offers good loan programs with reasonable down payments and great loan amortizations, and some sellers will also provide modest seller notes that can be used as part of the SBA’s required down payment.
Is there a multiple listing service for businesses, like for real estate?
No, there’s not one single central listing site, but the following business sale websites have a lot of small companies advertised for sale:
Can I get on a distribution list for businesses Codiligent represents?
We strive to share info on businesses that appear to be a good fit for buyers' criteria, and avoid sending info on businesses that are not a match.
Furthermore, not all businesses that Codiligent represents are publicly advertised. Sometimes this is for confidentiality reasons and other times because only strategic buyers are being targeted. If your criteria are a match you'll be more likely to be included in distribution if you've shared industries of interest and other preferences.
Why doesn't Codiligent provide
active buy-side representation?
Many buyers underestimate the time, effort, and persistence required to acquire a business, and end up not having the appetite to complete a transaction. In contrast, a business seller, motivated to gain freedom and liquidity, is far less likely to give up if things become more difficult than anticipated.
Codiligent loves working with business buyers, but like many other business brokers, it doesn’t provide active representation to buyers due to their low rate of deal completion. Our fiduciary responsibility is always to the business seller. We find that buyers of small and lower mid-market businesses often rely on the expertise of CPAs, consultants, and attorneys when making an acquisition.