The Complete Guide
Not Sure How to Sell Your Company? Here’s Exactly What to Do.
Selling a business is a process — not a mystery. Seven steps, in order, with clear deliverables at each stage.
The Big Picture
Selling a Business Has Seven Steps. Most Owners Only Know Two.
Most people think selling a business means “find a buyer” and “negotiate a price.” In reality, what happens before and after those steps determines whether the deal closes — and how much money you keep.
6–12 months
Typical timeline from start to close
50+ documents
Financial, legal, and operational records
5–20 buyers
Typical inquiries before finding the right one
2–4x SDE
Typical valuation range for small businesses
Step by Step
The 7 Steps to Selling Your Business
Get Your Financials in Order
What to do
Recast your financials to show the true earning power of your business. Calculate Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and EBITDA by adding back owner compensation, one-time expenses, and personal costs run through the business.
Why it matters
Buyers don’t evaluate your business on tax returns — they evaluate it on recast earnings. Get this wrong and you’ll either leave money on the table or scare buyers away.
How Built Equity helps
Built Equity’s financial recast engine calculates SDE, EBITDA, and addbacks automatically from your tax returns or manual input.
Understand Your Valuation
What to do
Determine a realistic asking price based on your recast earnings, industry multiples, growth trajectory, and risk factors. Most small businesses sell for 2–4x SDE.
Why it matters
Pricing too high means no inquiries. Pricing too low means leaving money on the table. A data-driven valuation gives you and buyers confidence.
How Built Equity helps
The platform provides a valuation framework based on your recast financials and business fundamentals.
Build Your CIM and Teaser
What to do
Create a Confidential Information Memorandum — the professional document buyers use to evaluate your business. Also create a blind teaser for confidential outreach.
Why it matters
A well-written CIM is the difference between serious buyer interest and being ignored. Buyers judge professionalism in seconds.
How Built Equity helps
Answer a structured questionnaire and the platform generates both your CIM and blind teaser from your inputs.
List and Go to Market
What to do
Publish your blind teaser as a confidential listing. Post to BizBuySell, BizQuest, LinkedIn, industry forums, and your professional network.
Why it matters
The more qualified buyers who see your opportunity, the stronger your negotiating position. But exposure must be controlled to protect confidentiality.
How Built Equity helps
Built Equity gives you a confidential listing page and step-by-step marketplace posting guidance.
Screen Buyers and Manage Inquiries
What to do
Qualify every buyer before sharing confidential information. Verify their identity, assess financial capacity, understand motivations, and execute an NDA.
Why it matters
Unqualified buyers waste months of your time and create confidentiality risk. A structured screening process ensures only serious buyers access your information.
How Built Equity helps
Automated email verification, buyer questionnaire, NDA execution, and seller approval — all built into the platform.
Navigate Due Diligence
What to do
Once a buyer makes an offer, they’ll want to verify everything. Share financial records, contracts, employee information, and operational data in an organized way.
Why it matters
Due diligence is where most deals die. If you’re disorganized or slow to respond, the buyer loses confidence and walks away.
How Built Equity helps
A secure document vault with categorization, selective sharing, and access tracking keeps diligence on schedule.
Negotiate, Close, and Transfer
What to do
Evaluate offers, negotiate terms, sign a Letter of Intent, work through final due diligence, execute the purchase agreement, and close with your attorney.
Why it matters
The final stretch requires clear thinking under pressure. Having documents organized, terms defined, and your attorney prepared makes the difference.
How Built Equity helps
Offer comparison, LOI templates, closing document assembly, and a clean attorney handoff package.
Now You Know the Process. The Question Is How You Execute It.
You can hire a broker and pay 8–12% of your sale price. You can try to figure it out on your own. Or you can use a structured platform that gives you the tools, templates, and guidance to do it professionally — for a flat fee.
The Platform
Every Step Above — In One Platform.
Built Equity turns the 7-step process into a guided system with tools, templates, and checklists at every stage.
No commission. No percentage of your sale.
30-day money-back guarantee
Common Questions
Questions Business Owners Ask Before Selling
You Know How. Now Do It.
The process is clear. The tools exist. Built Equity gives you the structure to sell your business professionally — step by step.
Start Your Exit — $5,950 Flat FeeNo commission. No broker. Just a structured process.