Business Broker
Why choose the PDF Group
From trusted leadership as Sacramento's premier choice to a skilled team of seasoned agents, PDF brings full in-house brokerage expertise to every engagement. We maximize value through deep market understanding, tap a global network of buyers, and handle transactions of $1M and up, all with the professional integrity and strict confidentiality your business deserves.
Connecting the right buyers and sellers
PDF Group specializes in connecting buyers and sellers with proficiency across franchise consulting and mergers and acquisitions. With multi-decade experience under Paul Frank's leadership and deep community roots, we bring an unmatched reputation for confidentiality across every industry we serve.
Selling or buying a business, confidentially
Business sales are different from property sales. Confidentiality and preparation determine the outcome.
Value the business
Recast financials to show true owner earnings, then value against comparable transactions and the multiples buyers in that industry actually pay.
Prepare quietly
Assemble financials, lease, equipment list, and operating detail into a package that answers buyer questions before they are asked, without signaling anything to staff, customers, or competitors.
Market confidentially
A blind profile goes out to qualified buyers. Names and details are released only after a signed nondisclosure agreement and a buyer who can demonstrate capability.
Negotiate and transition
Offer, due diligence, financing, lease assignment, and licensing, through closing and the transition period that determines whether the business holds together afterward.
What determines what a business is worth
Buyers pay for provable, transferable earnings. These are the factors that shape the number.
Recast earnings
Seller's discretionary earnings or adjusted EBITDA, normalized for owner compensation and one-time items, and provable from tax returns and financials.
Owner dependence
How much of the business walks out the door with you. A business that runs without the owner is worth meaningfully more than one that does not.
Revenue quality
Recurring versus one-time, customer concentration, contract backlog, and how durable the revenue is through a change in ownership.
Lease and location
Remaining term, assignability, and rent relative to market. For a location-dependent business the lease can be the whole deal.
Equipment and inventory
Condition, age, remaining useful life, and what is included in the sale versus what the buyer will need to replace.
Licenses and transferability
Permits, licenses, and franchise or supplier agreements, and whether they transfer or must be reissued to the buyer.
Questions business owners and buyers ask
How do you keep the sale confidential?
Marketing goes out as a blind profile with no identifying detail. Buyers sign a nondisclosure agreement and demonstrate financial capability before learning the name. Employees, customers, and competitors do not find out from us.
How long does it take to sell a business?
Typically longer than a property sale. Buyer qualification, financing, and due diligence all take time, and many transactions run several months to a year. Businesses with clean books and low owner dependence move faster.
What does representation cost?
Every engagement is different, so compensation is discussed openly and agreed in writing before any work begins. There are no surprise fees and nothing is owed based on a conversation. We will explain exactly how it would work for your situation, in plain terms, before you commit to anything.
Do you only work in the Sacramento region?
Greater Sacramento is our home market and where our relationships run deepest. Through our eXp affiliation we can also support clients well beyond the region, bringing in local expertise wherever your plans take you.
Thinking of buying or selling a business?
Every conversation is confidential, and every deal gets our full attention.
Start a Confidential Conversation