Sell your business
LINK Business Brokers boasts an international network of over 200 professional brokers spanning Australia, New Zealand, and the USA each with their own unique approach to selling a business. With over $5 billion in successful business transactions, our objective is to connect sellers and potential buyers while assisting every business owner in optimising the value of their business.
Maintaining Discretion
Confidentiality is one of the most important elements of selling a business, and over 95% of all our business transactions are completely confidential.
Increasing Your Business’s Value
Boasting nearly 30 years of proven industry experience, LINK is dedicated to helping its clients achieve the highest possible value for the sale of their business.
Accurate value appraisals
LINK’s specialist brokers can provide accurate appraisals using our award-winning, bespoke appraisal tool, or you can try our online selling my business calculator.
30k+
owners have trusted LINK to sell their businesses
We sell businesses, better
Since 1996, LINK has been at the forefront of the business brokerage market, facilitating the sale of thousands of businesses through its tried-and-true 9 Key Steps guide. These informative tips and industry insights will help you sell your business, by simplifying the process, providing clarity and confidentiality, and increasing the value of your business
The 9 steps to sell my business
LINK’s acclaimed 9 Steps guide is an invaluable resource when selling a business. Providing informative tips and industry insights to help you sell your business, this guide streamlines the process, provides clarity, and strategies for maintaining confidentiality, all while increasing the value of your business.
Calculate an estimated value of your business in just 2 minutes
Business value calculator Request a business value appraisal
algorithms. Discover the value of your business today with a confidential discussion or by using our online sell my business.
Request a business value appraisal Frequently asked questions
All sellers and buyers ask great questions about selling a business. Here are the answers to some we’ve heard before.
If someone is interested in purchasing your business, they must present their offer in writing and in the proper format. We strongly advise against accepting verbal offers since they do not disclose the terms and conditions, and information may be missed. LINK will then arrange a Sales and Purchase Agreement (or equivalent territorial document), outlining the terms and conditions to sell your business. Once this document has been drafted, your broker will negotiate conditions with you or your legal team and the opposing party. Our professional brokers can readily manage any complications that emerge and will assist you in successfully completing the agreement with clauses that safeguard your rights; however, we do recommend seeking legal counsel.
A significant advantage of working with a business broker to sell your business is the confidentiality they provide throughout the entire sales process. Many business owners do not want to risk staff, customers and competition finding out about the sale too early, and professional business brokers understand and value this. Your LINK broker will create a generic marketing plan on behalf of your business when it’s ready to market, keeping confidentiality at the forefront all while ensuring it is marketed in an accurate and effective way. This will encompass a business information memorandum, advertising plans and databases. LINK’s business brokers work with interested, qualified buyers at each stage of the process. However, to maintain confidentiality and ensure your time is not wasted, you will only meet them towards the final stages of the sale process.
There are a number of factors that effect how quickly a business will sell, from the industry it’s in to the complexity of the operation. If you have prepared an exit strategy, collected the required information, and the price of the business reflects the current market conditions, businesses typically sell within 12 months.
Buyers want to know what is happening in the business currently along with any existing or future trends, so it’s important to have all the information ready and current, including having your accountant prepare up to date financial information.
A business information memorandum is an expertly created, comprehensive marketing tool designed to help sell your business. LINK’s Information memorandums contain the following:
- Business overview
- Unique business highlights
- Operational matters
- Growth opportunities
- Historical financials
- Lease and location details
All information memorandums are approved by the sellers before they are used.
Prior to marketing the business, ensure that you have the correct information ready to help you sell your business. Good preparation is integral to a smooth and successful sale. LINK business brokers are well-versed in exactly what information needs to be organised. When you’re working with a LINK broker, you will be thoroughly assisted in preparing these details. Not only will this prepared information make your business more attractive to prospective buyers, but it will also help to establish an accurate selling price of the business during the formal valuation part of the process.
Items to help you prepare include:
- Staff details
- Copy of the lease
- Background on the business
- Profit & Loss accounts from past 2 –4 years
- Identify all items of personal and drawings nature
- Brochures or information on your product or service
- Copy of franchise agreement if a franchise business
- List of plant and equipment and any equipment leases
- Identify and quantify abnormal and/or non-recurring costs in accounts.
- Copies of internal accounting reports for year to date and/or GST returns if available.
Figuring out a business’s value is undoubtably a crucial part of selling a business. There are ample ways of determining the value of a company, such as LINK’s sell my business calculator. However, each involved party will likely have a different perspective on a business’s worth. So, how do you determine the true value of your business?
The first step is having a realistic understanding of the price range your business is likely to sell in. Pricing too high or too low presents disadvantages for you and prospective buyers, making the journey of selling your business more difficult than it has to be.
When you work with a LINK business broker, they utilise their industry-specific knowledge to help you determine a fair price based on similar businesses in the market. Simply put, the true value of your business is based on the market and can be determined by how much a buyer is willing to pay for it. This is called a Market Appraisal. Please be aware that this is not an official valuation.
You may request an official valuation appraisal in writing from LINK. This will help you to prepare your business for sale and provide a relevant price range. This method is particularly beneficial in instances such as partner or management buy outs or family estate planning.
Online seminar
Selling your business for the best possible price
Interested in finding out how to sell your business for the best price? LINK’s online seminar is designed for business owners at all stages of their journey. Whether you’re ready to sell now or simply curious, our two-hour seminar covers key topics that sellers should be mindful of, including:
- How to increase the value of your business
- How to prepare for the sale you deserve
- Navigating negotiations & contracts
- Finalising the sale process
- Your questions!
Industry Experts
As the largest brokerage in the country, LINK’s business brokers are equipped with industry-specific knowledge to accurately help you sell your business. With a robust understanding of their chosen sector, your business broker will use their specialist knowledge to overcome obstacles and find the right buyer.
Selling a business in the multi-million-dollar price range requires a unique skillset. That’s why LINK Corporate is a special division dedicated to assisting clients in high-value deals. The tight-knit, expert team’s scope includes outright sales, partial share sales, acquisitions and mergers.
Recent sales
If you’re asking yourself ‘should I sell my business?’, take a look at LINK’s recent sales. We specialise in selling businesses and help thousands of clients each year. Yours could be next!
$3,300,000
$129,000
$220,000
$570,000
$59,000
Recognition of our ongoing excellence
Being repeatedly recognised for helping clients throughout the art of selling a business brings us continuous pride! Take a look at some of our latest national awards.
The secrets to a successful business sale
Selling a business can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. When you sell your business with LINK, you’re accessing over 25 years of expert knowledge and lived experience to assist you with a successful sale.
Marketing makes all the difference
In order to sell your business to the right buyer, utilising LINK’s Ad.LINK marketing programme is essential. It is proven that sellers who exclusively work with LINK & our refined marketing strategies increase their chance of selling by over 350%!
Honesty is the best policy
Selling a business requires trust from all parties. A deal can quickly fall apart if a buyer believes a seller is attempting to conceal something. Considering all comes to light during the due diligence process, being upfront & genuine from the start is a much smarter and more promising approach to sell your business.
Let the numbers speak
If you want to sell your business, ensure that your numbers are in order. Prospective buyers & their accountants will be eager to see financial accounts, cashbooks, lease details, banking & GST returns. All these aspects should be readily available to share, and being prepared for this will provide buyer confidence and keep the sale process moving accordingly.
Patience is paramount
On average, selling a business with LINK generally takes between three to six months. However, larger businesses may naturally take longer. Following an offer, the sale process reaches its final stages and usually takes up to 8 weeks to be finalised. Selling a business can evoke nerves and excitement, but it's vital to remain patient. Rushing the sale could quickly become a disadvantage, especially during the negotiation period.
Share future potential
Prospective buyers of your business will want to envision themselves as the new owner, so providing some realistic growth avenues and forecasts will highlight its appeal, further helping you to sell your business.
Looks matter!
Selling a business successfully doesn’t just hinge on how well it performs. The presentation of your business goes a long way! Ensuring a professional, clean, and organised appearance in all aspects of your business, from signage to plant & equipment, is a simple yet effective way to enhance its overall value.
Simplify operations
When you sell your business, simplify your operations by writing them down and sharing them with serious, prospective buyers. Include aspects such as processes, key customers, suppliers, etc. This will demonstrate how smooth the transition will be, providing buyer confidence and helping you seal the deal.
Sell smarter with a business broker
If you’ve decided “I want to sell my business”, sell your business the right way and don’t do it alone! LINK Business Brokers possess qualified brokers with a wealth of knowledge and experience. With a specialist broker to suit every industry, you will be expertly guided throughout every detail of the process, all while keeping your best interests at the forefront.
Get the price right
It’s important to not list your business too high as doing so will limit the number of serious, potential buyers. On the other hand, pricing it too low could result in an inaccurate sale. When a LINK business broker is entrusted to sell your business, they will advise on fair prices by drawing on what the market is currently paying for businesses of your size or within your industry.
Knowledge hub
We recently sold our Hospitality Business through Roland West at LINK Brisbane and the process was a smooth transition from start to finish. Roland understood the business well and was always available to answer any questions. He always kept us well informed and communicated well with Buyer and Seller. He was highly skilled and supportive throughout the process and delivered great results. We would highly recommend his services to anyone wanting to buy or sell a business.
Matteo and David at LINK have been very helpful with the sale of our business. Very happy with the process of getting this all sold, and everything was handled very professionally. Couldn't have done it without them, and would heavily recommend them for the future!
TBuying our business, was exceptional. The process of buying a business, for us, has been frustrating and difficult however, Sonia was the most pleasant part of the process. Her professional manner, calm demeanor and willingness to do the little things to help us was must appreciated. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sonia if looking to buy or sell a business.
I recently had the opportunity to work with Kristy Kolaitis and I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with her level of professionalism and expertise. Kristy assisted me in my search for a suitable business to purchase and throughout the entire process, she demonstrated exceptional attention to detail, politeness, and honesty. Her vast knowledge of the industry was truly remarkable, and I couldn't have asked for a better partner to work with. I highly recommend Kristy's services to anyone looking to purchase a business. Thank you, Kristy, for your excellent service.
I cannot recommend working with Steve and Nadia enough.
They presented themselves exceptionally, providing expert guidance all throughout my experience.
They are professional , great communicators, and extremely knowledgeable , not to mention just lovely people.
Thank you Steve and Nadia.
We engaged Jan to assist us in selling our business. Jan from the very beginning was honest , professional , knowledgeable and consistent jan is someone you want working with you to achieve a great outcome. Thank you Jan! Contact us for a
confidential conversation
Before you sell your business, our qualified business brokers can provide expert insight to help increase its value, ensuring that you get the best deal possible. For a fully confidential & no obligation chat, fill out the form below or call us on 1300 763 668.
Confidential Conversation Form
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When is the best time to sell my business?
We will schedule a meeting to discuss the specifics of your business and your personal plans for exiting from it. With our experience in business sales, we can prepare an exit strategy for you, taking into account factors that will be instrumental in finding the right buyer at the right price for your business.
After we have an understanding of your business, we will make suggestions on strategies that may be of benefit to you in the preparation of your business for sale. Buyers will be looking for certain things when considering your business and our recommendations can make the difference in effecting a quicker sale at a better price.
Should I sell my business?
Deciding whether to sell your business is a critical decision. Our experienced brokers can help you evaluate market conditions, business performance, and personal objectives to determine if it’s the right time for you to sell. 2. What factors should I consider before selling my business?
There are several factors you should consider before selling a business, such as your personal readiness for a transition, business profitability, industry trends, market demand, and potential growth opportunities. Our team can provide a comprehensive assessment to guide your decision.
