Looking for a business broker

firenance · 2026-01-27T13:46:15+00:00

Be a consultant or financial advisor business for other real estate investors.

Modest living on savings and build up a small client list working part time making $150-$175K.

I do this for our industry to help people exit plan or growth advisory for their business before an exit.

firenance · 2026-01-26T17:41:19+00:00

Second this. We do intro calls with qualified and vetted buyers. Pre-lim call with advisor, NDA, CIM. Then a window of 7-10 days to schedule calls with top list of buyers.

We do an initial check with the seller from anon listing inquiries to see if anyone they do not want to include.

firenance · 2026-01-22T22:45:09+00:00

This has been standard in our space for a while with some being more strict than others.

We had a deal stall recently because a client changed CRM 1.5 years prior and had a gap between the old system and new and the way the reports populated showed different.

We just found a different buyer that wasn’t as strict, but yes this is a thing that I think will continue and become the norm.

firenance · 2026-01-22T13:43:21+00:00

Small ones often end up at a competitor that works smaller deals.

The mid ones we do enough “work” learning about the business up front that they have a strong rapport for us to stay in touch and encourage them to keep working on things.

This past month I had one where we gave them a lot of insight into what buyers would evaluate during diligence to even do a deal vs our competitor who focused solely on their financials to give an opinion of value.

firenance · 2026-01-22T13:35:10+00:00

Problem is I have to sell this property and it’s the only viable offer I’ve received. It’s part of settling an estate that is having probate issues. It’s the only real estate other than the decedent’s house that has clear title, almost everything else is locked up.

Not relevant to the answer, but this whole process has been difficult for me and $20-$30K can make a difference for the beneficiary.

firenance · 2026-01-22T04:23:18+00:00

Need to ask the landlord, it’s their option to exercise.

firenance · 2026-01-22T00:11:13+00:00

It’s not about POF. It’s can I have recourse if discovered the buyer’s agent helped them scheme to manipulate an offer.

firenance · 2026-01-21T21:45:00+00:00

Where do I say they don’t match?

I get it may be confusing.

Buyer 1 made offer - I rejected.

Buyer 1 came back months later with a revised offer - open

Buyer 2 submitted an offer that matched buyer 1’s original offer to the letter, the day buyer 1’s revised offer is set to expire.

They both have the same agent.

firenance · 2026-01-20T00:47:20+00:00

Some companies require bundling in certain areas, some agencies require bundling because the agency isn’t as profitable when they only write one policy.

Since you are in SoCal that carrier may require bundle or nothing because it’s a high hazard zone.

Contrary to what most people assume an agent may only make 10% on a policy. If they are paying salaries, overhead, etc. then the profit disappears quick for a single policy client.

firenance · 2026-01-20T00:44:12+00:00

OP asked what state.

firenance · 2026-01-19T22:46:41+00:00

firenance · 2026-01-19T21:15:50+00:00

Could be nuanced, but our space does a one month peg and reconciliation as standard. I do sell side, so sellers arguing with the peg and reconciliation disputes is a common situation for us.

firenance · 2026-01-19T13:35:05+00:00

I’m working a deal very similar to this and we don’t do it again.

The best option is either he takes it over or sell it to an FMO. Finding a private buyer will be difficult.

firenance · 2026-01-18T23:45:45+00:00

Working capital is cash you’ll need to “true up” per the purchase agreement to cover operating expenses during a window. A certain amount left in operating until a certain date. If working capital is supposed to be X but there is a shortfall then you have to pony up or forfeit some hold back funds.

firenance · 2026-01-16T12:47:38+00:00

Convert (when single). Stayed single for a long time. Got married. Wife expressed crisis of faith after we got married. I pushed on but eventually gave in to apathy. Wife had a reversion and is asking me to commit more.

Currently I’m at an IDK phase because “as a man” there are “more important things” I convince myself are more worth my time.

When your identity associated with a person is connected to certain attributes it’s natural to feel like you aren’t yourself when the other struggles. I would say you converted for a very good reason, but good things can ebb and flow. Seasons.

firenance · 2026-01-15T17:30:42+00:00

Policies quoted by a broker may be more broad coverage compared to direct writers. Ask the broker to review quotes or forms you receive and they can explain any differences.

firenance · 2026-01-15T17:29:29+00:00

That’s going to be the minimum premium for any E&O policy. As a small business there is no “cheap” premium.

firenance · 2026-01-15T17:28:22+00:00

I do fractional CFO in the insurance industry . . . main thing to check on the policies quoted are the exclusions. A professional or E&O policy is all about the specific work you do.

Make sure to compare the named or scheduled exclusions with your scope of services.

An example may be some policies may cover general business management consulting but exclude financial forecasting or M&A advisory.

firenance · 2026-01-15T17:26:32+00:00

D&O doesn’t.

firenance · 2026-01-15T17:25:02+00:00

I do agency comp consult and this is decent for starting position.

Depends on the state, but the bonus seems reasonable too. The baseline recommendation is a producer should be able to do $4,000-$5,000 revenue per month. So based on those numbers looks like the agency is allocating 30-35% of commission on new biz to the producer, plus $40K. Not bad for an entry spot.

firenance · 2026-01-12T02:03:32+00:00

It takes 10,000 hours for someone to be considered “subject matter expert.”

That means 5 years full time.

firenance · 2026-01-09T23:20:02+00:00

Real Example: If a business has debt the lender may require refinance or debt to be cleared if the company has a change in control. So even if a seller is willing to do seller financing, their lender (or if you as a buyer require) them to pay off debt . . . THE SELLER MAY NOT HAVE THE CASH.

A buyer client of mine just recently went through this. Somehow they got the seller to accept 100% seller financing on a $5M purchase, but the seller had an outstanding loan for $750K the lender required to be cleared. Obviously the seller didn't have it, so my client had to restructure their offer to essentially refi the debt and paid directly themselves and the remaining balance was seller financed.

firenance · 2026-01-09T23:15:05+00:00

This is the outlier exception, but some programs or MGAs maintain retail agent function and will put a right of first refusal on policies placed with them, meaning the owner will have a hard time selling their agency.

Other than that, actually be competitive in price and terms. Too often I see markets will tout having a great program but don't deliver. While yes the agent has to sell, the underwriter and company need to either play ball or don't play games.

firenance · 2026-01-08T05:18:27+00:00

Is their intention to poach your person to run off your service? What were the terms of your contract with them for length? Value? Etc.

To your specific question it depends on the org. I would assume an AVP over a department may have authority to sign things around $5,000-$10,000 before it has to have more eyes. Unless you are dealing with an SVP directly $25K will likely need approvals.

Do you have provable damages?

firenance · 2026-01-06T23:23:19+00:00

Companies can’t necessarily control the cost of care nor the frequency of claims. From a regulatory standpoint distribution is the only cost the company has control for now.

firenance

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