Seller Resource Center

Everything you need, at every stage.

The playbook, templates, and checklists our team walks you through by phone and email at every stage of your acquisition, organized here so you can come back to any of it, anytime.

500k+

Buyers and entrepreneurs on the platform

2,000+

Startups sold through Acquire.com

$2B+

In verified buyer funds

90 days

Typical time to close, often sooner

$500M+

Closed deal volume through Guided by Acquire

20+ yrs

Combined M&A advisor experience

4.7

Average advisor rating, 500+ reviews

400%

More buyer interest with advisor support

Welcome and Homework

Covered on your Initial Guided by Acquire Seller Success Call. Goal: get you committed to the program and ready to connect with your advisor.

Action itemsComplete before your next call

Upload your P&L, trailing 12 months at minimum, trailing 36 months if feasible, broken out monthly
Upload a Transition Steps Guide, a one page overview of your tech stack, under Documents and Files on your listing
Record a brief 5 minute introduction video: who you are, your ideal customer, the problem you solve, your unique value, and the growth opportunity ahead
Complete your Seller Listing, including metrics where feasible
Review and sign the Guided by Acquire Engagement Agreement

ScriptWhat to cover in your founder intro video

Buyers do not want a pitch deck, they want you. Your story, your product, why you built it, why you are selling, how it makes money, and whether buying it will be a headache or a win. This is your chance to answer the questions buyers always ask on the first call, before they even schedule it. Done right, it gets serious buyers interested and filters out the rest.

Start with your story. Your name, what you built and why, who it helps, and why you are selling. Be honest, the goal is not to impress, it is to connect.

Show the product. Open the app and click around. Narrate how it works, who it is for, and what makes it special. Show how real customers use it and what problem it solves.

Walk through the financials. Highlight revenue, expenses, and profit. If there is seasonality, dips, or spikes, explain them. Buyers do not need perfect numbers, they need clarity.

Explain how the transition will work. Will you train the buyer? Is there documentation and SOPs? Is the business plug-and-play, or does it still need you day to day?

Say why someone should buy it. This is the part founders undersell, and the part buyers care about most: how the business makes money, the margins, what marketing is or is not being done, what growth levers have not been pulled yet, and who the ideal buyer is and how they could scale it. Paint the picture, help the buyer see the opportunity.

Read the full guide on the Acquire.com blog →

ChecklistReadiness checkpoint, before you list

Trailing twelve month revenue and profit are flat or growing
Core operations are documented, and the business could run for two weeks without you
Revenue is not dependent on one customer, one channel, or one platform
You can explain the model and its growth levers in two minutes
Your books are current and reconcile to your bank and payment processor

The best time to sell is when the business is healthy, not when you are burned out and it is sliding. Buyers pay for momentum and predictability.

Where Acquire.com helps

Start with the free SaaS valuation tool. Guided by Acquire founders also get an advisor who reviews and recasts the financials before the listing goes live.

First call prepQuestions your advisor will ask

Write down your own answers before the call. This is also exactly what buyers will ask once you are live.

How would you describe the business in two sentences? What price do you expect, and how did you arrive at it? Have any buyers already shown interest? Who is your ideal buyer, and what type of exit do you want? What sets you apart from competitors?

Mindset resetTen seller myths to leave behind

Myth	Reality
Growth alone sets my valuation	Profitability and retention matter just as much, often more
Price high and let buyers negotiate down	Overpricing kills serious buyer interest fast
The highest bid always wins	Sellers often choose the buyer they trust, not just the top number
I can organize my financials later	Unprepared sellers lose leverage the moment diligence starts
AI makes my SaaS less valuable	A clear AI narrative, using it or defensible against it, strengthens offers
My business is too small for real buyers	The under $150K tier has some of the deepest buyer demand on the platform
A revenue multiple is always the right lens	Most buyers focus on profit multiples. Revenue multiples need real growth
I need a broker to get a good outcome	Direct buyer access with guided support gets you there without broker markup
Selling takes a year or more	A well-prepared listing is commonly under LOI within 60 days
Buyers will accept that I am founder-dependent	Founder dependence gets discounted. Documentation turns that risk into value

Essential documents buyers will ask for

Financial Recast, to identify SDE and EBITDA
CIM, required for listings seeking over one million dollars
Data Room Framework, not needed until you are ready to accept an LOI

Keep in mind: the most valuable thing we offer at this stage is not the checklist itself, it is being in your corner for every buyer conversation that follows, including objection handling on valuation, fee, exclusivity, and carve outs.

Fee comparisonSelf-Guided Listing vs. Guided by Acquire

	Self-Guided Listing	Guided by Acquire
Best for	Any online business, especially experienced sellers	Profitable SaaS and agency startups with $100K+ TTM revenue
Closing fee	8% under $250K, 7% to $1M, 6% over $1M	6%, paid only if you are acquired
Listing fee	$25, $50, or $100 per month	No upfront fees
Support	Customer success manager, listing help, ad campaigns	Dedicated in-house M&A advisor from prep to close
Marketing	500K+ buyers, general newsletter	Targeted newsletter and direct buyer matchmaking
Escrow	Free	Free

Founders who sell with advisor help see up to 400 percent more buyer interest.

FrameworkWhich path is right for you?

Self-serve marketplace, Guided by Acquire, and a traditional broker sit on a spectrum from self-serve to full-service. Most founders assume they want the hands-off broker experience, until they see what that actually costs in fee and time.

Traditional broker

Consider it if you want zero involvement, your business is $5M+ with verified financials, your timeline is flexible, and you are comfortable paying 10 to 15 percent for full white-glove service.

10 to 15%+ feeOften a retainer12 to 18 month typical timeline

Guided by Acquire

Best fit if you want real buyer reach and advisor support together, this is your first exit, and you want a structured process with a success-only fee.

6 to 8% success fee onlyDedicated advisor12-week structured target

Self-serve marketplace

Consider it if you have sold before, your deal is simple and clean, and you want maximum exposure at the lowest possible fee without advisor support.

8% under $250K, down to 6%No profitability minimumYou manage buyer comms

Pricing and Valuation

Pricing correctly is one of the main factors in achieving a healthy exit. This is the material we walk through live, now available to revisit anytime.

Pick the right earnings metric first

Metric	Best for	What it measures
SDE	Founder-run businesses	Net profit plus one owner salary, plus documented one-time or non-operating costs
EBITDA	Businesses with a management team	Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization
ARR / revenue	High-growth SaaS	Recurring revenue, weighted by growth, churn, and margins

Every add-back must be real, documented, and easy to explain. One weak add-back makes a buyer question all of them.

Quick valuation guide, by category

Category	Profit multiple	Revenue multiple
SaaS	3 to 5x	1 to 3x
Ecommerce	2 to 4x	1 to 2x
Marketplace	2 to 3x	1 to 2x
Agency	2 to 3x	1 to 2x

SaaS profit and revenue multiple, by revenue tier

Tier	Under $100k	$100k to $1M	$1M plus
Profit multiple	2 to 9x	3 to 7x	4 to 8x
Revenue multiple	under $100k	1 to 4x	1 to 3x

The multiple range narrows as profit and revenue increase, because larger, more predictable businesses carry less risk for the buyer.

Finding the pricing sweet spot

Fair market value is the pivot point for buyer interest. Set a target, a stretch, and a walk-away price, and keep your asking price inside a range the market will recognize.

Asking price vs. fair market value	Serious buyer interest
+10%	2%
+5%	30%
Fair market value	60%
-5%	80%
-10%	92%

Where Acquire.com helps

Connect your revenue and analytics tools so verified metrics sync to your listing. Guided founders also get a private data room and help gathering everything diligence will require.

What justifies a higher multiple

High profit margin High YoY growth Low churn Large TAM High product use Multiple years in business Strategic partnerships Dominant brand

Why getting the price right matters

Increases your buyer pool
Maximizes the cash component of your deal
Helps you sell faster
Increases the chance of actually being acquired
Leads to the smoothest terms with the fewest closing conditions

WHAT PUSHES YOUR MULTIPLE UP

High profit margin and steady growth
Net revenue retention above 90 percent, low churn
Multiple years in business, large addressable market
Diversified customers and channels
Documented operations, owner works a few hours a week
A clear AI narrative
Clean, reconciled financials

WHAT PULLS IT DOWN

Thin margins, flat or declining revenue
High churn or unpredictable renewals
Short track record, narrow market
One customer or one traffic source dominates
The founder is the business
No answer when buyers ask about AI
Mixed personal and business expenses

Principles for buyer conversations

"Profitability is king. The name of the game is capital efficiency and profitability."

"Price your startup at fair market value so you can close the gap between a buyer's expectations and yours."

"If you price too high, you never have the chance of having the conversation."

"A buyer is a potential buyer until they are not."

"If you have one buyer, you have no buyers."

Recast financials: a recast can turn a 20x net profit business into a 5x SDE business on paper, which looks like a win since the absolute valuation should hold. In practice, buyers anchor on the underlying net profit and quality of earnings, not the multiple label. A business whose profitability leans heavily on add-backs converts at a lower rate than one grounded in real net profit, even at the same headline multiple. Make sure every add-back is real and easy to defend, not just technically allowed.

Pre-Launch Audit

Covered on Founder Call #2. Goal: align expectations before your listing goes live.

ChecklistFinal audit of your listing

Documents and files are uploaded
Metrics are connected
Financials are up to date
Pricing and reasoning are fair, per the valuation guide above

Read the calendar: list on momentum, not on a spike. A business that just closed its strongest quarter, or is heading into its strongest season, makes recent results look repeatable. A one-off spike followed by a dip does the opposite, and buyers will price the dip.

Launch

Your listing goes live on the marketplace, in the general newsletter, and in a targeted email blast to relevant buyers.

How your listing gets seen

Channel	Reach	Timing
Marketplace listing	500k+ buyers, NDA-gated details	Day one
Guided by Acquire newsletter	50,000 to 80,000+ targeted buyers	Within the queue
General newsletter	450,000+ marketplace buyers	Within 7 to 14 days
Strategic buyer outreach	Companies with $25M+ in revenue or capital	Guided by Acquire only, during exclusivity

Know who is buying

Deal size	Typical buyers
Under $1M	High-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, corporate intrapreneurs
$1M to $5M	Investment groups, experienced operators
$5M and up	Private equity firms, family offices, public companies

Benchmark: a healthy guided launch typically produces 20 to 30 signed NDAs within the first five weeks and 3 to 7 serious buyer meetings. If you are tracking well behind that pace, flag it with your advisor rather than waiting it out.

What to expect and do once you are live

Respond to every buyer inquiry
Qualify buyers as they come in
Include a meeting link in every message
Let buyers know you are entertaining all offers
Prepare a deal schedule
Record and share a basic product demo
Create and share a data room
Create and share a Living Q&A

Avg acquisition timeline

Prep

Week 1

P&L statement
CIM preparation
Founder video
Pre-approved financing, if applicable

Launch / market

Week 2

Launch on the marketplace
Get buyers ready

Negotiation

Weeks 3–8

Answer buyer questions
Field diligence requests
Share the acquisition timeline
Field LOIs, evaluate offers

Close

Weeks 9–12

Select the best offer
Accept LOI, begin due diligence
Accept the APA — this is what triggers escrow and asset transfer
Acquire'd!

Time kills deals, so momentum from here forward matters more than perfect timing. Escrow does not open before the APA is signed, and no assets move before escrow is funded.

Buyer Engagement and Momentum

Selling your startup functions like high ticket B2B sales. It requires outreach, follow-up, objection handling, and closing technique. Acquire.com brings the buyers. This is how you turn interest into a signed deal.

What buyers are actually asking themselves

Are these numbers real? Why should I care now? Can I operate it? What is the upside?

TriageWork your inbox in this order

Verified funds. Proof of financial capacity and ready to proceed.

Verified identity. Confirmed and vetted for legitimate interest.

Unverified. Ask for identity or proof of funds before deep engagement.

Questions in first conversations

What does your process look like, and what is your timeline?
How will you fund it, and is that funding secured?
Will you operate the business, and with what experience?
What is your typical deal structure?

Follow-ups that lead to an offer

What else do you need to make an offer?
Which boxes need checking for you to feel strong about it?
When do you plan on submitting an offer?

Follow-up philosophy

Buyers are busy. Persistence beats perfect timing. Follow-ups should be regular, roughly every three to four days, value driven, and short and clear.

Uploaded our new product demo here We just crossed X milestone Added 3 customer testimonials Here is our 3 month retention chart

Handling early interest

Respond fast
Offer the next step directly, for example "Want to schedule a call?"
Send something right away that builds trust

Documents that answer the next five questions every buyer asks

What support will I get post sale?
How do you handle customer service?
What is the next growth lever?
How passive is this really?

Answer each once, put the answer in your file section, and reuse it. Be short, clear, and honest.

Use every asset you have

Short Loom video Quick "why I am selling" letter Screenshots of key metrics Customer testimonials Transition plan outline

Real story: a B2B SaaS seller at $130K MRR had no data room and got no bites. After adding docs and following up with every NDA signer, the result was 10 buyer calls, 2 LOIs, and a close in 28 days. Momentum comes from your follow-up, not from the listing alone.

Offers and Leverage

Covered on Founder Call #3 and the Momentum Call. Goal: turn buyer activity into competing offers.

If you have no buyer or seller meetings set

Adjust price expectations
Respond quickly to every inquiry
Get to a clear no or archive rather than let it linger
Send your calendar link in every message

If you have lots of buyer or seller meetings set

Ask directly how to get an offer
Send your deal schedule
Continue the momentum and sense of urgency

How to ask for an offer, directly

"Based on what you have seen so far, are you ready to put in an offer?" "What else do you need to submit an LOI?" "We are moving with serious buyers, do you want in?" "What hesitations do you have before moving to an offer?"

Ask directly, remove friction, and give clear next steps.

Template: when you receive an LOI, inform other buyers

"We have received a strong offer and we are reviewing. If you are interested, now is the time to submit an offer (LOI)."

Creating scarcity, and keeping everyone warm

Buyers act faster when they think they might lose the deal. The drivers are a pending LOI, a limited timeframe, and visible competing interest. Even with a favorite buyer, keep other conversations warm: they are your backup if the deal falls through, and they keep leverage in your favor.

ChecklistHow to evaluate an LOI once it lands

An LOI is a non-binding offer, but scrutinize it against your goals before accepting.

Does the buyer plan to finance through cash or financing?
Who takes on certain liabilities, if it is an asset sale?
When does the LOI expire?
Has the buyer added binding provisions, such as an NDA, no-shop, non-compete, or non-solicitation clause?
Who is responsible for any long-term debt?
Does the LOI include an earnout, seller holdback, rollover, or another condition?
What must you provide for due diligence?

You are not obligated to accept any LOI. If it does not meet your criteria, reject it and explain why, or send revisions back to keep the conversation open. Nothing is finalized until the APA is signed.

Real dealsFive ways deals almost died, and how they got saved

Price over certainty: an agency seller had an SBA-backed offer at asking and an all-cash offer slightly lower. Took the lower, faster offer and closed in 30 days. Chasing the perfect number can increase risk.
Guard down too early: an SBA deal was retraded late over lender-specific concerns. Rather than force a weak close, the listing was paused, repositioned, and relaunched with a different lender at the original valuation.
Cutting price under pressure: a strategic buyer pushed a last-minute retrade late in negotiations. Valuation held constant and the risk was addressed through structure and transition support instead.
Killing competition too soon: early exclusivity on a fast-moving deal meant no backup when the buyer stalled over a late compliance requirement. Re-engaging other buyers and relaunching recovered momentum and closed on schedule.
Ignoring final-mile details: a cross-border deal hit working-capital friction a week before close. An experienced deal team resolved the mechanics without reopening headline terms.

The common thread: a deal that breaks late is rarely a sign the business will not sell. It is usually a signal to fix the structure, not the price.

LOI and Closing

Covered on Founder Call #3.5 and the legal specialty call. Once you have at least one competitive offer, we move into analysis, legal questions, and close.

DiligenceWhat buyers verify, by business type

For a clean business, diligence typically takes 2 to 4 weeks once your chosen buyer has data room access. If Stage 01 homework and pricing were done well, this should feel like confirming facts, not discovering them.

Business type	What buyers verify
SaaS	MRR and ARR, churn, cohorts, billing integrity, code and infrastructure
Ecommerce	Landed costs, inventory health, supplier terms, return rates, ad accounts
Content and newsletters	Traffic quality, SEO health, RPM stability, subscriber engagement
Agencies	Client concentration, contracts, team retention, delivery process

Diligence habits that hold a deal together: answer with evidence, point to the exact file rather than a long explanation; respond within one business day, since slow answers make buyers nervous; and flag soft spots early. Issues raised in week one rarely lead to a retrade. Surprises in week four often do.

New: SBA financing support

If your buyer is financing through an SBA loan, our Franchable partnership helps get the deal SBA-ready earlier: eligibility screening, review of your historical P&Ls and tax returns, lender-grade financial projections, and lender packaging through closing. Sellers generally need 3 years of business tax returns, cash flow covering the proposed debt at 1.25x minimum, and a valuation supported by an independent appraisal. Note that updated SBA rules (SOP 50 10 8.1) took effect October 1, 2026, so flag an SBA-financed offer to your advisor early.

What we handle for you at this stage

Buyer due diligence and vetting to ensure the highest probability of closing
Driving continued buyer interest and initiating bidding activity through targeted outreach
Keeping bidding momentum going by setting timelines for interested buyers
Analyzing the offer with you and flagging any legal questions ahead of our legal team

Close phase, weeks 9 to 12: field LOIs and offers, begin due diligence, move into escrow, and transfer.

By business typeWhat buyers verify in diligence

Business type	What buyers verify
SaaS	MRR and ARR, churn, cohorts, billing integrity, code and infrastructure
Ecommerce	Landed costs, inventory health, supplier terms, return rates, ad accounts
Content and newsletters	Traffic quality, SEO health, RPM stability, subscriber engagement
Agencies	Client concentration, contracts, team retention, delivery process

Answer with evidence, point to the exact file rather than a long explanation. Respond within one business day; slow answers make buyers nervous. Flag soft spots early, issues raised in week one rarely lead to a retrade, surprises in week four often do.

How escrow protects both sides

The APA is signed and the escrow account is opened

The buyer wires the purchase funds into escrow

You transfer the agreed assets against a shared checklist

The buyer confirms receipt and that everything works

Escrow releases the funds to you

ResourcesEscrow partner one-pagers

Acquire.com works with two escrow partners. Your advisor will confirm which one applies to your deal.

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Escrow.com overview and details

How Escrow.com's process works, plus wire cutoffs, bank restrictions, and APA deposit requirements

Open PDF

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Ecommerce Law Group (ELG), the escrow process

Attorney-managed escrow, step by step. Acquire.com covers ELG's escrow fee, no charge to buyer or seller

Open PDF

ChecklistAsset transfer checklist

Domains and DNS
Hosting, repositories, and deploy tools
Payment processors and billing
Analytics, ad accounts, and email platform
App store and marketplace accounts

Social accounts and brand assets
Vendor, supplier, and affiliate handoffs
Support tools and knowledge base
Inventory count and bill of sale
Admin access, with yours removed at the end

Agree on a defined training period with set hours and topics. If the buyer wants more help afterward, offer it as a consulting package.

Stage eightStep into your next chapter

Taxes: asset and stock sales are taxed differently, and the allocation inside an APA changes your outcome. Plan it with a CPA before closing.
Earnouts and notes: put reporting cadence and data access in writing, with precise definitions.
Your capital: decide what goes to reserves, what funds your next venture, and what you are willing to risk.
Your story: your exit is proof you can build something a buyer wants. Many founders go on to build, buy, or advise again.

FAQQuestions sellers ask most

How long does it take to sell a startup?+

Most well-prepared deals move from listing to close in 60 to 90 days.

What multiple will my business sell for?+

It depends on category and size, see the valuation guide above, but preparation is the biggest lever on both price and speed.

Do I pay anything if my business does not sell?+

No. The Guided by Acquire fee is paid only if you are acquired.

Will my identity be public?+

No. Listings are anonymized first, with your name and detailed financials shared only after a buyer signs an NDA.

Is my business too small to sell?+

No. The under-$150K tier has some of the deepest buyer demand on the platform.

What if my revenue dipped recently?+

You can still sell. If the dip is seasonal or a one-time event, show the evidence and the recovery. If it is structural, be transparent and expect buyers to adjust price or terms.

Can I sell to an international buyer?+

Yes. Buyers on the platform are global, and escrow protects both sides across borders. Confirm where the company is incorporated and how accounts and licenses transfer before you accept.

Guided by Acquire Follow-Up

Guided by Acquire Resources

Seller Success Call

The opening call. Goal: introduce why Acquire, run seller discovery, and walk the founder through the Guided acquisition process end to end.

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Deck: Guided BY Acquire 2026

The Seller Success Call deck

Open deck

DiscoverySeller success items to cover

Share a brief description of your business
Price expectations, and how you arrived at your desired price
Buyer engagement up to this point
What is your ideal buyer persona and type of exit
Why are you looking to sell
Differentiators versus competitors
Experience selling a business

500K+

Verified buyers on platform

$1B+

In deals facilitated

2,000+

Successful acquisitions

60–90

Avg. days, list to close

Platinum buyers

Deals $1M–$5M: investment groups, experienced operators. Deals $5M+: private equity firms, family offices, public companies.

Premium buyers

Deals under $1M: high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, corporate intrapreneurs.

Myths vs. realityTop 10 seller myths

Myth: growth alone sets my valuation. Reality: profitability and retention matter just as much, often more, in this market.
Myth: price high and let buyers negotiate down. Reality: overpricing kills serious buyer interest fast.
Myth: the highest bid always wins. Reality: sellers often choose the buyer they trust, not just the top number.
Myth: I can organize my financials later. Reality: unprepared sellers lose leverage the moment diligence starts.
Myth: AI makes my SaaS less valuable. Reality: a clear AI narrative, either using it or defensible against it, strengthens offers.

Myth: my business is too small for real buyers. Reality: the under-$150K tier has some of the deepest buyer demand on the platform.
Myth: a revenue multiple is always the right lens. Reality: most buyers focus on profit multiples; revenue needs real growth to justify it.
Myth: I need a broker to get a good outcome. Reality: direct buyer access with guided support gets you there without broker markup.
Myth: selling takes a year or more. Reality: a well-prepared listing is commonly in LOI within 60 days.
Myth: buyers will understand I am founder-dependent. Reality: founder-dependent ops get discounted. Documentation converts risk into value.

WHAT BUYERS WANT

Predictable MRR/ARR: net revenue retention above 90 percent, low churn, clear cohort data
Founder-independent ops: the business runs without you
Clean financials: P&L, bank statements, and metrics, 24 months minimum, fully auditable
An AI narrative: either you use AI to improve margins, or you are defensible against it
A growth signal: flat is fine, declining is priced in, growing gets multiple expansion

HOW TO PREPARE

Document your retention story before a buyer asks for it
Write down every process; an undocumented business gets discounted
Get 24 months audit-ready before you list
Decide your AI story now; buyers will ask either way
Track your growth trend, even modest and consistent, to strengthen your multiple

EligibilityGuided by Acquire vs. Acquire Marketplace

Guided by Acquire requires qualifying: SaaS and agency businesses only, $100,000+ ARR/TTM, and profitable. Acquire Marketplace is the curated self-service option, open to any business type at any price. Full support is available in over 100 countries, including LATAM.

The five-stage Seller Success Program

Evaluating buyers: scoring checklists and vetting

Due diligence: templates and a deal folder

Fielding offers: offer analysis and structures

Escrow and close: escrow fee covered

Asset transfer: a custom support plan

Attracting buyers

Listing optimization and SEO
General newsletter, 450K+
Targeted newsletter, 50–80K+
Personal buyer reach-outs

Securing best offer

Offer analysis and ranking
LOI broadcast to all buyers
Creative deal structures

Advisory

M&A expert advisor
LOI, APA to escrow, review of docs
Due diligence support

Marketing by Guided: two features

	General newsletter	Guided by Acquire newsletter
Who	450,000+ buyers	Targeted, 50,000–80,000+
What	Anonymous highlight, included with other listings	Dedicated, full feature
When	7–14 days after going live	Within the queue after going live

What to expect in the first two weeks: 20–30 signed NDAs, and 3–7 serious buyer meetings.

Fee comparisonWhy choose Guided by Acquire

Metric	Acquire.com	Other marketplaces	Business brokers
Success / closing fee	6% – 8%	2.5% – 15%	10% – 15%
Listing fee	Waived	$49 – $599	N/A
Exclusivity period	6 months	12 months	12 months

Listing creation, matchmaking, full support start to close, CIM and recasts, strategic buyer outreach, and targeted marketing are all included. You pay nothing if we do not get you to a close.

Next stepsAs soon as possible

Attach your P&L, ideally inclusive of your TTM for the last three years, broken down monthly
Sign the Engagement Contract for Guided by Acquire
Complete your listing on Acquire.com
Create your founder video
Complete your CIM

Time kills deals. Schedule the next call: the Momentum Call, to maintain buyer interest, align on milestones, and keep the acquisition timeline moving.

Momentum Call

The post-launch call. Goal: maintain buyer interest, align on key milestones, and keep the acquisition timeline moving once the listing is live.

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Deck: Momentum Call 2026

The Momentum Call deck

Open deck

What a timeline looks like, both sides

List/Search → Market/Field Interest → Field LOIs and Terms → Due Diligence/APA → Escrow and Transfer → Close

For buyers

Have financing arranged before submitting an LOI, it builds seller confidence
Request a 30-day exclusivity window post-LOI to protect your diligence investment

For sellers

Have financials organized before you list, it speeds up offers
Offer a 30-day exclusivity window to your chosen buyer to keep momentum

VETTING BUYERS AFTER LAUNCH — WHAT YOU DO

Answer buyer questions
Field due diligence requests
Share the acquisition timeline

WHAT WE DO FOR YOU

Adding context around buyers we have experience with
Providing tactical feedback during ongoing conversations
Co-evaluating offers with you

FIELDING OFFERS — WHAT YOU DO

Constant observation of your listing chat inbox
Answer buyer questions
Offer counter correspondence as needed

WHAT WE DO FOR YOU

Buyer due diligence and vetting to ensure highest probability of closing
Drive buyer interest and initiate bidding wars through targeted outreach
Keep bidding momentum going by setting timelines for interested buyers

FrameworkHow deals are actually structured

Full cash, or partial at close Most common

100% paid at closing
No earnout risk, no future obligations
Requires rigorous due diligence upfront

Earnout Higher ceiling

Buyer pays more if the business keeps growing
Bridges valuation gaps
Rewards you for what you built

Seller financing Faster close

Buyer pays you over time, you hold the note
Signals confidence, speeds up the close
Often increases total payout

Equity rollover Strategic play

Cash at close plus an equity stake in the new entity
You stay invested in what happens next
Favored by PE buyers planning to scale and flip

Most deals blend structures, for example 80 percent cash at close plus 20 percent earnout. We help find the right mix for your situation.

Stage 1: questions for buyers

What does your process look like? What is your ideal timeline?
How do you plan to fund the acquisition? Have you secured that funding yet?
Will you operate? What skills or experience make you confident succeeding as an operator?
What is your typical deal structure?

Stage 2: follow-ups and your first offer

What else do you need to make an offer?
What boxes do you like checked to feel strong about extending an offer?
What does your process and ideal timeline look like? Will you operate?
When do you plan on submitting an offer?

ChecklistSuccess tips after live

Respond to all buyer inquiries
Review and qualify buyers
Include a meeting link in every message
Let buyers know you are entertaining all offers
Prepare a cadence: how founders drive their own acquisition process
Personalize your responses
Create and share a data room
Create and share a Living Q&A

Post-LOI

Covered on the Post-LOI and legal specialty calls. Goal: walk the seller from a signed LOI through due diligence, the APA, escrow, and the asset handover, so nothing between here and funds in hand is a surprise.

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Deck: Post-LOI and Legal Specialty Call

Content below is built out from the diligence, APA, and escrow material. Replace this card with the live deck file once it exists.

Open deck

The four weeks between LOI and close

Wk 1

Due diligence opens

Share the due diligence request list the buyer sent: financials, operations, legal, IP, tech stack
Get your data room live: P&L, customer data, metrics, contracts, all in one place
Loop in your advisor on anything that looks like it will need explaining

Wk 1–2

The real dig

Financial review: revenue trends, retention, expenses, the add-backs on your recast
Technical check: codebase, hosting, product roadmap, who can speak to it
Operational and legal: how much founder effort this really takes, domain and trademark ownership, contract assignability

Wk 2–3

Negotiating the APA

Flag anything diligence surfaced and resolve it in the terms, not after signing
Lock in non-compete, non-solicit, and transition-support terms, and make sure they are reasonable to actually deliver
Review the Asset Purchase Agreement together, finalize the payment structure

Wk 3–4

Signing, escrow, and transfer

APA signed by both parties, escrow account opened
Buyer wires funds into escrow before anything transfers, confirm this before you move a single asset
Work the asset transfer checklist, buyer confirms everything works, escrow releases funds to you

Keep in mind: issues raised in week one rarely kill a deal. Surprises raised in week four do. The job on this call is making sure nothing is still sitting in the founder's head by the time diligence starts.

By business typeWhat buyers verify in diligence

Business type	What buyers verify
SaaS	MRR and ARR, churn, cohorts, billing integrity, code and infrastructure
Ecommerce	Landed costs, inventory health, supplier terms, return rates, ad accounts
Content and newsletters	Traffic quality, SEO health, RPM stability, subscriber engagement
Agencies	Client concentration, contracts, team retention, delivery process

Coach the seller to answer with evidence, pointing to the exact file rather than a long explanation, and to respond within one business day. Slow answers are what make buyers nervous, more than what the answer actually says.

How escrow protects both sides

The APA is signed and the escrow account is opened

The buyer wires the purchase funds into escrow

Assets transfer against the shared checklist

The buyer confirms receipt and that everything works

Escrow releases the funds to the seller

ChecklistAsset transfer

Domains, DNS, and hosting
Payment processors and billing
Analytics, ad accounts, and email platform
Vendor, supplier, and affiliate handoffs
Admin access, with the seller's removed last

ResourcesEscrow partner one-pagers

Acquire.com works with two escrow partners, Escrow.com and Ecommerce Law Group (ELG). Send the seller whichever applies to their deal.

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Escrow.com overview and details

How Escrow.com's process works, plus wire cutoffs, bank restrictions, and APA deposit requirements

Open PDF

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Ecommerce Law Group (ELG), the escrow process

Attorney-managed escrow, step by step. Acquire.com covers ELG's escrow fee, no charge to buyer or seller

Open PDF

If the buyer is financing through SBA

Our Franchable partnership gets the deal SBA-ready earlier: eligibility screening, lender-grade financial projections, review of historical P&Ls and tax returns, and lender packaging through close. Sellers generally need 3 years of business tax returns and cash flow covering the proposed debt at 1.25x minimum. Updated SBA rules (SOP 50 10 8.1) took effect October 1, 2026, flag an SBA-financed offer to the deal team early.

Wrap-upWhat to cover before the seller logs off

Taxes: asset and stock sales are taxed differently, and the allocation inside the APA changes the outcome. Get a CPA involved before closing, not after.
Earnouts and notes: if the deal includes one, put reporting cadence and data access in writing, with precise definitions.
Training period: agree on defined hours and topics. If the buyer wants more afterward, that becomes a paid consulting package, not an open-ended favor.
What's next: many founders go on to build, buy, or advise again. A clean exit is itself proof they can do it a second time.

Webinars

Acquire.com Webinars

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Jan 14, 2026 · Inside 2025's Winning Exits on Acquire

Case studies and marketplace lessons from the year's best outcomes

Open deck

Multiple competing offers, not just a high price, is what gets founders fast, clean closes
A failed deal is often a structure problem, not proof the business will not sell. Several of 2025's biggest wins relaunched after an initial deal fell through
Buyers reward a repeatable, documented playbook over single founder-led momentum

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Feb 25, 2026 · The Hidden Pitfalls in Acquisitions

How buyers evaluate risk and execution, and how late-stage deals get saved

Open deck

Five real deals almost died late, over price, exclusivity, or a last-minute diligence surprise, and all were saved by solving the real blocker instead of cutting price
A typical PE buyer reviews up to 100 opportunities a day. Incomplete materials get passed over immediately
Chasing the highest number alone increases risk. A small valuation trade-off for certainty often closes faster and cleaner

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Mar 11, 2026 · Acquisition Multiples Report: 2025 Findings

Marketplace-wide data on multiples, margins, and time on market

Open deck

Confirmed marketplace profit multiples held steady around 3.9x through 2024 and 2025, even as public SaaS multiples fell further
Profitable SaaS listings average a 71 percent profit margin, and profitable startups get meaningfully more offers and buyer interest than unprofitable ones
Average time on market across the marketplace is about 81 days

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Apr 29, 2026 · SaaS Exits in the AI Era

What buyers want now, and how to deliver it

Open deck

Not all SaaS is equally AI-exposed. Simple wrapper and automation tools carry the most risk, deep vertical, data, and compliance-heavy SaaS carries the least
The three durable moats in the AI era: proprietary data, distribution and network effects, and deep vertical integration
Real 2025 exits: a two-month-old AI tool closed in two weeks off five LOIs; a founder who built for acquisition from day one fielded 100+ LOIs and closed all-cash with no earnout

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May 29, 2026 · Why Buy vs. Build

The acquisition framework for the new AI era

Open deck

Three buyer archetypes: the Operator who runs it day to day, the Portfolio Acquirer building a machine from several small buys, and the Strategic Buyer acquiring for a specific thesis at a premium
A standard 2025-and-later diligence question: ask directly how the product overlaps with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini's native capabilities
Most buyers do not lose deals at the offer, they lose them in diligence. Preparation and a defined walk-away number matter more than the opening bid

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Jun 24, 2026 · Buying Agencies in the AI Era

A buyer's playbook for the agency category

Open deck

AI is replacing agency labor costs, reporting, content drafts, campaign analysis, not client relationships, which is why retainer-based agencies with real tenure are holding value
The best agencies win on specialization and switching costs, not a generalist service menu
Productized, retainer-based service lines such as SEO and paid media are now pricing closest to SaaS economics

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Jul 29, 2026 · Broker vs. Marketplace

What works for you when buying or selling an online business

Open deck

Traditional brokers typically charge 10 to 15 percent plus a retainer and take 12 to 18 months. Guided by Acquire is a 6 to 8 percent success fee only, on a 12-week structured target
Guided sellers get a dedicated advisor, targeted newsletter reach on day one, and covered escrow, on top of everything the self-serve marketplace already includes for free
Self-serve marketplace still fits experienced sellers with simple, clean deals who want maximum reach at the lowest cost

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Aug 26, 2026 · The State of the Deal: 2026

Both sides of the table: SaaS, agencies, AI, and everything in between

Open deck

New: Franchable SBA financing support helps both sides get SBA-ready earlier, including the updated SBA rules that took effect October 1, 2026
AI businesses are Acquire's fastest-growing category: submissions up 336 percent and closed sales up 225 percent year over year, now 10.5 percent of all submissions
Quick reference across categories: SaaS competes on workflow lock-in, agencies on client retainers and trust, ecommerce on owned customer data, newsletters on owned distribution