Pittsburgh and the surrounding counties
Business Brokers Pittsburgh
You built it. Now let us make sure you get paid what it is worth.
- Confidential from the first call
- Valuation with no obligation
- Fee only at closing
Looking for a business broker in Pittsburgh?
Selling a business is not like selling a house. There is no listing portal that sets the price, no comparable three doors down, and no way to put a sign in the window without your staff, customers, and competitors knowing within a week.
Most owners have spent 10, 20, sometimes 30 years building what they have. They get one shot at selling it. The margin for error is zero.
That is the problem we exist to solve.
Business Brokers Pittsburgh works with owners across Pittsburgh and the surrounding counties to put a defensible number on the business, bring it to buyers who have proved they can fund it, and manage the entire process so that nothing identifying leaves the room before you are ready. You do not sign a listing agreement to find out where you stand.
How we are paid
We only get paid when you do
Our fee is a percentage of the transaction, paid at closing. No monthly retainer. No upfront valuation charge. No fee for a listing that goes nowhere.
That structure matters more than it sounds. A broker on a retainer gets paid whether the deal closes or not, which makes it easy to take on businesses that were never ready to sell. A broker on a success fee has to be honest with you in month one about what needs fixing. The alternative is working for a year for nothing.
Confidentiality
Nobody finds out until you are ready
The single most common reason owners delay a sale is fear of the news leaking. Staff resign, customers start shopping around, competitors use it against you.
So we built the process around that fear. Blind profile with no name or address. Non-disclosure agreement before anything identifying is shared. Financial detail released only to buyers who have shown proof of funds.
You decide when your team finds out. In most deals, that is after a purchase agreement is signed, not before.
What we do
Our services
Business Valuation
Find out what your business is worth as a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings, what moves the number up, what pulls it down, and the reasoning behind the range. Confidential. No obligation to sell. No surprises.
Selling Your Business
Blind marketing, buyer screening, offer negotiation, and diligence management from first conversation through to closing. One point of contact the entire way, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Exit Planning
Not ready yet? The two or three years before a sale are when the multiple is actually built. We work through what a buyer will discount and what you can still fix while there is time to fix it.
Coverage
Where we work
We cover Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, out through Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland, Butler, and Beaver counties. Buyers rarely care which township a business sits in, but sellers do, so we work the whole metro rather than one corner of it.
Why us
Why work with Business Brokers Pittsburgh
Confidential from the first call
Nothing goes to market with your name on it. Blind profile first, NDA before anything identifying, financials only to buyers who have proved they can fund the deal.
Valuation before commitment
You get a defensible range and the reasoning behind it before you decide whether to sell at all. No listing agreement required to find out where you stand.
Paid on the outcome, not the hours
A success fee at closing, not a retainer that runs whether the deal happens or not. Our incentive is the same as yours: a closed sale at the right number.
Real buyers, not a national portal
Individual buyers, search funds, private equity, and strategic acquirers already looking at Pennsylvania businesses, not a listing thrown onto a national site and forgotten.
What owners ask us
What does a business broker in Pittsburgh charge?
Almost all brokers working with owner-operated businesses charge a success fee: a percentage of the transaction, paid out of the proceeds at closing, with nothing owed if the business does not sell. Most also step the percentage down in tiers as the value rises, so the headline rate is not the rate applied to the whole amount. Ask any broker for the percentage, how it tiers, and whether a minimum would apply at your likely sale price.
How much is my business worth?
For most owner-operated businesses, price is a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings, not revenue. Sector sets the starting point, and it varies widely. A food-service or retail business sits at the low end of the range; a managed IT or professional services firm with contracted recurring revenue sits at the high end. What moves you within that range is customer concentration, how much of the work depends on you personally, and whether the books reconcile to the tax returns.
How long does it take to sell a business in Pittsburgh?
Six to twelve months from listing to closing is normal, and a significant share of listed businesses never sell at all. Preparation is where the timeline is actually won or lost. An owner who spends three months getting financials clean before going to market usually closes faster than one who lists immediately and then spends four months answering diligence questions.
Will my staff and customers find out I am selling?
Not unless you decide to tell them. The business goes to market as a blind profile with no name, location detail, or identifying figures. Buyers sign a non-disclosure agreement and show proof of funds before they see anything that identifies you. The common approach is to tell the team only after a purchase agreement is signed.
Do I need a broker, or can I sell the business myself?
You can sell it yourself, and some owners do, usually to a competitor or an employee who approached them first. The two things a broker adds are a competitive process, which is what actually moves the price, and a buffer between you and the buyer during diligence. If you already have a named buyer at the table, a valuation and a transaction attorney may be all you need.
Not ready to sell yet? That is fine. Most owners we talk to are not.
A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. You will come away knowing what your business is worth and what, if anything, you would want to fix before going to market.
