ServicesBuy a Business
Buy a Business in Bastrop
An established business is cash flow, equipment, a lease, customers and people, each with its own strengths and weak spots. We help you look at every part plainly, find businesses that fit your goals and reach a deal you understand before you sign.
What you are really buying
A listing price is a single number, but a business is built from separate parts. Some hold their value well, like a steady customer base or a long lease at a fair rate. Others wear out or walk away, like aging equipment or a key employee with no reason to stay. A good purchase starts with knowing which is which.
We walk buyers through each part and the trade-offs between them. An asset purchase usually lets you pick what you take and leave old liabilities behind. A stock purchase can keep contracts, permits and vendor accounts intact, but it carries the company's history with it. Seller financing, inventory counts and transition terms all shape what you end up owning.
Most of our buyers want to skip the slow start of a new venture and step into something already earning. Our job is to help you see that business as clearly as the owner does, then put a fair deal on paper.
What we do for buyers
Early access through buyer registration
A single call puts you on our buyer list, along with the industries, price range and role you are after. New listings reach registered buyers before anyone else, so you can look closely at a good business without competing against a rush of offers in the first week.
Private introductions
Owners keep a sale quiet to protect their staff and customers. Once you sign a confidentiality agreement, we share the business name, the financials and other details step by step as both sides grow more interested.
Making sense of the numbers
We help you line up tax returns against profit and loss statements and explain seller's discretionary earnings. We call out add-backs worth questioning so you can judge what an owner really takes home.
Weighing deal structures
We cover asset purchases versus stock purchases, seller notes, earnouts and how equipment and inventory are treated at closing. You pick a structure knowing what it gives you and what it costs.
Your offer and letter of intent
We help you build an offer based on what you found, covering price, terms, the training period and contingencies for financing and due diligence.
Diligence and closing day
We keep paperwork flowing among you, the seller, lenders and your own attorney and CPA, and we follow every open item until the deal closes.
When it makes sense to call a broker
A listing caught your eye but the figures do not add up
When the price and the reported earnings seem out of step, an independent look at the financials can spare you months of guessing.
Buying appeals more than building
An existing business brings income, employees and customers from the first day. It also brings decisions someone else made, and those are worth understanding before you sign.
Searching on your own is going nowhere
Plenty of solid businesses never show up on public listing sites. Registered buyers on our list hear about them first.
You are sorting out how to pay
Lenders look for buyers who know the business they are buying. Our Acquisition Financing Guidance page explains how we get you ready for those talks.
A building or franchise is part of the purchase
Property and franchise agreements bring extra paperwork and approvals. We cover those through Business and Property Sales and Franchise Resales.
How a purchase moves from first call to closing
- 1
Consultation by phone
We talk through your budget, experience, preferred industries and how involved you want to be day to day. The consultation is free.
- 2
Matching and confidential review
We share businesses that fit your criteria. After you sign a confidentiality agreement, you receive financial summaries and operating details.
- 3
Questions and seller meeting
You meet the owner by video or at our office to ask about customers, staff, suppliers and why they are selling. We help you prepare questions that get useful answers.
- 4
Offer and letter of intent
Once you decide to move forward, we help you write an offer and work through counteroffers until both sides agree on terms.
- 5
Due diligence and closing
You and your advisors verify the records, the lease and the equipment while financing is finalized. Closing documents are signed, and the transition period begins.
What shapes the cost of buying a business
The price you pay depends far more on the business than on the paperwork. We only get paid when the seller does, so our attention stays on getting a sound deal to the closing table. These are the factors that move the total cost of an acquisition.
- Earnings an owner can count on
- Steady, documented cash flow supports a higher price. Earnings that rely on the current owner's personal relationships often justify a lower one.
- Deal structure
- Seller financing, earnouts and how much cash you bring to closing all change what the business really costs you over time.
- What is included
- Real estate, inventory, vehicles and equipment can be part of the price or handled separately. The age and condition of equipment matters as much as the list of items.
- Your own advisors and lender
- Attorney, CPA and lender fees depend on the size of the deal and how much review it needs.
What buyers want to know
Something not covered here? (512) 580-9359
Is there a fee to look at your listings?
No. Signing up as a buyer and looking through listings is free. We are paid at closing, and only when the seller is paid.
Whose side are you on, mine or the seller's?
For most listings we act for the seller, and we say so to buyers from the start. You will still be treated fairly, get honest answers and see everything the seller has disclosed. We recommend that every buyer bring in their own attorney and CPA to review the deal.
How much cash should I have to buy a business?
That depends on the price, the lender and whether the seller will finance part of it with a note. Bank and SBA loans typically call for a down payment along with working capital. We can go over your own numbers during the consultation.
Why do I have to sign something before seeing the financials?
Sellers keep their sale private so staff, customers and competitors do not find out too soon. The confidentiality agreement protects them and allows us to show you the real figures.
Can buyers from outside Bastrop work with you?
Yes. We help buyers throughout the surrounding area, such as Elgin, Smithville and Cedar Creek, and plenty of our meetings take place by phone and video.
Start with what you want to own
Tell us the kind of business you have in mind and the role you want in it. We will set up your buyer registration and walk you through current listings that fit.