Selling your business is the largest financial transaction of your life. WETYR does not run sales. We keep a registry of qualified buyers who have told us what they want to own, and we introduce owners between $1M and $50M in revenue to the ones who fit, free. After an introduction, you and the buyer deal directly, each with your own attorney, CPA and, if you want one, your own licensed broker or advisor. We are operator-buyers ourselves so we know what real buyers are paying for and what is just narrative.
Pre-Sale Readiness
The 12 months before going to market is where valuation gets made. We model your current valuation, identify the 4-6 levers that would move it most, and help you make the operational changes before you sell. Sellers who skip this step typically receive lower valuations than sellers who prepare properly.
Confidential Introductions To Registry Buyers
Most owners do not want competitors, employees, or customers knowing the business is for sale. WETYR does not list, market or advertise your business. Buyers on the WETYR registry (strategic, financial, and operator-buyer) have told us what they want to own. With your OK, we introduce only the ones whose buy box fits, and you decide whether to talk to them.
Terms Are Between You And The Buyer
The headline price is one of 15 economic terms in a definitive agreement. Working capital adjustments, escrow holdbacks, earnout structure, reps and warranties insurance, non-compete scope, transition agreements - each one moves real money. WETYR does not negotiate for either side; price and terms are set by the owner and buyer with their own advisors. After an introduction, you work directly with the buyer, and your own attorney, CPA and, if you want one, your own licensed broker or advisor protect your side.
Post-Close Transition
The 100 days after close determine whether you receive your full earnout, whether your team stays, and whether your customers retain. Planning the transition early, as part of exit readiness, helps the new owner execute and helps you collect what you are owed. WETYR can help you plan your side of it as general business consulting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my business worth?
Service businesses typically sell at 2-6x EBITDA, SaaS businesses at 3-10x ARR, and platform-grade businesses with strong recurring revenue can reach 10x+ EBITDA. The actual multiple depends on recurring revenue percentage, customer concentration, owner dependency, growth, team retention, and books quality. WETYR provides a free range estimate within 14 days.
How long does it take to sell a business?
From decision to close is typically 12-24 months when done properly. The first 12 months are pre-sale optimization. The market phase runs 4-9 months. Owners who try to sell in 90 days typically accept significantly lower offers from the first buyer who shows up.
Should I use a broker or an M&A advisor?
Brokers list businesses on marketplaces and take commission of $40,000 to $60,000 per $500K. M&A advisors run targeted processes and typically charge a retainer plus success fee. WETYR is neither. WETYR does not list, market or negotiate your sale, and it is free to owners. If a registry buyer fits your business, we introduce you, and you deal directly with that buyer using your own advisors, including your own broker or buyer and seller introductions if you want one.
Start a Confidential Conversation
Mutual NDA before any financials. WETYR responds within one business day.
Last updated: 2026-04-28
Selling A Business: Why Readiness Matters For Owners and Operators
Exit readiness sits at the intersection of strategy and execution for most growth-stage and lower-middle-market businesses. WETYR treats this work as one of seven integrated practice areas because the decisions made here interact with marketing, financial planning, M&A, recruiting, and exit timing. Owners who silo this work from the rest of the operating model end up paying for the same insight twice - once with the specialist they hired, and again when downstream decisions get re-litigated because no one held the integrated view.
The framework WETYR uses is identical across all 50 states and across the 25 niches in our acquisition universe: diagnose the constraint, model the alternatives, choose based on stated owner goals, execute with weekly accountability. That sounds simple. The reason most engagements fail is that step two (modeling alternatives) gets shortcut, and step four (weekly accountability) gets dropped after the first month. Our engagement model is designed to keep both steps honest.
How WETYR Engagements Work
Every engagement starts with a complimentary 30-minute diagnostic call. We use the call to understand the actual problem - not the symptom you came in with. From there, we propose a scoped engagement with clear deliverables, weekly accountability, and a 90-day measurable outcome. Engagements are retained, not project-based, because the work compounds. Owners who retain WETYR receive supporting services across the seven practice areas at no incremental cost when those services are aligned to the agreed business goals.
If you want to see whether exit readiness consulting or a buyer introduction is a fit for your situation, the next step is to book a complimentary call. We will not pitch. We will tell you honestly whether the gaps warrant a paid engagement or whether the better move is internal. That honesty is the engagement model.
Where Exit Readiness Fits In The Lifecycle
WETYR's positioning is "Zero to Exit" - the operating partner across the entire business lifecycle. Exit readiness work can start at any phase: launch, scaling, acquisition, integration, or exit preparation. Each phase changes the answer. The framework that fits a $5M revenue scaling business won't fit a $30M business preparing for sale, and the framework that fits an acquirer won't fit a seller. WETYR maintains the lifecycle view so the answer is calibrated to where you actually are, not where the playbook assumes you are.
Authoritative Sources & Further Reading
WETYR works alongside primary sources, regulators, and industry data providers when working with owners and operators. The references below are the same sources our research team uses when benchmarking multiples, modeling valuations, and stress-testing assumptions. We encourage every owner, buyer, and operator to verify any data point that materially affects their decision against the underlying primary source.
Primary Federal Sources
- U.S. SBA - 7(a) Loan Program for acquisition financing eligibility, terms, and lender list.
- SEC EDGAR for public-company comparables, 10-K disclosures, and recent strategic acquirer filings.
- IRS - Sale of a Business on Section 1060 asset-allocation reporting and tax treatment of asset vs stock sales.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Industries at a Glance for wage, employment, and growth data by NAICS code.
- U.S. Census Economic Census for industry size, firm counts, and revenue distributions.
- Federal Reserve Economic Data for prevailing rate environment underwriting.
Standards & Reference Bodies
- AICPA for Quality of Earnings methodology and CPA standards governing transaction-related financial work.
- FINRA Rules and Guidance for understanding when a transaction crosses into broker-dealer territory.
- NACVA business valuation credentialing body and standards (CVA designation).
- USPAP - Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice for valuation engagement standards.
- Investopedia - EBITDA reference page for definitional alignment with our glossary.
- Harvard Business Review - Mergers and Acquisitions archive on integration and post-close value creation.
For deeper transaction-specific data, the GF Data and PitchBook private-company transaction databases publish quarterly multiple ranges by industry size band that we cross-reference against our own pipeline benchmarks. Owners considering a sale should also review the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Report (free, annual) for current cost-of-capital and lender appetite data across the lower middle market. Buyers underwriting search-fund or holdco theses commonly pair Stanford GSB's Search Fund Study with the IBBA Market Pulse report, which tracks multiples for sub-$50M transactions quarterly. None of these sources replace advice from your own attorney, CPA or licensed advisor on a specific deal, but they give owners and operators the same reference points professional acquirers are using on the other side of the table.
Related WETYR Resources
Every WETYR resource ladders into a structured engagement framework. Whether you are diagnosing readiness, modeling a number, or preparing for a specific transaction phase, the resources below cover the most common owner and operator workflows. All tools are free; all guides are operator-written; all engagements start with a confidential conversation.
Engagement Pillars
Decision Tools
Operator-Written
Glossary & FAQ
Checklists & Templates
Niche Coverage
If you are not sure where to start, the Exit Readiness Score takes about four minutes and produces a one-page diagnostic on the value drivers most likely to compress your multiple. From there the natural next step is either a long-form guide covering your specific situation, a focused glossary term lookup, or a confidential introductory call with our team to discuss whether a buyer introduction, consulting, or a direct purchase by WETYR is a fit. Our team responds to every inbound inquiry within one business day.