The Buyout Method
Where to look for businesses to buy
Most buyers spend all their time where everyone else is looking. The best deals are almost never there. Enter your email to get the guide.
Please enter a valid email address.
No spam. Unsubscribe any time.
The Buyout Method
Where to look for businesses to buy
Most buyers spend all their time where everyone else is looking. The best deals are almost never there.
The thing most people get wrong
The best businesses for sale aren't listed anywhere. Their owners haven't decided to sell yet — or they have, but they'd rather hand it to the right person quietly than run a process. Your job as a buyer is to be that person before the listing ever goes up.
Where everyone looks — and why it's not enough
BizBuySell + listing sites
Everyone's here
The biggest marketplace for small business sales. Broad inventory, easy to search, and heavily trafficked — which is exactly the problem. You're competing with every other buyer in the country, and the businesses listed here have often been shopped around for months.
Business brokers
Everyone's here
Brokers have inventory and they can surface deals you wouldn't find on your own. But remember: they represent the seller. Their fee comes from the sale price. Build the relationship, but don't mistake them for your advocate.
Instead, consider them a potential pipeline — one to travel with caution.
Where the real deals are — channels most buyers never use
Call the owner directly — before they're selling
Underused
Pick businesses you'd actually want to own. Find the owner. Call or write them a personal note. You're not asking if they want to sell — you're introducing yourself and saying you'd be interested if they ever think about transitioning. Most people have never been called by a serious buyer. It's memorable.
Will + Alexa
The off-market conversation is a completely different dynamic. There's no auction, no other buyers, no broker pushing for a fast close. It's just two people figuring out if a deal makes sense — and that's where the best terms come from.
Accountants + attorneys who serve small business owners
Underused
These professionals know which of their clients are thinking about retiring, burning out, or quietly ready to move on — often before the owner has told anyone else. A single conversation with the right CPA or business attorney can surface deals that never reach a listing site. Build these relationships intentionally.
Will + Alexa
Your attorney and your accountant are your most underrated deal sources. Tell every one of them exactly what you're looking for. They talk to dozens of business owners — you want to be top of mind when a client mentions they're thinking about exiting.
Retiring owner networks — no succession plan
Underused
Millions of baby boomer business owners will exit their businesses in the next decade. Many of them built something real but have no family member or employee ready to take over. They're not listed anywhere — they're just quietly figuring out what comes next. Industry associations, local chambers, and peer groups are full of them.
Will + Alexa
Show up to the industry events. Talk to the people who've been running their business for 25 years. Ask about their plans. You'll be surprised how many of them light up when a serious, capable buyer shows genuine interest.
The one thing to do this week
Write down 5 businesses in your area or industry that you'd genuinely want to own. Then find the owner's name for each one. That list is your starting point — and it already puts you ahead of 90% of buyers.
Free 15-min call — no obligation