A good listing draws hundreds of inquiries. This scorecard shows how a broker would assess your readiness, and exactly what you need to fix to be positioned in the best light.
Many SBA acquisition loans require 10% or more down from the buyer.
Tap an answer to begin. You'll pick up right where you left off. 8 questions, about 3 minutes.
Prepared buyers have a competitive edge, because many buyers are not well qualified or have not given careful consideration to how they appear to a business broker.
Whether you can actually fund the deal: capital for a down payment and a credible path to financing. It is the first thing a broker checks, and the first place unprepared buyers get filtered out.
SBA loans typically require 10% or more down. A lender prequalification is an important tool that can demonstrate your financial readiness and seriousness to buy a business.
Having a clear understanding of the type of business that you want to buy, and what size range, that most closely aligns with your background.
Sellers and brokers trust a buyer who knows what they want.
Whether your background and skills line up with the business you are inquiring about, and whether you could credibly run it.
It is important for sellers, brokers, and lenders to make sure that a buyer’s background aligns with the business. The closer your background aligns with the skills required for the business, the more credible you are to the broker, the banker, and the seller.
Whether you understand how an acquisition actually transpires, from a nondisclosure agreement to a letter of intent to due diligence to earnest money deposits, and whether you have the right people to support you.
Preparation is what lets a deal move once you find the right business. Having an understanding of the steps involved in buying a business is important knowledge that can give you a competitive edge.
How serious and focused your search is: whether you have a realistic timeline to close, and a short list of businesses you are pursuing rather than a wide net.
Serious buyers pursue one business at a time. A clear transaction timeline and a narrow focus on businesses that fit your finances and your skills signal to a broker that you are a serious contender.
The number is how a broker would read your readiness today, and the written breakdown tells you the fastest way to move up within a given category.
Score your readiness →You are seen as a serious buyer prospect. The work now is finding the right business.
A couple of specifics need to be locked down, often a prequalification. But generally, you are competitive.
Your buyer readiness is close, but you are not yet positioned for success given other buyers who may be better prepared. The foundation is there, but there is still work to be done.
You can still inquire, and we will add you to our buyer list. But it is important to be seen as a serious buyer, and there is more work to be done first.
Five short sections, about three minutes. Your capacity, your target, your background, your preparation, and your timeline.
A 0–100 score across the five things a broker weighs, so you can see exactly how a seller and a broker perceive your readiness.
A breakdown by email, with your weakest area flagged and the concrete next step to fix it.
Then get on our buyer list, so the right listings reach you first. We work with serious, prepared buyers across the Carolinas and nationwide.