How to find the best small businesses for sale?

searcher profile

March 12, 2025

by a searcher from University of Cincinnati - Carl H. Lindner College of Business in Lebanon, OH 45036, USA

Hello! I’ve been at it for only a couple months on bizbuysell but haven’t found many good opportunities yet. Curious where everyone has had luck. SMBmarket? Strategies for a pre market approach to find the right businesses/owners directly?
Thank you!
Ryan

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commentor profile
Reply by an intermediary
from Howard University in Denver, CO, USA
At RKJ Partners, we specialize in supporting independent sponsors and entrepreneurial acquirers throughout the entire buy-side M&A process. Since 2008, we’ve carved out a niche in the lower middle market, focusing on ​operating companies and target companies generating EBITDA in the range of $1MM to $5MM. Our firm acts as an extension of your deal team—proactively sourcing off-market opportunities, managing outreach, coordinating diligence​, guiding negotiatio​ns​ and sourcing acquisition related capital. Over 95% of our engagements are on the buy side, giving us deep experience and a focused perspective on what it takes to close deals in today’s competitive environment. Whether you’re raising capital for a first-time acquisition or adding to an existing platform, we help you stay in front of owners and one step ahead of the process. If you’re an independent sponsor seeking qualified opportunities, seller access, and a partner who understands the nuance of your model—we’d welcome the chance to connect. Feel free to reach out directly redacted or visit our website to learn more: [www.rkjpartners.com]
commentor profile
Reply by a professional
from Tufts University in Medfield, MA 02052, USA
Hey, I have 4 investments into 3 portcos and I'm close on my 4th and largest investment. I've found it easiest to work from my network, but I suspect you may be in a different place than me. I haven't seen acquire.com on this list, so add that to your list.

The theme above rings true to me. Develop a target sector/segment and a story that you personally have on why you're a great partner. Attack the market outside of the existing marketplaces. Independent Sponsors and Searchers have higher returns when they have proprietary deals (i.e. - no broker/sell side involvement). None of my deals involved anyone but me sourcing them and I did not do volume outreach. When others zig, you should zag. HVAC companies and Dentists are barraged by low effort outsourced and proprietary outreach. Focus on something you have a passion for and build a strong pathway.

Other thoughts:

* Develop adjacent network like high end lawyers, placement agents, and other people who feed the PE ecosystem. These people often know of things kicking around and certainly can give you POV on work you're doing. My core point here is bizbuysell is about as low effort as you can get - develop something interesting and execute on that.
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