If someone tells you they can recommend a business broker for all businesses, they’re full of it.

I’d never trust a generic “business broker” myself.

Every industry takes years—often a decade—to really understand. Even within online businesses, there are massive differences between SaaS, ecommerce, info products, affiliate sites, and agencies. It’s rare to find someone who truly knows even two of those models well, let alone multiple offline industries on top of that.

Use These 2 Rules When Deciding Who To Trust for Business Brokers

I’ve spent my whole career growing online businesses. I’ve got a strong online business broker recommendation for you. But outside that circle of competence, I’m not the person to ask. If you want to buy a franchise, don’t ask me.

The first rule for finding a good business broker: only trust broker recommendations from people with at least a decade of experience in that same industry.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess most of the posts ranking for “best business brokers” weren’t written by people with that level of experience.

The second rule: pick a broker that specializes in your specific industry and deal size.

Markets move in cycles. Take SaaS: post-Covid, valuations went nuts—public markets soared, IPOs popped, late-stage VC pushed prices up, and everything downstream followed. Selling a SaaS company in the middle of that earned a hefty premium.

Then the air came out. Public multiples contracted, the IPO window slammed shut, private valuations reset, and deal timelines stretched. In 2025, the environment has improved again: deal volumes have picked up, and SaaS revenue multiples have stabilized at more grounded levels (with private EV/ARR medians roughly in the mid-single digits and publics a bit higher), so strong fundamentals matter more than ever.

Every industry has its own cycles, buyers, valuation methods, and red flags. If your broker isn’t tapped in, they won’t get you the best outcome.

They won’t.

So find a specialist.

Quick ways to vet a specialist:

  • Ask for 3–5 recent deals in your niche and size, plus references you can actually call.
  • Listen for real comps and buyer personas (not vague “huge buyer lists”).
  • Check whether they run a real process (marketing materials, outreach, buyer qualification, LOI management, diligence, closing) vs. just posting a listing and hoping.

Best Business Brokers for Online Businesses

You have a few main options; here’s how I think about them.

FE International – Hands Down, The Best Business Broker for Online Businesses

If I were selling one of my online businesses—or dead set on acquiring one—the first call I’d make is to FE International. I’m not even sure I’d shop around.

They’ve been a key brokerage in the online space for well over a decade. I’ve worked with them and know plenty of people who have too. I’ve only heard good things—no horror stories, not even minor grumbles.

Here’s what I like about them:

  • Big enough to handle serious acquisitions, small enough to stay tight-knit. You get attention—not a ticket number.
  • Everyone I’ve interfaced with there has been on it—clear timelines, proactive communication, solid follow-through.
  • They live and breathe online businesses. Their valuation guidance and buyer matching actually reflect what’s happening right now, not last cycle.
  • They run a real process—materials, outreach, qualification, LOIs, diligence coordination—so deals keep momentum.

In 2025, FE International formalized an investment-banking arm (a FINRA-registered broker-dealer) and continues to publish current market research; they’ve now completed well over a thousand tech and online business acquisitions. The point: they’re embedded in today’s market, not yesterday’s.

I wish they were paying me to feature them here. They aren’t.

Flippa – Good for Low Revenue Businesses

Everyone in the online space has heard of Flippa. I don’t personally use it.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with Flippa—I just avoid it for a few reasons:

  • The businesses listed tend to be smaller than I’m interested in.
  • At that size, I’d rather build from scratch than inherit unknown problems—especially around traffic quality, links, or supplier risk.
  • You’ll wade through a lot of noise. Some sellers use Flippa to offload problem projects.
  • If I were selling, it’s unlikely my projects would fit their revenue sweet spot these days.

That said, Flippa can be perfect for a first acquisition. If you want hands-on experience with a smaller deal, it’s a good sandbox. And if you built a small site and just want to move on, listing it there can be a clean exit.

Pro tips for using marketplaces like Flippa:

  • Verify revenue with payment processor screenshots and view-only access; verify traffic with analytics access.
  • Use escrow. Don’t skip NDAs or basic diligence because the price is low.
  • Ask for the growth levers you’d pull in the first 90 days. If you can’t name any, pass.

What a Great Broker Actually Does

A specialist broker isn’t just a listing service. The good ones:

  • Position the business with clear, audited-quality financials and a tight story.
  • Prepare marketing materials buyers expect (not fluffy PDFs).
  • Run targeted outreach to qualified buyers and filter out tire-kickers.
  • Drive a competitive process to maximize terms, not just price—structure matters.
  • Keep diligence moving, manage surprises, and help both sides get to closing.

Broker Fees and Terms (Quick Primer)

Most small-to-mid market brokers charge a success fee (a percentage of the sale price) and may ask for a small retainer. Expect an exclusivity period and a minimum fee on smaller deals. Ask for the full fee schedule, how success fees are calculated, and what happens if you find the buyer yourself during the engagement. As of 2025, many lower–middle-market mandates use a Lehman or Double-Lehman grid with rising minimums (often low-six-figure minimum success fees) and modest monthly retainers that credit against the final fee.

For your sanity, clarify: who builds materials, who contacts buyers, response SLAs, what qualifies as a “buyer introduced by the broker,” and termination terms.

How to Prep Your Business Before You Call a Broker

Preparation increases valuation and speed. Do this first:

  • Clean financials: 24–36 months of P&L and balance sheet, normalized for owner comp and one-offs.
  • Metrics that matter: for SaaS, MRR/ARR, churn, LTV, CAC, cohort retention; for ecommerce, AOV, contribution margin, repeat rate; for content/affiliate, traffic mix and RPMs.
  • Operational docs: org chart, SOPs, supplier and key-account details, contracts, and renewal calendars.
  • Risk review: dependencies (single supplier, single channel), compliance, trademarks, licenses.
  • Traffic and channels: analytics access, attribution, paid vs. organic mix, concentration.

Red Flags When Choosing a Broker

Walk away from anyone who:

  • Promises an eye-watering valuation with no comps to back it up.
  • Wants large upfront fees but can’t show a real process or recent closes.
  • Won’t provide references you can actually speak with.
  • Dodges questions about buyer lists, outreach, and diligence support.

What About Other Industries? How Do You Find Business Brokers For Them?

For me, this problem mostly solves itself.

Hot take: if you don’t know the top 2–3 brokers in a given niche, you’re probably not deep enough in that niche to buy a business there yet. Could you buy one? Sure. Should you? Probably not.

Could I go buy commercial real estate right now? Maybe. Would I get my face ripped off? Absolutely. I haven’t even bought a home; I still rent. I have zero real-estate expertise and shouldn’t go near it. Same with franchises, HVAC companies, laundromats, restaurants, and a bunch of other models.

If you’ve done really well and want to buy outside your lane as a passion project, have at it. I recently met a woman who bought a football (soccer) club and was thrilled to turn it around—full Ted Lasso vibes. She could afford the lessons. For the rest of us, we should stick to what we truly know. That’s where we have an edge.

If you’ve built a business you’re looking to sell, I’d be surprised if you haven’t already heard the names of the key brokers. Even if you’ve been heads-down, your network will know—ask around and you’ll hear the same brokers come up repeatedly.

As you get deeper into any industry, you naturally bump into the right brokers.

Enough, I’m Going in Cold and Still Want a Business Broker. How Do I Do it?

Alright, fair enough. You’re not going to love this answer.

First, don’t rely on Google lists. Most pages ranking for broker terms aren’t written by operators. It’ll take more work.

Instead, find the real communities around the business type you care about: subreddits, Facebook groups, niche forums, operator-run blogs, podcasts, newsletters, and people on X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn who actually own these businesses.

Once you’re plugged in, ask for broker recommendations. If someone doesn’t have direct experience, ask who the main players are. Cross-reference names across multiple sources—you’ll see a clear pattern.

Yes, it’s networking and cold outreach. Not glamorous. Still undefeated.

The other thing you can do is check out BizBuySell. It’s not a brokerage; it’s a platform where businesses are listed for sale—everything from scooter shops to gas stations to marketing firms. Brokers list there, too. Browse similar listings to the kind of business you want and you’ll start to see the same broker names appear.

Questions to Ask Any Broker Before You Sign

Before you agree to anything, ask these and listen closely to the answers:

  • Which recent deals have you closed in my niche and revenue range?
  • How do you plan to position my business to buyers, and what comps support your valuation range?
  • What does your outreach process look like, and how do you qualify buyers?
  • What’s your fee structure, minimums, and exclusivity period? What happens if I find the buyer?
  • What resources will you provide during diligence (templates, checklists, data-room guidance)?