{
  "title": "How to Sell a Business in 2026: 9 Steps From Clean Books to Closing",
  "url": "https://acquisitions.com/blog/how-to-sell-a-business/",
  "author": "Moran Pober",
  "publisher": "Acquisitions.com",
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "updated": "2026-10-22",
  "section": "Selling a business",
  "keyword": "how to sell a business",
  "short_answer": "Start 12 to 24 months before you want out. Clean up the books, raise your margins, and value the business on a multiple of its earnings. Then write a confidential information memorandum, market it quietly to qualified buyers, sign a letter of intent with the best one, get through 30 to 60 days of due diligence, and close. Bring in a CPA before you sign.",
  "facts": {
    "Under $500,000": [
      "SDE",
      "Around 2x"
    ],
    "$500,000 to $2 million": [
      "SDE",
      "Around 3x"
    ],
    "$2 million to $5 million": [
      "EBITDA",
      "Around 4x"
    ],
    "$5 million to $50 million": [
      "EBITDA",
      "Around 4.5x to 5.5x"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    "https://www.ibba.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/market-pulse-highlights-q4-2025.pdf",
    "https://www.bizben.com/blog/how-much-do-brokers-charge-to-sell-a-business/",
    "https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/sale-of-a-business",
    "https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8594",
    "https://www.irs.gov/publications/p544",
    "https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc409",
    "https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/7a-loans"
  ],
  "license": "Facts may be quoted with attribution to Acquisitions.com and a link to the url above."
}