Honest analysis of the Australian business sale market. Valuations, buyer types, earnouts, and how to prepare for an exit that doesn't disappoint.
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Earnouts and deferred consideration can push you over the $6M asset threshold for small business CGT concessions — before cash changes hands. One structural mistake can cost you hundreds of thousands in tax.
Loans, ATO debt, creditors — here's what actually happens to your business obligations at settlement, and what you need to do before you go to market.
Cafe, restaurant, pub, or hotel — here's how buyers actually price hospitality businesses in Australia, and what owners can do to get a better number.
The May 12 budget is weeks away. CGT discount, Division 296, small business concessions — here's what Australian business owners planning a sale need to watch.
Valuation reports are full of jargon. Here's what each section actually means — adjusted EBITDA, multiples, normalisation, and how to use the number in your sale.
PwC research shows family businesses employ half Australia's workforce — yet most have no succession plan. Here's what that means for owners thinking about selling.
It's the fear most owners won't say out loud. The honest answer — and what you can actually do about it now, before it becomes urgent.
FBT compliance is one of the first things buyers check in due diligence. A Full Federal Court ruling from April 2026 clarifies the owner/employee distinction every family business seller needs to understand.
Due diligence is not an interrogation. It's a verification process — and understanding what buyers are actually looking for makes it far less frightening.
Budget Night is May 12. If you hold your business through a family discretionary trust, your CGT exposure may differ from what you expect. Plain-English explainer before the announcement lands.
Australia's insolvency rate is at a decade high. The gap between a voluntary exit and a forced one has never been wider. What the data means for succession timing.
From 1 July 2026, your accountant, broker and solicitor must verify your identity under new AML/CTF rules. Here's what it means for your business sale.
45% of Australian family business owners now plan to sell — more than plan a family handover. The preparation for each path is completely different. Here's how to choose.
Most business valuations in Australia gate behind an expensive consultation. Here's how to get a free, credible indicative valuation — and what the numbers actually mean.
Melbourne ad tech startup Doohly sold to Canva for $30 million in March 2026. Here are three lessons for Australian SMB owners on building for acquisition.
The ASX just had its worst month since March 2020. Recession fears are rising. Here's how a downturn actually affects your business sale — and what to do with that information.
The Albanese Government is expected to cut Australia's CGT discount in the May Budget. For property investors, the maths is clear. For business sellers, the picture is more nuanced — and depends on whether you qualify for the small business concessions.
June 30 is closer than it looks. What to act on before the financial year ends — CGT concessions, super, instant asset write-off, Division 296, and May budget timing.
The instant asset write-off threshold drops to $1,000 from 1 July 2026. If you're doing a pre-sale asset refresh, you have 90 days to act and still get the full tax deduction.
6 min readA Heads of Agreement sets the terms before lawyers get involved. Here's what it actually covers, what's binding, what's not, and what to watch for.
No internal successor? No problem — if you prepare properly. A practical guide for Australian family business owners considering an outside sale.
The anxiety every Australian business owner feels about telling customers they've sold — and the honest truth about what customers actually care about when the business changes hands.
Most Australian small business owners think succession planning is for bigger companies. It isn't — and that assumption is costing them. Here's what a practical succession plan looks like for a small business.
Owner dependency is the single biggest discount buyers apply to AU SMB valuations. Here's what fixing it actually looks like — practically, sequenced, and with realistic timelines.
The ATO can make you personally liable for your company's unpaid PAYG and super. Here's what a DPN means for your business sale, and what to do about it.
Dealmaker confidence hit 8/10 — the highest in years. Private capital deployed in AU deals nearly doubled. Here's what the global shift means if you're thinking about selling.
New ACCC merger thresholds came in January 2026. If you're selling to a trade buyer or PE firm, here's what changed and whether it affects your deal.
Two very different ways to set the final price — and which one you agree to can cost or save you hundreds of thousands of dollars at settlement.
Buyers often want to pay part of the price later. Here's what that looks like in practice — and how to protect yourself whether it's an earnout or vendor loan.
How escrow works in practice — what gets held, for how long, under what conditions it gets released, and what sellers should watch out for.
Buyers are now using AI tools to tear through data rooms in hours. Here's what that means for SME sellers preparing their business for sale in 2026.
How much liability you carry after the sale closes — and how to negotiate a cap that doesn't put your retirement at risk.
An LOI looks non-binding — but some of it isn't. Here's what to look for before you sign, and what gets locked in the moment you do.
LOI vs HOT — they're used interchangeably, but they're not identical. Here's what each one means and which one you're likely to see in an Australian deal.
A MAC clause lets a buyer walk away if something big changes before settlement. Here's what counts — and how to limit the exposure for sellers.
What you're legally promising when you sign — and how reps and warranties can come back to bite you years after the sale is done.
Commissioning your own due diligence report before buyers do their own — why sophisticated sellers use it, and when it's worth the cost.
Seller's remorse is real — and more common than anyone admits. Here's what Australian business owners feel after selling, why it happens, and how to navigate the transition.
When the next generation says no, what do you do? Your real options as an Australian family business owner — from outside sale to MBO to winding down.
If everything runs through you, buyers will walk. Here's what founder dependency actually looks like — and the practical steps to fix it before you sell.
When the succession plan your whole business was built around falls apart — what you can actually do next, and how to make peace with it.
Settlement is done. The business is gone. This is the question nobody warns you about — and it matters more than most owners expect.
The hardest part of selling your business isn't the deal — it's figuring out who you are without it. The identity question every founder faces, and how to face it honestly.
Most owners put everything into the business and almost nothing into super. When you sell, there's a narrow window to change that — here's how.
Should you sell your Australian family business or close it down? An honest comparison of both paths — the money, the time, the tax, and what most owners overlook.
Months on the market and no serious offers? Here's how to diagnose what's actually wrong — price, founder dependency, messy financials, wrong buyers — and what to do about each one.
Research on the Great Ownership Transfer shows that the overwhelming majority of small business exits end in closure, not sale. The difference is preparation — and it starts years before the exit.
The government is examining the 50% CGT discount ahead of the May 2026 budget. If you're planning a business sale, the current tax settings are your most reliable window — and it closes in May.
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Most owners plan their exit. Almost none plan for what happens if they can't exit on their own terms. Here's why you need both — and what each one covers.
Most owners assume succession means finding an outside buyer. An Employee Share Ownership Plan is a different path — one that lets your team buy you out over time, on terms the business funds itself.
A new tax starting 1 July 2026 will double the effective earnings rate on super balances above $3 million. If you're planning to sell and put proceeds into super, here's what you need to know.
PE exit activity is up 57% globally. Funds are deploying fresh capital. Here's what private equity screens for in Australian acquisitions — and what gets deals killed at first filter.
Read article →McKinsey's research identifies a once-in-a-generation wave of SMB ownership transitions. Here's what it means for Australian owners in their 50s and 60s — and why waiting is the biggest risk.
Read article →The handover period is when deals unravel. Here's how to manage the transition, protect your earnout, and exit cleanly after selling your Australian business.
A disclosure schedule is your primary shield against post-sale warranty claims. Learn how to prepare one correctly when selling an Australian business.
Most Australian business owners assume their Will covers their succession. It doesn't. Here's the critical difference — and the expensive gap most owners leave open.
Most Australian business owners plan for retirement. Almost none plan for sudden incapacity. Here's what emergency succession looks like — and why it matters more than you think.
M&A momentum is back, buyer confidence is returning, and 74% of Australian deals are under $50M. Here's what the data says — and why timing matters more than most owners think.
Telling your team you're selling is one of the hardest conversations in business. Here's how to do it without losing people before the deal settles.
60,000 Australian businesses are owned by someone of retirement age with no succession plan. What the numbers mean for owners thinking about selling.
EBITDA multiples, plant and equipment, IP, customer contracts — here's how buyers value an Australian manufacturing business and what drives your price up or down.
Independent shop, franchise, or specialty retailer — here's how buyers calculate what your retail business is worth, and what makes the difference to your final price.
Plumber, electrician, builder, HVAC contractor — here's how buyers calculate what your trade business is worth, and what lifts or kills the price.
Many Australian family business owners run from home and assume they'll get the small business CGT break when they sell. New ATO guidance says most won't qualify.
An honest guide for Australian family business owners on whether a struggling or loss-making business can still be sold — and what your real options are if it can't.
From 1 July 2026, a new tax on large super balances could change the math on your exit plan. Plain English guide for Australian business owners.
The timing, the words, and the order that makes telling your employees about a business sale as honest and humane as possible.
Buyers look beyond the numbers. Here's what really drives buyer interest, confidence, and price — and how to make your business more attractive before you go to market.
Selling to a competitor can get you the best price — or destroy everything you built. Here's how to think through it honestly before you decide.
When you sell your business, what happens to the name, logo, website, and brand? A plain-English guide for Australian family business owners.
CGT, the small business concessions, and what you'll actually walk away with — explained in plain English for Australian family business owners.
Where real buyers come from, how to stay confidential, how to qualify buyers, and how to run a simple process that creates options.
A plain-English guide: when a broker is worth it, what they do, what they cost, and how to decide between broker vs DIY.
Why founder dependency makes it hard to sell, hard to step back, and hard to hand over — and what to do when you ARE the business.
The guilt, loyalty, and responsibility you feel towards long-serving staff when selling your business — and what actually happens to your team in a business sale.
Selling a business? Learn how Australia’s small business CGT concessions work, the tests you must pass, and the deal terms that can change your after-tax outcome.
How to structure retention bonuses that keep key employees through closing—including timing, amounts, vesting triggers, and tax treatment in Australian business sales.
Comprehensive guide to Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in Australian business sales. Learn when to use them, what to include, and how to protect sensitive information during the sale process.
Comprehensive guide to personal guarantees in Australian business sales. Learn when buyers demand them, how to negotiate limitations, and strategies to protect your personal wealth.
A comprehensive guide to vendor finance (seller financing) in Australian business sales — including structure, risks, tax implications, and negotiation strategies for SME owners.
The most common due diligence issues that cause buyers to walk away from business sales — and how sellers can identify and fix them before they become deal-breakers.
Australian courts regularly strike down restraint clauses that go too far. Here's what makes a non-compete enforceable, what buyers demand, and how to negotiate protections that survive challenge.
M&A deal volumes are down. Buyer scrutiny is up. In 2026, clean financials aren't a nice-to-have—they're the baseline requirement for serious buyers.
Most valuation guides tell you what you want to hear. This one doesn't. We walk through how buyers actually calculate what to pay, adjusted EBITDA, market multiples, buyer type, and the three factors that most shrink the number you were hoping for.
The working capital adjustment can add or subtract hundreds of thousands from your final sale proceeds. Most sellers don't understand it until settlement, when it's too late to negotiate.
An earnout sounds like free money. It rarely is. Here's why most deferred payments don't pay in full, and how to negotiate better terms before you sign.
The honest answer is 12–18 months from a standing start. Most owners plan for 6. Here's what actually happens at each stage, and how preparation changes the timeline.
The most common reason Australian businesses sell for less than they're worth has nothing to do with profit. It's about what happens when the owner walks out the door.
Most business owners plan for what they'll receive. Almost none plan for what gets taken out first. CGT, legal fees, working capital adjustments, here's where the money actually goes.
Two businesses. Same profit. One sells for 3×. The other sells for 6×. The difference is almost always the same thing.
Most business owners don't choose the structure of their sale, their buyer does. Here's what that means for your tax bill and what you actually walk away with.
A leak at the wrong moment can cost you buyers, key staff, and the deal itself. Here's how professional sale processes are run quietly.
Due diligence is where deals die, prices fall, and surprises surface. Here's exactly what a sophisticated buyer examines, and how to make sure none of it catches you off guard.
Professional services businesses are the hardest to value well, and the easiest to value badly. Here's what buyers actually look at when pricing a practice.
Every buyer adjusts your profit before they make an offer. Here's exactly what gets stripped out, and why the gap is usually 15–35%.
Trade buyers, private equity, search funds, they all value businesses differently. Knowing who's likely to buy you changes how you prepare.
Business brokers don't publish their fees. Here are the real numbers, and what you actually get for them.
Nearly half of earnouts don't pay out in full. Here are the five specific failure modes, and how to contract around them.
The sellers who get the best outcomes started preparing 3 years before going to market. Here's exactly what to fix.
Most Australian business sales take 9–18 months. Many take longer. Here are the six most common reasons, most of which are fixable.
Every question in a business assessment sends a signal to buyers. Here's what each variable actually communicates, and what it means for your price.
EBITDA is the number buyers care about. But they don't use the EBITDA you report. They adjust it. Here's what that means, what gets stripped out, and why it changes your price.
EBITDA multiples vary wildly by industry, size, quality, and buyer type. Here's what Australian SMEs actually sell for, and what drives the range.
Owner dependency doesn't just lower your multiple. It changes the entire deal structure. Here's what it costs you in price, earnout risk, and deal certainty.
Trade buyers and private equity funds approach acquisitions completely differently. The one that's right for you depends on what you're optimising for. Here's how to decide.
You don't need a broker to sell your business. But you do need a process. Here's what it actually takes to run a private sale, the steps most owners miss, and when a broker might still make sense.
Most business sales don't fail at valuation. They fall apart during due diligence when buyers discover problems sellers should have fixed months earlier. Here are the eight issues that kill deals most often.
Your management team wants to buy the business. It sounds ideal, but most MBOs fail or take years longer than planned. Here's what actually happens, and how to structure one that works.
Capital gains tax can take 23.5% of your sale proceeds. Here's how Australian business owners can legally minimize their tax liability when exiting.
You've signed contracts, survived due diligence, and negotiated every clause. Settlement day is the finish line — but most business owners have no idea what actually happens when ownership transfers.
Australia is heading into the biggest transfer of business ownership in its history. Over 400,000 family businesses will face succession this decade. Here's what it means for you — and why timing matters more than most owners realise.
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