So after 12 years of running my landscaping biz, I'm finally thinking about selling. Where would you spend your first advertising dollar to find buyers? I keep hearing bizbuysell but also local groups? Not sure if I'm overthinking.
Marketing
Where would you advertise first?
Honestly, before you spend a dime on ads, get a valuation. Otherwise you're just fishing without bait. No one wants to buy a question mark.
BizBuySell is the obvious one. You'll get a lot of tire-kickers though. Be ready to filter out the 'just curious' crowd.
I listed mine on Facebook Marketplace as a joke and got two legit inquiries. Weird but true. The tire-kickers are worse there though.
Interesting. I hadn't even thought of FB marketplace. Figured it was all used furniture and sketchy cars. Did you actually sell through there?
FB Marketplace for a business sale is like fishing in a puddle. You might catch something but it's probably a boot.
Also depends on your industry. Landscaping? Local word of mouth and trade associations are gold. I sold my HVAC company to a competitor who saw my listing on a state contractor board. Cost me zero dollars.
Yeah, but contractor Boards are hit or miss. Half the guys on there are just swapping leads, not buying.
True. I tried posting on a regional business brokers' forum once. Got one reply that said 'lol no' and that was it.
Maybe start with a broker instead of advertising? They have buyer lists already. Costs a commission but you don't waste time on tire-kickers.
Brokers are expensive though. 10% on a small sale can hurt. I'd rather advertise myself first, then bring in a broker if it stalls.
Yeah, I like the idea of trying it solo first. I'm not in a huge rush. Probably get some professional photos And list on bizbuysell, maybe check the contractor boards too since I'm in landscaping. Thanks for the random FB idea, might be a side gig experiment.
If you do bizbuysell, make sure your listing has actual numbers. Revenue, seller's discretionary earnings, the work. Nothing turns off serious buyers more than 'contact for details.'
Also, don't use a photo of your truck from 2013. I've seen listings like that. Hard pass.
And whatever you do, take out the line 'owner willing to finance 10% at 0% interest.' You'll attract time wasters who are broke.
At the end of the day, just get the listing out there. Perfect is the enemy of sold. You'll learn as you go.