Business Broker for Families
New
Sell Your Family Business to a Buyer Who Keeps It Local
Through our partnership with American Operator, a direct buyer of small businesses, retiring owners can exit with certainty while their name, their team and their community stay in place.
Who This Is For
When a Business and a Family’s Care Needs Collide
A family business is more than an asset. It may be a lifetime of work, a source of income, and a reason people show up every day. When an owner needs to step back, or a family is balancing care for a parent with running a company, the future of the business needs a plan.
✓
An owner ready to retire or step back
Health, care needs or simply time to move on.
✓
A family caregiver who owns a business
You are stretched between caring for a parent and running your company.
✓
A business with no successor
No one in the family wants, or is able, to take it over.
✓
Funding a longer-term care plan
A sale may be one source of funds, alongside other resources.
Your Options
Why Many Owners Struggle to Exit Well
Owners without an exit plan usually face three paths: sell to a large investment firm, sell to an individual buyer, or close the doors. Each has trade-offs for your team, your customers and your legacy.
Investment Fund or Roll-Up
Individual Buyer
American Operator
Certainty of Close
Depends on whether your business fits the fund’s strategy
Depends on the buyer’s financing, which can fall through
Committed capital already in place
Time from Offer to Close
Often 60 to 90 days
Often 90 to 180 days
About 60 days from a signed offer
Who Runs the Business
A hired operating partner, often without ownership
The buyer, who may be new to your industry
A vetted local operator who earns majority ownership over time
Your Brand and Team
May be combined into a larger company or rebranded
Depends on the buyer
Name and employees stay; the business remains locally owned
Plans for the Business
Often sold again in 5 to 7 years
Depends on the buyer
Grow it and hold it locally
Comparison reflects how American Operator describes the differences. Every situation is different.
What Happens When You Sell
A Different Kind of Exit
American Operator buys small businesses directly with its own committed capital. It is not a broker or middleman. Here is what its approach means for owners.
★
Your Name Continues
The business is not rolled up or rebranded. The reputation you built stays with it.
❖
Your Team Stays
American Operator’s commitment is to keep your employees and the relationships that make the business work.
⌂
A Local Operator Leads
A vetted operator steps in as CEO and earns toward majority ownership over time, so the business stays local and independent.
◷
You Exit on Your Terms
After an agreed transition period, you step away. You decide when and how employees and customers hear the news.
Your Successor
Who Carries Your Business Forward
American Operator finds an experienced industry operator to lead the company as CEO, then surrounds that leader with support.
Every Operator Is Carefully Vetted
Candidates range from proven general managers and small business owners to leaders from larger companies. Each one completes a six-step vetting process.
1
Initial screen
2
Deal-lead interview
3
Technical assessment
4
Background and credit check
5
Advisor interview
6
On-site case study
The operator earns toward majority ownership over time, funded by the business’s own cash flow.
A Three-Member Board of Managers
Together, three parties guide your business’s next chapter, bringing accountability and helping preserve the standards, culture and reputation you built.
The Operator
Leads day to day as CEO, with meaningful ownership from day one.
An Industry Advisor
A veteran owner from your industry who brings decades of practical experience.
American Operator
A long-term partner with playbooks and support across finance, marketing and operations.
Is Your Business a Fit?
What American Operator Looks For
The buyer focuses on profitable, established small businesses. These ranges are guidelines, not hard limits. If you are close, ask us.
$750K to $10M
Adjusted EBITDA the buyer considers. The sweet spot is $1M to $4M.
3x to 6x
Typical multiple of adjusted EBITDA used to set a purchase price.
Asset Purchase
Most of the price in cash at closing, with a seller note paid over time.
A Strong Fit
- Stable or growing earnings over 3 or more years, with clean books
- Mostly recurring or reliably repeating revenue
- No customer above 30% of revenue
- A management team beyond the owner
- Licenses that transfer or can be held by a new operator
Worth a Conversation
- One customer between 30% and 60% of revenue
- Project-heavy revenue or noticeable seasonality
- A thin management bench or heavy family involvement
- One down year with a clear, verifiable reason
Usually a Pass
- One customer above 60% of revenue
- Declining or volatile earnings
- A business that depends entirely on the owner
- Revenue driven by storms or new construction
- Price expectations well above the buyer’s range
Houston is a priority market. American Operator focuses on businesses within roughly 100 miles of major metros, including Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio, and also considers strong businesses elsewhere.
Industries
Where the Buyer Is Most Active
Essential services with recurring demand and local customers move fastest. Commercial and residential businesses can both fit.
Building Trades
HVAC
Plumbing
Electrical
Roofing
Painting
Commercial Mechanical
Garage Door Service
Route & Site Services
Landscaping
Irrigation
Paving & Asphalt
Pest Control
Septic & Liquid Waste
Portable Sanitation
Chimney Service
Specialty Services
Fire & Life Safety
Restoration & Remediation
Auto Repair
Event & Party Rental
Water Testing
Property Management
Also considered: value-add and route-based distribution, niche manufacturing, commercial facility services (such as janitorial and floor care), specialty commercial subcontractors, and industrial coatings and chemicals.
Usually not a fit: franchises, restaurants and retail, online and software businesses, consulting and law firms, daycares, medical practices, passive real estate, union shops, and assisted living and senior care businesses.
Our Process
From First Call to Close in About 90 Days
Confidential, straightforward and efficient. You stay in control of when employees, customers and others are told.
1
Intro Call
A 30-minute conversation to learn your goals and see if there is a fit. No commitment.
2
Discovery
Two to three conversations and a review of past financials, all under a confidentiality agreement.
3
Written Offer
A serious letter of intent with clear terms, structure and a timeline to close.
4
Diligence
Independent financial and legal review, an appraisal and a site visit, coordinated by the buyer.
5
Close & Transition
About 60 days from signed offer to close (up to 90 for complex deals), then an agreed handoff.
Discovery Is Kept Light
Considering a sale does not make running your business any easier, so the buyer asks only for what it needs and works around your schedule.
Documents You Already Have
Three years of profit and loss statements, balance sheets and tax returns, plus a short request list.
A Few Working Sessions
A walk through your people, processes and systems, with a standing weekly call.
One On-Site Visit
The deal team and your successor spend two to three days on site, and it can be kept confidential.
The Buyer Handles the Rest
Financial review, legal work, equipment appraisal and environmental checks are coordinated by the buyer.
What an Offer Can Look Like
Built Around Your Numbers and Your Goals
There is no single right way to sell a business. Offers are shaped by what matters most to you.
Maximize cash at close
Most proceeds up front, a clean exit and a short transition.
Maximize total value over time
Stay involved or take part of the price over time for a higher total.
Keep working in the business
Liquidity today, with an ongoing role if you want one.
Keep some upside
Retain a stake if you believe the business will keep growing.
A Simple Example
$1.5M
Adjusted EBITDA
×
4.0x
Multiple
=
$6.0M
Purchase Price
~70% cash
~30% note
Cash wired at closing
Seller note paid over time
Illustrative only. Every offer is tailored to the business and the seller’s goals, and is confirmed by an independent review of earnings.
Closing & After
Close with Confidence, Transition on Your Terms
Announce It Your Way
You decide when and how to share the news, whether in a team meeting or at a retirement dinner. Your team’s questions about leadership, jobs and benefits are answered together, and the new leaders are introduced in person.
Receive Your Proceeds at Closing
Once the sale closes, your cash proceeds are wired directly to you, so you can begin your next chapter.
A Transition That Fits
A transition period introduces your successor to key customers, vendors and employees. If you want to stay involved longer, an advisory or consulting role can be arranged, and former owners remain welcome in the American Operator community.
Recent Sales
What Owners and Teams Have Seen After a Sale
Two examples reported by American Operator. Results vary by business.
Commercial Painting · Jackson, WY
Greenway Painting
Retirement sale · Asset purchase · Closed Q4 2025
19%+
Growth in earnings since closing
100%
Of the team retained
Same Name
Still locally owned and operated
A veteran owner of a painting company relocated to lead the business as the new operator, supported by an industry advisor with 30+ years in painting.
Industrial Distribution · Glen Mills, PA
Homeland Industrial Supply
Retirement sale · Asset purchase · Closed April 2026
$1.2M
Earnings held steady since closing
100%
Of government contracts kept
Better Pay
Sales team compensation reworked
An operator with 25+ years of leadership in industrial sales and distribution took over, with an advisor from the industry supporting growth.
Confidentiality & Family Considerations
Discreet, Careful, and Aware of What Your Family Is Facing
Your business and your family’s situation are private. We handle both with discretion, and we help you plan the sale around your family’s care needs, not just the market.
✓
Confidentiality agreements before sensitive details are shared
✓
You choose when and how to announce the sale to your team
✓
Timing coordinated with your loved one’s care plan and move
✓
Coordination with your own attorney, accountant and financial advisor
✓
Clear communication with family members who are involved
We provide introductions, guidance and coordination. We do not provide legal, tax or accounting advice, and we cannot guarantee that a business will sell, or at what price.
About Our Partnership
How We Work with American Operator
American Operator is a direct buyer of small businesses. It acquires companies with its own committed capital and places vetted local operators as CEOs. It is a separate company from Senior Living USA.
We have partnered with American Operator so that families we serve have a trusted option when a family business needs a new chapter. We make the introduction, help your family prepare, and stay beside you during the process. Any offer, agreement and sale is between you and the buyer.
$55M
Committed capital raised, as reported by American Operator
~60 Days
From a signed offer to closing
100% Local
Every business it has bought stays locally owned
Disclosure. Senior Living USA does not accept payment from the families it serves. We have a referral partnership with American Operator and may receive compensation from our partners when a service is selected. Our guidance stays centered on your family’s needs and best interests.
FAQs
Questions About Selling a Family Business
Who Is American Operator?
American Operator is a direct buyer of small businesses. It uses its own committed capital to acquire companies and places vetted local operators as CEOs, with a path to majority ownership over time.
Are You a Business Broker?
Our role is to introduce families to a trusted buyer and help them through the process. American Operator buys businesses directly and is not a broker or intermediary. We will explain exactly who does what when you reach out.
What If My Business Is Smaller Than $750K in EBITDA?
Send us the details anyway. The ranges are guidelines, and we will tell you honestly whether it is a fit. If it is not, we can talk through other options for your family.
Will My Employees and Customers Find Out?
Not before you are ready. The process starts under a confidentiality agreement, and you decide when and how to share the news.
How Long Does a Sale Take?
American Operator reports about 60 days from a signed offer to closing, and up to 90 for complex deals. Getting to a signed offer takes a few conversations beforehand. No timeline is guaranteed.
What Information Will I Need to Share?
Mainly documents you already have: three years of profit and loss statements, balance sheets and tax returns, plus a short request list. Everything is protected by a confidentiality agreement.
What Happens to My Role After the Sale?
After closing, you help introduce your successor to customers, vendors and employees during an agreed transition. If you would like to stay involved longer, an advisory or consulting role can be arranged.
Do I Still Need an Attorney and an Accountant?
Yes. We recommend working with your own attorney and accountant throughout the process.
Is This Connected to Senior Care Placement?
It is a separate service, but we can coordinate it with your family’s care plan so decisions about the business and your loved one’s care fit together.
Talk to an Advisor
Tell Us What’s Going On, and We’ll Take It From There
You don’t need to have it figured out. Reach us by chat, phone or a short message, and an advisor will get back to you.
Call
Hours
Monday–Saturday, 9am–6pm
Area
Houston, Texas, growing nationwide
Send a Short Message
We reply during business hours. No pressure, no obligation.
Please don’t include medical details here. We’ll ask what we need when we talk.