7 tips for finding the right business broker
Not all brokers are created equal. Here's what to look for when choosing someone to represent your life's work.
Salt Lake City business broker
Legacy Handoff helps Salt Lake City business owners sell confidentially to qualified buyers. We've bought, built, and sold businesses ourselves, so we know how it works. No upfront fees, and you work directly with our team from the first call to closing.
Free estimate
Two numbers and thirty seconds. No email required for the rough range.
Ranges are based on typical Main Street multiples of seller's discretionary earnings. A real valuation looks at a lot more than two numbers.
Figures reflect Legacy Handoff transactions. Your business may sell above or below these numbers.
Selling in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is the deepest business-for-sale market in the Mountain West. The metro has a diverse economy that doesn't depend on any single industry: healthcare, logistics and distribution companies that serve the whole western region from the I-15 and I-80 crossroads, a large professional services sector, and thousands of home services and trade businesses that have grown with the valley. For a seller, that depth matters for one reason: more qualified buyers. Salt Lake County has the state's largest pool of individual buyers, searchers, and private equity groups looking for exactly the kind of company you've built.
We see four kinds of buyers for Salt Lake City businesses: individual operators leaving corporate jobs (often with SBA financing lined up), out-of-state buyers relocating to Utah, strategic buyers who already run a similar company and want your routes, contracts, or crews, and investor groups rolling up fragmented industries like HVAC, plumbing, and landscaping. The right one depends on what you've built and what you want the handoff to look like.
Close to home. We're based in Utah County, about 30 minutes down I-15, and we're in Salt Lake constantly. First meetings happen wherever works for you: your office after hours, our office, or a video call if discretion matters.
Why Legacy Handoff
Most brokers have never sold a business of their own. Our team has, more than once, and we're still involved in acquisitions today. That changes how we represent you.
You work with Riggs and the people around him from the first call to closing, not an associate you've never met. You'll have our cell numbers.
No retainers, no marketing fees, no hourly billing. We're paid a commission at closing. If your business doesn't sell, you owe us nothing.
We buy businesses too, so we know exactly what the buyer across the table is looking for and where they'll push.
Your business is marketed blind. Buyers sign an NDA and prove they can close before they learn your company's name.
We tell you what it's worth, find the right buyer, and get the deal to the wire. You keep running the business until the handoff is complete.
Serious about acquiring a Salt Lake City business? Get on the list. New listings go to our buyers before they're posted anywhere public.
How it works
No mystery, no surprises. Most Salt Lake City deals close in six to twelve months, and some have closed in 45 days.
We start with a free consultation to understand your needs and goals: what the business does, what you're hoping to walk away with, and when you'd like to be done. No pitch, no pressure.
We provide a detailed, no-cost valuation of your business. A real number you can defend at the table, not one designed to win your listing.
We craft a confidential marketing plan and advertise your business to our buyer list and the major marketplaces in a generic way that never reveals your name or location. Nothing goes out without your approval.
We screen every inquiry and weed out the tire kickers and time wasters. Qualified buyers sign a confidentiality agreement before they see anything specific, so you can stay focused on your business.
We manage offers and counteroffers with your best interests in mind, keep due diligence moving so a buyer never goes cold, and handle the paperwork through closing. Then it's time to celebrate.
Meet the founder
Riggs Powell started Legacy Handoff after selling businesses of his own. He built a company and helped sell it for eight figures, has sold six businesses himself, and has bought businesses as well. He knows what it's like to hand over something you built from nothing, and what a seller needs from their broker, because he's been the seller.
We're still involved in acquisitions and running businesses today. That keeps us sharp on what buyers want, what lenders will finance, and what a company is really worth. When we represent you, we're not guessing what buyers want. We are one.
Where we work around Salt Lake City
We work with owners throughout the area: in person for the meetings that matter, and by phone and video for everything else.
Industries
If it has real revenue, real operations, and a reason for a buyer to want it, we should talk.
More Utah cities: Provo · St. George · All of Utah
Also serving owners in: Idaho · Wyoming · Montana · New Mexico
Selling a business in Salt Lake City
Most Main Street businesses sell for a multiple of the owner's annual profit (SDE). Across the valley we typically see 2x to 4x depending on industry, size, and how dependent the company is on the owner. Service businesses with recurring contracts sit at the top of the range. A free valuation will give you a real number for your specific business.
Yes. We're along the Wasatch Front and meet Salt Lake owners in person for the conversations that matter. Everything else moves faster by phone and video, which most owners prefer anyway.
Commission only, paid at closing. No retainers, no upfront marketing fees. If the business doesn't sell, you owe nothing.
Yes. Your business is marketed blind. Buyers sign an NDA and show proof of funds before they learn your company's name.
Learn
Not all brokers are created equal. Here's what to look for when choosing someone to represent your life's work.
A clear explanation of what business brokers do, how they differ from other advisors, and how to decide if hiring one is right for your situation.
Idaho's licensing rule explained, who's buying, Treasure Valley versus eastern Idaho, keeping a sale quiet in a small town, and taxes.
Let's talk
Whether you're selling next quarter or just curious what your business might be worth, the first call costs nothing and stays between us.