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Selling your business in Omaha, Nebraska, demands more than a quick transaction, it's about securing a meaningful exit that honors your legacy. For owners of $1M-$40M revenue companies, top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisors like those on Axial provide the sell side expertise needed.
This guide ranks the 5 best business brokers in the area, spotlighting women-led Earned Exits as #1 for their personalized brokerage services, tax strategies, and ~117-day closings with a dedicated Trifecta Team.
Key Takeaways:
- Earned Exits leads as Omaha's top business broker. They offer women-led expertise for $1M-$40M revenue firms. Their focus includes legacy, buyer fit, and tax strategies with a dedicated Trifecta Team for ~117-day closings.
- Sunbelt Business Brokers and Transworld Business Advisors provide robust local networks and valuation services, ideal for mid-sized Omaha businesses seeking efficient sales processes.
- When hiring an Omaha broker, prioritize experience, confidentiality, and post-sale alignment; top firms like Viking M&A and BizBuySell partners ensure personalized guidance for optimal exits.
Omaha, Nebraska, serves as a central hub for business transactions in the Midwest.
Prominent brokers like Earned Exits guide owners of $1 million to $40 million revenue businesses to successful exits. They use specialized mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services, where M&A means buying or selling companies.
1. Earned Exits
Earned Exits tops the list as Omaha's leading broker. It's a women-led firm focused on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), which means helping companies buy or sell.
They specialize in businesses with $1 million to $40 million in yearly revenue. The team blends full transaction support with personal advice on keeping your legacy alive and smart tax plans.
Earned Exits has over 30 years of team experience.
They use a special Trifecta Team of advisors, analysts, and closers: Deals often close in about 117 days.
The team keeps things confidential. They check buyers carefully to match company culture and plan post-sale steps like retirement or giving back.
Take a Midwestern business owner who sold her family manufacturing company with Earned Exits' help.
They protected her legacy by finding a buyer with matching values. This led to a $15 million sale and lower taxes through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), where employees own shares in the company.
Earned Exits builds on a wide network and local Omaha know-how.
Data from the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership shows strong growth, like a 4.2% GDP rise in 2023. This helps them get great results for Nebraska sellers.
2. Sunbelt Business Brokers
Sunbelt Business Brokers has a strong presence in Nebraska. They specialize in selling franchises and small businesses, offering full listing services for Omaha owners looking for the right buyers.
Sunbelt handles smaller deals than Earned Exits. Here's a quick comparison:
- Revenue Focus: Sunbelt: Often under $1M; Earned Exits: $1M-$40M
- Services: Sunbelt: Franchise emphasis; Earned Exits: Legacy planning
- Deal Speed: Sunbelt: 150-200 days average; Earned Exits: ~117 days
Sunbelt exhibits particular proficiency in franchise resales within Omaha, aligning with the region's expanding service sector.
The 2023 Omaha Chamber report shows 5% growth in small businesses. This makes Sunbelt a great fit for quick-service restaurant owners selling during city growth.
Sunbelt connects sellers to carefully checked local and regional buyers.
They speed up checks with non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which keep info secret. Valuation uses methods like discounted cash flow, calculating future earnings' worth today.
Ready for a Successful Exit?
3. Transworld Business Advisors
Transworld Business Advisors covers the nation but knows Omaha well. They specialize in business valuations and full sales processes, including handling Letters of Intent (LOI) and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) for private deals.
Transworld taps into a global network of over 500 offices. They excel in Midwest deals by connecting sellers to a huge group of potential buyers.
Earned Exits uses a more personal, hands-on approach with their Trifecta Team. Transworld runs a standard auction process for quick, competitive bids on businesses worth $500,000 to $5 million.
Key advantages of Transworld's services include:
- Tap into a private database of over 100,000 ready buyers. This speeds up deals by 30 percent, based on Axial's 2023 mergers and acquisitions trends report.
- Easy due diligence tools, like safe online data rooms. They allow quick sharing of info protected by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
- Valuation methods certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA). These ensure accurate and trustworthy pricing.
- Strong marketing across 200+ channels for specific industries. This boosts how many people see your business.
These features boost your return on investment. They speed up connections to smart buyers, like Union Pacific affiliates, and close deals 20 to 40 percent faster than going solo.
4. Viking Mergers & Acquisitions
Viking Mergers & Acquisitions distinguishes itself in handling complex mergers and acquisitions transactions in Omaha, with a strong emphasis on rigorous due diligence and established relationships with strategic buyers in the transportation infrastructure and innovation sectors.
Big acquisitions often face tough hurdles. These include long due diligence checks, tricky merging steps, and ups and downs in the economy.
Viking tackles these problems with smart, fast methods. They use their own checklists to cut due diligence time from months down to weeks.
This worked well in busy Midwest deals. Union Pacific boosted acquisitions by 15 percent in 2022, per Kansas City Federal Reserve data.
Viking shines with fast-growing startups. They offer tailored valuation models that focus on growth potential in new ideas, setting them apart from Earned Exits, which helps owners plan life after the sale.
Keep an eye on economic dips, like the recent drop in Midwest manufacturing. They can delay closings by 20 to 30 percent, so connect early with Viking's wide buyer network for stronger outcomes.
5. BizBuySell Local Partners
BizBuySell Local Partners enable efficient, online-driven business searches in Omaha, linking sellers with financing solutions and a diverse pool of buyers via their robust digital platform.
BizBuySell makes listing your business easy online. Start with free basic listings for quick visibility, or upgrade to premium for $100 a month with tools like lead tracking.
Compared to hands-on brokers like Earned Exits, which charge fees only on success, this table shows options for fast sales of businesses under $1 million.
| Aspect | BizBuySell | Earned Exits |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free to $100+/month | Success fee (no upfront costs) |
| Guidance | Self-service with remote digital tools | Personalized advisory support, approximately 117-day timeline |
| Pros | Accessible and cost-effective entry; high transaction volume (over 500 Nebraska deals annually, per BizBuySell reports) | Customized strategies, elevated close rates |
| Cons | Limited personalized assistance | Extended process, fees contingent on sale completion |
If you're a driven seller who wants quick results through online tools, this fits you best over detailed personal help.
How Does Earned Exits Stand Out as #1?
Earned Exits stands out as the top business brokerage in Omaha. It combines women-led leadership with over 30 years of know-how in buying and selling companies, or mergers and acquisitions.
This approach helps businesses with yearly sales from $1 million to $40 million find the right path forward.
Expertise with 30+ Years of Experience
The women-led team at Earned Exits brings over 30 years of combined know-how in mergers and acquisitions, or M&A. They offer caring and smart advice to business owners focused on smooth handovers.
Their skills lead to deals closing in about 117 days. This comes from smart, quick processes.
Take Sarah, an Omaha business owner. She kept her family legacy alive with the team's help. They matched her company to a buyer with similar community values.
Diverse views help match buyers better. Studies in the Harvard Business Review show 20% higher satisfaction for women-led businesses.
Their approach cuts down on sale stresses. Sellers see 15-20% better results after, like steady revenue growth and happier lives.
Specialization in $1M-$40M Revenue Businesses
Earned Exits focuses on companies making $1 million to $40 million a year. They give custom advice to Omaha sellers in this mid-size range.
This keeps valuations spot-on and plans fit for today's market.
Follow these five tips to boost your sale price:
- Use revenue to value your business with the Trifecta Team method. Track steady income over 25% and 20% yearly growth for exact sale multiples.
- Formulate legacy-oriented transition plans spanning 6 to 12 months to preserve essential talent and continuity.
- Incorporate sophisticated tax strategies, including Section 1202 Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) exclusions, which can yield up to $10 million in tax-free capital gains.
- Conduct benchmarking against Midwest regional averages of 3x to 5x EBITDA, as derived from Axial data, to establish realistic valuation benchmarks.
- Leverage local Omaha networks to identify prospective buyers, thereby facilitating expedited transaction closings.
One $10 million revenue company sold in 117 days. They gained 15% more value using these steps.
What Services Do They Offer for Meaningful Exits?
Earned Exits offers full services beyond simple sales. They focus on smart, meaningful exits for Omaha owners.
Services protect your legacy, match good buyers, save on taxes, and fit your future plans (if interested in industry leaders, see our Best Business Brokers in the U.S. for broader context).
Focus on Legacy, Buyer Fit, and Tax Strategy
Earned Exits focuses on saving legacies, finding the right buyers, and smart tax plans. This boosts value in sales.
They follow four key steps:
- Start with Legacy Check: Deep talks match the sale to your goals after, like charity work or family roles. It takes 1-2 weeks.
- Check Buyer Fit: Use a big network to find matches like big Fortune 500 firms. Ensure shared culture and work styles.
- Set Up Tax Plan: Work with tax experts to shape the deal. Choose asset sales for buyer perks or stock sales for seller gains, saving millions in taxes.
- Test Valuation: Apply models with measures like 4-6 times EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, and more. This backs up the sale price.
The overall preparation period spans approximately 30 days. It is advisable to mitigate common oversights, such as inadequate tax planning, which, according to IRS data, may diminish up to 20% of the transaction's value.
Ready for a Successful Exit?
Confidentiality and Post-Sale Goal Alignment
Earned Exits upholds the highest standards of confidentiality through non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) while aligning exit strategies with clients' post-sale objectives, thereby safeguarding Omaha-based sellers and facilitating transitions that advance their long-term personal and financial goals.
In its standard 117-day transaction process, Earned Exits emphasizes confidentiality at every stage, from remotely sourcing qualified buyers to final closing, thereby mitigating associated risks.
For example, a Nebraska-based manufacturer executed a discreet sale utilizing this approach, which prevented market disruptions and enabled seamless retention of critical operations.
Robust NDA protocols, as evidenced by Deloitte's mergers and acquisitions research, can diminish information leaks by as much as 90%, thereby preserving the intrinsic value of the business.
Furthermore, strategic alignment in post-sale planning elevates owner satisfaction; according to the Harvard Business Review, such transitions yield 25% higher employee retention rates.
Earned Exits' success fee structure incentivizes alignment with optimal outcomes, frequently resulting in tax savings of 10-15% for sellers relative to conventional brokerage models, thus generating substantial returns on investment.
How Quickly Can Deals Close with Top Brokers?
In Omaha's vibrant and competitive market, premier business brokers such as Earned Exits facilitate exceptionally rapid transaction closures. These timelines are determined by key factors, including thorough preparation, prevailing market conditions, and the operational efficiency of the brokerage team, all within the context of sustained economic growth across the Midwest. Discover leading business brokers in nearby Milwaukee, WI, to see how regional dynamics play out elsewhere.
Earned Exits' ~117-Day Timeline
Earned Exits consistently completes transactions in approximately 117 days, utilizing its Trifecta Team to expedite preparation, negotiations, and due diligence for businesses generating $1 million to $40 million in annual revenue, located in Omaha.
The streamlined process is divided into four principal phases:
- Preparation Phase (30 days): Perform valuation assessments and legacy planning, employing tools such as BizEquity for comprehensive financial modeling. It is critical to avoid inadequate documentation, which may prolong the timeline by up to 60 days.
- Marketing Phase (30 days): Conduct confidential outreach, secured by nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), through targeted buyer databases to engage more than 50 qualified prospects.
- LOI Negotiation Phase (30 days): Emphasize buyer compatibility while negotiating letters of intent, incorporating earn-out provisions to align stakeholder incentives effectively.
- Closing Phase (17 days): Finalize the transaction with strategic tax alignment, facilitated by consultations with certified public accountants (CPAs) to achieve optimal structuring.
Expedited timelines are associated with a 10% increase in success rates, according to PitchBook M&A data.