Selling a business you built.

Most owners we speak to have never sold a company before. These are the questions that come up most often, answered as directly as we can.

What is my business worth?

There is no honest answer to that before we have seen your numbers. What we can tell you is how we think about it: we look at profit rather than revenue, we normalize for owner compensation and one-off costs, and we pay for what the business earns rather than what it might earn if everything goes right. Anyone who gives you a valuation before reading a P&L is guessing.

What happens to my employees?

They stay. We buy on the strength of the team, and cutting it would remove the reason we bought. That is not a courtesy — in a services business the people are the asset. We have no interest in acquiring a client list and dismantling the company that serves it.

Will you keep the name?

Yes. The business you built keeps its name and its identity. We are not assembling a brand; we are buying good companies and letting them go on being themselves.

Do I have to stay after the sale?

Only if you want to. Some owners want to retire on closing. Some want a transition period of six or twelve months. Some want to keep running the business with capital and support behind them, and retain a meaningful share of it. All three are workable. Tell us which one you want and we will structure around it.

How long does it take?

From first email to closing, typically three to six months. You will hear whether you are a fit within two business days. After that, the timeline depends mostly on how quickly financial information can be assembled and how long financing takes.

What if I am not ready to sell yet?

Then we are glad to talk anyway. Many of the best conversations we have are with owners who are two or three years out and want to understand the process before they need it. There is no obligation and no follow-up campaign.

Is this confidential?

Yes. We sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement before receiving detailed information, and we encourage you to ask for one. Diligence runs confidentially on both sides. Nothing reaches your staff, customers or lenders except what you choose to disclose.

Do you buy the whole company or part of it?

Usually the whole company. Sometimes most of it, leaving you a meaningful share and a continuing role. Which makes sense depends on what you want next, not on a formula.

Who pays the fees?

Each side pays its own advisors. If you are represented by a broker, their fee is typically paid by you out of the proceeds — that arrangement is between you and them. We do not charge sellers anything.

What information will you need?

To begin, one email with a description of the business, ballpark financials and what you are hoping for. Nothing formal. If there is a fit, we will ask for three years of financial statements and tax returns, an accounts receivable aging, a client list by revenue, and details of contracts and staff.

What if my business is not a fit?

You will hear it from us within two business days, and you will hear why. A quick no is more useful to you than a slow maybe, and we would rather be remembered as the buyer who answered honestly.

Why should I sell to you rather than a private equity fund?

A fund raised today must return capital to its investors within five to seven years, which means every company it buys is bought in order to be sold again. We are a holding company. We have no fund, no investors expecting an exit, and no exit date. If that matters to you — and for many owners it is the whole question — it is the difference between the two of us.

Something not covered here?

Ask us directly. Send a message, email info@vintagecapitalcorp.com, or call (917) 397-7242. You will hear back within two business days.