Small businesses are big sellers

Businesses brokers told BizBuySell that they closed 69 deals to sell South Florida companies through the Web site in the fourth quarter.

Most of these were small businesses, and the median sales price was $180,000, which represented 91 percent of the median asking price by the sellers. The companies that were sold had $450,000 in median revenue.

The biggest South Florida deal reported to BizBuySell was the $10 million purchase of a caviar-producing operation in Miami that had nearly $2.3 million in revenue. The Web site wouldn't disclose the name.

In other deals:

• A Broward County manufacturer of aluminum shade structures sold for $1.6 million.
• A lumber and woodworking company in Miami sold for $1.6 million.
• An insurance agency in Miami sold for $1 million.

• A Miami sign company sold for $950,000.

There are plenty of deals out there to be made. BizBuySell said 2,095 businesses were listed for sale in South Florida. They had a median asking price of $300,000 and median revenue of $470,000.

BizBuySell GM Mike Handelsman said revenue multiples for business valuations for South Florida businesses are declining, even as asking prices are flat.

"It suggests that it's getting tougher to sell a business in the area," he said. "This is something we expect to happen as retiring baby boomers flood the market with businesses for sale and drive prices down in the years to come. It's a buyer's market for aspiring entrepreneurs."

- Brian Bandell

About BizBuySell:

BizBuySell is the Internet's largest and most heavily trafficked business for sale marketplace, with more business for sale listings, more unique users, and more search activity than any other service. BizBuySell currently has an inventory of over 48,000 businesses for sale, and more than 275,000 unique visitors each month. BizBuySell also has one of the largest databases of sale comparables for recently sold businesses and one of the industry's leading franchise directories.

BizBuySell was founded in 1996 and acquired by LoopNet, Inc. in 2004. LoopNet operates the largest commercial real estate listing service online, with more than 2.2 million registered members and 920,000 unique visitors monthly. The LoopNet online marketplace contains more than $440 billion of property available for sale and 3.4 billion square feet of property available for lease.

Media Contact:

Frank Krolicki
Walker Sands Communications
office: (312) 546-4127
email: fkrolicki@walkersands.com

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