Acquisition DeskPractical tools for evaluating a business acquisition.
Use free calculators and buyer-focused guides to screen opportunities, understand earnings, plan financing, prepare questions, and approach diligence with more structure.
New to buying a business? Start here.
Use this five-step path to build context before moving deeper into a specific opportunity. You can also jump directly to the stage that matches your current deal.
Learn the acquisition process
Understand the buyer journey, common deal terms, financing basics, broker conversations, and the role of diligence.
Screen the opportunity
Clarify what is being sold, understand the broker's claims, and identify the questions that determine whether the listing deserves more time.
Understand the earnings
Learn how Seller's Discretionary Earnings is constructed, test add-backs, and distinguish seller-presented earnings from buyer-reviewed assumptions.
Model financing and cash needs
Estimate debt service, DSCR, financing structure, buyer cash required, and liquidity remaining after closing.
Prepare for diligence
Organize document requests, findings, unanswered questions, and issues that require professional review before closing.
Choose where you are in the process
Featured calculator
SBA Acquisition Calculator
Estimate buyer cash, SBA debt, seller financing, debt service, debt-service coverage, and cash remaining after debt for a small-business acquisition.
- Model purchase price and project costs
- Estimate buyer cash requirements
- Include seller financing assumptions
- Review monthly and annual debt service
- Calculate estimated DSCR
- Estimate cash remaining after debt
Start with the acquisition process
Build a practical foundation before evaluating financing assumptions or requesting diligence materials.
START HERE
First-Time Business Buyer Guide
Learn how to define your Buy Box, screen listings, understand financing, identify risks, prepare broker questions, and organize the path through diligence.
Read the guideBUYER WORKFLOW
Product Tour
See how a listing moves through Buy Box Fit, financial analysis, risk review, broker preparation, acquisition materials, deal updates, and Deal Copilot.
See the workflowScreen an opportunity
Decide whether a listing deserves deeper investigation before spending significant time or professional fees.
LISTING SCREENING
How to Evaluate a Business-for-Sale Listing
Use a practical framework and private scorecard to assess financial clarity, earnings quality, price support, owner dependence, transferability, financing, and missing information.
Evaluate a listingDEAL SCREENING
Questions to Ask a Business Broker
Prepare buyer-focused questions about the seller, financials, add-backs, customers, employees, assets, financing, transition, and sale process.
View the questionsLISTING CAPTURE
Acquisition Desk Clipper
Capture a business-for-sale listing and bring its information into Acquisition Desk without manually re-entering every disclosed detail.
Explore the ClipperUnderstand the financials
Examine the earnings measure behind the asking price and identify assumptions that require documentation or professional review.
EARNINGS QUALITY
Seller's Discretionary Earnings and Add-Backs Guide
Understand SDE, review seller adjustments, test documentation, and model how buyer-accepted add-backs and replacement labor affect the picture.
Read the SDE guidePlan financing and buyer cash
Compare financing sources, estimate the buyer-funded portion of the transaction, and understand why the cash needed may exceed the purchase contribution.
ACQUISITION FINANCING
Ways to Finance a Business Acquisition
Compare cash purchases, SBA loans, conventional financing, seller notes, investor equity, hybrid structures, earnouts, rollover equity, and other approaches.
Read the financing guideBUYER CASH REQUIREMENT
How Much Cash Do You Need to Buy a Business?
Estimate the buyer cash needed for the purchase contribution, working capital, closing costs, diligence, immediate capital needs, and post-closing reserves.
Estimate the cash neededPrepare for diligence
Organize the documents, findings, questions, and professional reviews that may affect valuation, financing, structure, operations, or closing.
DUE DILIGENCE
Business Acquisition Due Diligence Checklist
Organize the financial, legal, operational, customer, employee, technology, and closing questions that should be investigated before buying a business.
View the checklistMove from public tools into one organized deal workspace.
When a listing becomes a real opportunity, Acquisition Desk keeps the Buy Box, financial assumptions, financing, risks, broker questions, documents, diligence, deal updates, and acquisition materials connected.
Create a Buyer Profile and Buy Box
Save or import a listing
Run financial and risk analysis
Prepare acquisition materials and manage diligence
No credit card required.