Martin The Biz Broker

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Martin The Biz Broker

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Martin Navarro, CM&AP. I help business owners prepare, value and sell their businesses, and help buyers find the right opportunities. CA DRE #02372118

Certified M&A Professional, Kennesaw State University. Confidential and professional.

11/01/2026

A buyer asked me last week how much cash he needed to buy a $1 million business. He was expecting me to say $300K or more.

The answer was closer to $100K.

That is the power of an SBA 7(a) loan. For most business acquisitions, the minimum equity injection is 10%. The bank finances the rest, usually over 10 years, and the government guarantee is what makes the bank comfortable doing it.

There are a few catches. The business needs strong, documented cash flow. You need decent credit and some relevant experience. And you will sign a personal guarantee.

But if those boxes are checked, owning a business is a lot closer than most people think.

What has been holding you back from buying a business? Comment below.

11/01/2026

A buyer offers you the same total price, but part of it comes as a consulting agreement after closing. Look closer. Purchase price may be taxed as capital gains. Consulting fees are usually ordinary income, and they are only paid if the contract holds up. Same headline number, different money in your pocket. Run the after tax math first.

10/31/2026

Here is something most business owners do not hear until they are already in a deal.

The offer is not the finish line. Due diligence is.

Once a buyer is serious, they will want to see everything. Three years of tax returns. Bank statements. Your P&L. Proof behind every add back. Your lease. Your employee list. Your top customers and how much of your revenue they represent.

And they will compare all of it.

If your tax returns tell one story and your P&L tells another, that is where deals slow down, prices drop, or buyers walk away. Not because the business is bad, but because the numbers do not line up.

The good news is that this is fixable. Sellers who prepare ahead of time walk into due diligence with confidence and usually walk out with a better deal.

If you own a business here in Los Angeles or Ventura County and plan to sell in the next year or two, now is the time to get your records in order.

What part of the due diligence process feels most stressful to you? Comment below.

10/30/2026

Most business owners think the hardest part of selling is finding a buyer.

In my experience, the hardest part is what happens after the buyer shows up.

The number one mistake I see is going to market before the financials are ready. The tax returns say one thing, the P&L says another, and there is no paperwork behind the personal expenses running through the business.

A buyer will only pay for profit they can verify. So will the bank financing the deal. If your earnings live in your head instead of on paper, they will not show up in your sale price.

The good news is that this is fixable. Give yourself a year or more. Clean up the books, document your add-backs, keep personal spending out of the business, and have a CPA review everything before you list.

Every owner I have seen do this sells faster, negotiates from strength, and keeps more of what they built.

If you own a business in and have been quietly thinking about an exit, what is the one thing holding you back from getting started? Comment below.

10/30/2026

Reps and warranties are promises you make about your business in the purchase agreement. If one is wrong after closing, the buyer can claim your money. Protect yourself: disclose every known issue in the schedules, add knowledge and materiality qualifiers, and limit how long the reps survive. Disclosed problems are priced in. Hidden ones become claims.

10/29/2026

One of the most common questions I get from business owners is this: what multiple will my business sell for?

The answer starts with your industry.

A restaurant usually sells somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 times its yearly owner earnings. A home service company like HVAC or plumbing often sells between 2.5 and 3.5 times. Manufacturing and distribution can go higher.

The reason is risk. Buyers pay more for businesses with repeat customers, service contracts, and a team that runs the day to day. They pay less when everything depends on the owner showing up.

The good news is that the industry only sets the range. Your financials, your systems, and how easily the business can be handed off decide whether you land at the low end or the high end.

I’ve seen owners add real money to their sale price by fixing a few things a year or two before going to market.

If you own a business in LA or Ventura County, do you know what multiple your industry typically sells for? Comment below or message me and I’ll tell you what I’m seeing.

10/28/2026

Quick question for business owners in LA and Ventura County.

Do you know your SDE?

If not, you are not alone. Most owners I talk to have never heard the term, and it is the single most important number when it comes time to sell.

SDE stands for Seller's Discretionary Earnings. In plain terms, it is everything the business puts in the pocket of one owner who works in it. That includes your profit, your salary, and personal or one time expenses that run through the business.

Here is why it matters. A buyer is not buying your tax return. They are buying the cash flow they will have once they step in. That is what SDE shows them.

I regularly see owners who think their business is worth very little because their tax return shows a small profit. Then we recast the numbers and the picture changes completely.

The catch is that every addback has to be backed up with documentation. If you cannot prove it, buyers and lenders will not count it.

Have you ever had your SDE calculated? Comment below and let me know.

10/27/2026

Before you make an offer on a business, slow down for a minute.

I talk with a lot of first time buyers here in Southern California, and the excitement is real. You find a business you like, the numbers look good on the listing, and you want to move before someone else does.

That urgency is exactly where expensive mistakes happen.

Before I help a buyer write an offer, we look at a few things together. Is the cash flow verified by tax returns? Why is the owner really selling? Does one customer make up a big chunk of revenue? Can the business run without the current owner? Is the lease solid and transferable?

None of this means you have to lose the deal. A focused evaluation usually takes days, not weeks. And it puts you in a much stronger position to negotiate price and terms.

The best buyers I work with are not the fastest. They are the most prepared.

If you have ever walked away from a business, what was the moment you knew it was not the right fit? Comment below.

10/27/2026

Seller financing means you take part of your sale price as a note the buyer pays back over time. It can widen your buyer pool and support a higher price. The risk: the bank gets paid before you. Keep the note a minority of the price, get a personal guarantee, a lien, cross default language, and regular financials.

10/26/2026

Buying your first business is exciting. It is also where a lot of people make expensive mistakes without realizing it.

After years of working with buyers across Los Angeles and Ventura County, I see the same patterns again and again.

People fall in love with a business before looking at the tax returns. They plan for the down payment but forget about working capital. They assume the seller will stick around for months without putting it in writing. And many never check whether the lease can actually be transferred to them.

None of this means someone should not buy a business. It just means the homework matters more than the excitement.

The best first time buyers I have worked with did three things well. They got their financing lined up early. They asked a lot of questions. And they brought in the right advisors before signing anything.

If you are thinking about buying a business, what is the biggest question holding you back right now? Comment below. I read every one.

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Telephone

+18186333254

Website

https://thebusinessbrokerslosangeles.com/martin-navarro, https://beacons.ai/martin.navarro, http://bizbrokersla.com/

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