Business brokers in New York handle the $1M-$25M deals that investment banks won't touch. This list covers 10 firms active in 2026 - with deal sizes, fee structures, and what they're good at.
What business brokers actually do
Brokers package your business, find buyers, and manage the process from listing to close. They're not investment bankers - but for deals under $25M, they're often the right call.
Most business brokers work on success fees only. You pay nothing until a deal closes, which keeps your costs low if the process drags.
The tradeoff is reach. Brokers typically have smaller buyer networks than investment banks. For a $5M service business, that's fine. For a $50M manufacturer, it's not enough.
Ellty's virtual data room lets you organize financials and contracts before your broker starts outreach. Buyers who receive organized files move faster to LOI.
How brokers differ from M&A advisors
M&A advisors run competitive processes with multiple buyers simultaneously. Business brokers often work one or two buyers at a time, which changes how deals get priced.
If you have a business with a clear buyer universe and a straightforward story, a broker can close it efficiently. If your deal needs a structured auction, you want an advisor.
Deal size is the practical separator. Under $10M, most sellers use brokers. Over $25M, most use advisors. Between $10M-$25M, you'll find both.
Ellty's granular permissions let you control exactly what each prospective buyer can see. Share teasers broadly, then open full financials only to qualified buyers.
| Deal Type | Deal Size | Sector Focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transworld Business Advisors | Sell-side | $500K-$10M | Main street, retail, service businesses, franchises | tworld.com |
| Murphy Business Sales | Sell-side | $500K-$15M | Service, retail, food, manufacturing, distribution | murphybusiness.com |
| Sunbelt Business Brokers | Sell-side | $500K-$20M | Retail, food, distribution, service, manufacturing | sunbeltnetwork.com |
| VR Business Brokers | Sell-side | $500K-$10M | Main street, franchises, service, light manufacturing | vrbusinessbrokers.com |
| Benchmark Business Group | Sell-side | $1M-$25M | Lower middle market, service, manufacturing, distribution | benchmarkbg.com |
| Calder Capital | Both | $2M-$50M | Lower middle market, business services, manufacturing | caldercapital.com |
| BCMS Corporate | Sell-side | $5M-$100M | Lower middle market, cross-border, services, manufacturing | bcms.com |
| Raincatcher | Sell-side | $1M-$20M | Digital, e-commerce, SaaS, service businesses | raincatcher.com |
| Deal Studio | Both | $1M-$50M | Lower middle market, technology, services, media | dealstudio.com |
| Quiet Light | Sell-side | $500K-$20M | Online businesses, e-commerce, SaaS, content, Amazon FBA | quietlight.com |
How to verify an advisor's track record
Ask brokers for a list of closed deals in the past 24 months, not just testimonials. You want transaction count, deal size, and time from listing to close.
Check the broker's IBBA or M&A Source membership. Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation signals professional training - it's not a guarantee, but it filters out the inexperienced.
Call two references from sell-side mandates in your revenue range. Ask about buyer quality, timeline accuracy, and whether buyers who signed NDAs actually showed up to diligence.
Ellty's mergers and acquisitions page shows what buyers expect to find in a data room. Having your financials organized before listing signals to buyers that you're serious.
Read the sell-side due diligence guide before choosing a broker. Understanding what buyers will ask lets you prepare the right documents from day one.
Business sale data room
Organize financials and contracts for buyers before your broker goes to market.
Start free 14-day trialWhat an M&A deal looks like: 6 stages
Business broker deals in New York typically run six to nine months. The timeline stretches when buyers can't get SBA financing or when sellers aren't ready with clean financials from day one.
| What happens | What you need ready | |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Valuation, listing documents, broker selection | 3 years tax returns, P&L, owner add-backs listed |
| Advisor engagement | Listing agreement signed, marketing materials prepared | Signed listing agreement, business summary, photos |
| Marketing | Business listed on BizBuySell and broker's buyer list | Ellty data room with financials ready for NDA signers |
| LOI | Buyer submits offer, price and terms negotiated | Updated financials, lease copy, equipment inventory |
| Due diligence | Buyer reviews financials, operations, and contracts | Full file access in Ellty: leases, contracts, permits |
| Close | Purchase agreement signed, funds and assets transferred | Bill of sale, non-compete, landlord consent, escrow |
10 New York business brokers and M&A advisors in 2026
These firms are active in business brokerage and lower middle market M&A advisory across New York in 2026.
1. Transworld Business Advisors
Transworld is one of the largest business brokerage networks in the country, with New York offices that handle main street and small business sales across retail, food service, and franchises.
Recent Deals: Active in small business M&A across New York through 2025-2026. Transworld closed over 500 transactions globally in 2024, with a strong franchise and retail presence.
LinkedIn: Transworld Business Advisors on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Main street businesses, retail, food service, franchises, service businesses
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $500K-$10M
Location: New York, NY (multiple franchise locations)
Website: tworld.com
2. Murphy Business Sales
Murphy Business covers small to mid-size business sales across multiple industries with a success-fee model that keeps costs aligned with results.
Recent Deals: Active in small and lower middle market business sales across New York through 2025-2026. Covers service, retail, food, and light manufacturing transactions.
LinkedIn: Murphy Business Sales on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Service businesses, retail, food, manufacturing, distribution
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $500K-$15M
Location: New York, NY (national franchise network)
Website: murphybusiness.com
3. Sunbelt Business Brokers
Sunbelt is one of the most recognized names in business brokerage with national reach and a New York presence that covers main street through lower middle market deals.
Recent Deals: Active in business brokerage across New York through 2025-2026. Sunbelt lists hundreds of businesses for sale across the New York metro area each year.
LinkedIn: Sunbelt Business Brokers on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Retail, food and beverage, distribution, service businesses, manufacturing
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $500K-$20M
Location: New York, NY (multiple locations statewide)
Website: sunbeltnetwork.com
4. VR Business Brokers
VR Business Brokers has been operating since 1979 and brings decades of transaction history to main street and franchise business sales across the New York market.
Recent Deals: Active in main street and franchise business sales in New York through 2025-2026. VR has completed thousands of transactions since founding with a consistent presence in New York.
LinkedIn: VR Business Brokers on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Main street businesses, franchises, service, light manufacturing
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $500K-$10M
Location: New York, NY (franchise network with local offices)
Website: vrbusinessbrokers.com
5. Benchmark Business Group
Benchmark sits at the intersection of business brokerage and lower middle market M&A advisory, with deal sizes that reach $25M and a process more structured than most brokers run.
Recent Deals: Active in lower middle market business sales through 2025-2026. Benchmark covers service, manufacturing, and distribution businesses in the $1M-$25M range.
LinkedIn: Benchmark Business Group on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Lower middle market, service businesses, manufacturing, distribution
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $1M-$25M
Location: New York, NY (national coverage)
Website: benchmarkbg.com
6. Calder Capital
Calder Capital runs structured sell-side processes for lower middle market businesses with deal sizes up to $50M - closer to investment banking methodology than traditional brokerage.
Recent Deals: Active in lower middle market advisory through 2025-2026. Calder runs competitive processes with multiple buyers and publishes quarterly market updates on LMM deal activity.
LinkedIn: Calder Capital on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Business services, manufacturing, distribution, specialty services
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $2M-$50M
Location: New York, NY (national coverage)
Website: caldercapital.com
Business sale data room
Organize financials and contracts for buyers before your broker goes to market.
Start free 14-day trial7. BCMS Corporate
BCMS Corporate brings a proactive buyer outreach model to lower middle market deals - they contact potential buyers directly rather than waiting for inquiries from listing platforms.
Recent Deals: Active in lower middle market sell-side advisory through 2025-2026. BCMS focuses on proactive buyer outreach to strategic acquirers globally, including cross-border deals.
LinkedIn: BCMS Corporate on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Lower middle market, cross-border, services, manufacturing, distribution
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $5M-$100M
Location: New York, NY (global offices including London, Sydney)
Website: bcms.com
8. Raincatcher
Raincatcher focuses on digital and online businesses - e-commerce, SaaS, content, and service businesses that operate primarily online, which is a niche most traditional brokers handle poorly.
Recent Deals: Active in digital and online business brokerage through 2025-2026. Raincatcher completed multiple SaaS and e-commerce transactions in the $1M-$10M range.
LinkedIn: Raincatcher on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: E-commerce, SaaS, digital services, content businesses, Amazon FBA
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $1M-$20M
Location: New York, NY (national coverage)
Website: raincatcher.com
9. Deal Studio
Deal Studio advises lower middle market businesses on sell-side mandates with a process that combines structured buyer outreach with content marketing to attract inbound strategic interest.
Recent Deals: Active in lower middle market advisory across technology, services, and media through 2025-2026. Deal Studio publishes market data on LMM deal multiples quarterly.
LinkedIn: Deal Studio on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Technology, business services, media, lower middle market generalist
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $1M-$50M
Location: New York, NY (national presence)
Website: dealstudio.com
10. Quiet Light
Quiet Light specializes in online businesses - SaaS, e-commerce, content sites, and Amazon FBA - and brings a buyer network of individual entrepreneurs and small PE funds that larger brokers don't reach.
Recent Deals: Closed multiple online business transactions in 2025-2026 ranging from $500K to $12M. Quiet Light published its 2025 e-commerce deal data tracking multiples by business model.
LinkedIn: Quiet Light on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Online businesses, SaaS, e-commerce, content, Amazon FBA, digital services
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $500K-$20M
Location: New York, NY (remote-first, national coverage)
Website: quietlight.com
Broker fee structures: what you'll pay
Most business brokers work on a Lehman-style fee or a flat percentage. For deals under $1M, expect 10-12%. For deals $1M-$5M, expect 8-10%. Over $5M, fees drop to 5-8%.
Some brokers charge a retainer upfront to cover marketing costs. That's common in the $5M-$25M range where buyer outreach requires more effort than a listing platform post.
If a broker asks for a large retainer with no success fee, walk away. Aligned incentives matter - you want your broker paid when you get paid.
Ellty's dynamic watermarking lets you distribute your CIM with buyer-specific watermarks. If a document leaks, you know exactly who shared it.
Read the M&A process guide to understand what each stage of a brokered deal should look like. Knowing the process helps you hold your broker accountable.
Lower middle market dynamics in New York
The $5M-$25M deal segment in New York is where brokers and M&A advisors overlap most. Buyers at this size include individual searchers, fundless sponsors, and small PE funds.
Search fund buyers and independent sponsors move fast when they find a business that fits their thesis. A broker with relationships in this buyer segment adds more value than one who relies on listing platforms alone.
Your broker should name specific buyers who have recently acquired businesses in your sector and size range. If they can't, their buyer network isn't relevant to your deal.
Ellty's virtual data room lets you organize documents by buyer stage. Share a teaser deck broadly, then unlock full financials only after a buyer signs an NDA and shows intent.
Read the merger vs acquisition guide to understand how deal structure affects your net proceeds. Whether you sell assets or equity changes your tax outcome significantly.
How to run a competitive process with a broker
Tell your broker you want multiple buyers at the table simultaneously. Some brokers default to one-buyer-at-a-time processes, which weakens your negotiating position.
Set a bid deadline. When buyers know there are competing offers due on a specific date, they bring their best price. Open-ended processes drag and produce lower offers.
Don't take your business off the market until you have a signed LOI with a deposit. Buyers who ask for exclusivity before an LOI aren't serious.
Ellty's secure file sharing lets you track exactly which buyers have reviewed your financial package. Use engagement data to identify who is doing real diligence before management presentations.
Read the how to prepare for due diligence guide before your first buyer meeting. Being ready with answers to standard questions shortens timelines and keeps buyers engaged.
How Ellty helps you close a business sale in New York
Set up your data room before listing. Buyers expect organized files.
- 1.Upload financials and contracts to a secure roomAdd tax returns, leases, and P&Ls before outreach.
- 2.Set access rights per buyer stageControl who sees full financials vs the teaser.
- 3.Track who reviews your documentsSee which buyers open files and follow up fast.
Common questions about New York business brokers and M&A advisors
- Brokers handle smaller deals, usually under $25M. M&A advisors run structured auctions for larger, more complex transactions.
- Expect 8-12% for deals under $1M, dropping to 5-8% for deals over $5M. Most work on success fees only.
- Most brokered sales close in six to nine months. SBA financing delays are the most common reason timelines extend.
- Use a broker under $10M. Over $25M, use an advisor. Between $10M-$25M, interview both before deciding.
- Three years of tax returns, a P&L, a list of owner add-backs, and copies of key leases and contracts.
- Yes. Raincatcher and Quiet Light specialize in digital, SaaS, and e-commerce business sales.
