What's Opening in Your City?
New restaurants, bars, retail shops, and commercial permits across the Phoenix metro and Prescott — researched daily from city open data portals and written by Eddy Roche.
How to Calculate SDE: The Adjustments That Move Your Sale Price
SDE is the earnings figure that drives your sale price. This guide walks through the formula—net income plus owner salary plus discretionary add-backs—explains the three-year weighted average, and shows you how to defend each adjustment.
Non-Competes in Arizona Business Sales: What's Actually Enforceable
Arizona courts enforce non-competes using a reasonableness test, and the typical Phoenix-metro baseline of 50 miles and five years works because it's proportional. Learn when Arizona courts strike them down, how the blue-pencil doctrine can save an overreaching covenant, and what to ask before you sign.
How Arizona Business Brokers Get Paid: Fees, Minimums, and What Is Actually Negotiable
Arizona business brokers typically work on a commission structure of 12% for deals under $1 million, 8% on the second million, with a minimum fee of around $16,000—but these terms are more negotiable than most sellers realize, particularly on larger transactions and established relationships.
The Seller Transition Period: Two Weeks vs Three Months and Why It Matters
How long a seller stays after closing—and what they document during that time—signals to buyers whether a business can survive without its owner. Transition periods longer than 90 days often trigger buyer concerns about owner dependency and can re-trade the price downward.
The Landlord Decides Your Sale: Lease Assignment in Phoenix Commercial Real Estate
Landlord consent is required on most Phoenix commercial leases—and it's a silent deal-killer in 20–30% of sales. Learn what landlords demand, how to negotiate consent in advance, and why timing is everything.
How Restaurants Are Valued in Arizona: SDE Multiples and What Sellers Should Expect
Arizona restaurants trade at SDE multiples of 2.0x to 4.0x depending on concept type, profitability, and owner dependency. Learn how liquor license fair market value influences valuation and when asset-sale structuring applies.
From LOI to Purchase Agreement: What Sellers Should Expect to Negotiate Twice
An LOI is not the deal—it's the roadmap. Between LOI and the Definitive Purchase Agreement, sellers should expect to re-negotiate material terms like working capital pegs, indemnity caps, non-compete scope, and disclosure schedules. Understanding where these conflicts arise and preparing for them early protects your bottom line.
Co-Brokering in Arizona: When Two Brokers Are Better Than One
Co-brokering divides the commission between a listing broker and a buyer's broker, each representing their client's interests independently. Understanding how co-broker fee splits work and why a buyer should engage their own broker can clarify deal structure and align incentives during an Arizona business sale.
FSBO vs. Broker-Listed: Why Phoenix Business Owners Leave 30% on the Table
For-sale-by-owner (FSBO) business sales in Phoenix consistently close at significantly lower prices than broker-listed deals. Understanding the cost of going it alone—from a fractured buyer pool to negotiation disadvantages—reveals why professional representation often pays for itself many times over.
Why a 270-Day Listing Period Costs You Less Than 90 Days
The length of time you list a business for sale directly affects the quality and number of buyers you attract—and the price you ultimately receive. A longer listing window expands your qualified buyer pool and reduces pressure to accept desperation pricing.
Seller Carry Notes: When They Help You Sell and When They Hurt You
Seller financing through a carry-back note can bridge a buyer's down-payment gap or serve as a creative tax tool, but it also introduces legal risks and cash-flow complexity. Understanding when to offer a note—and how to structure it safely under Arizona law—is essential for Phoenix-metro business owners weighing a transaction.
How the Arizona Commerce Authority Shapes Buyer Demand for Phoenix-Metro Businesses
The Arizona Commerce Authority's incentive programs and workforce development initiatives drive corporate relocations to the state, creating a steady stream of buyer demand for Phoenix-area businesses. Understanding how these economic development efforts influence your market can help you position your business for a stronger transaction.
Selling an Arizona-Based E-Commerce Business: What Buyers Look For in 2026
E-commerce businesses headquartered in Arizona attract national buyers for concrete operational reasons—no inventory tax, central logistics positioning for West Coast distribution, and transparent financial metrics that make valuation straightforward. This guide walks through the financial benchmarks, platform dependencies, and deal structures that today's acquirers use to evaluate an Arizona-based online seller.
Scottsdale's Service Economy in 2026: Why Salons, Spas, and Med-Spas Trade Fast
Scottsdale's affluent, wellness-focused demographic creates a 3–4x SDE multiple environment for salons, spas, and med-spas. Learn the operating cost benchmarks, landlord challenges, and client-base structures that determine whether your business trades fast.
Arizona Population Growth and the Buyer Pipeline for Phoenix Businesses
Arizona's sustained population inflow from California, Illinois, and Washington is reshaping the Phoenix-metro business buyer landscape. A growing cohort of relocating retirees and professionals is entering the market as first-time business owners, expanding buyer pools and supporting valuations. For sellers, the demographic tailwind is present now—waiting carries risk.
Valuing a Franchise Resale in Phoenix: What the Brand Premium Really Adds
When you buy a franchise resale, you're paying for more than cash flow — you're buying into brand recognition, operating systems, and franchisor support. Phoenix-area franchise buyers face distinct valuation challenges, including transfer-fee schedules and the franchisor's right of first refusal, that reshape deal economics compared to independent business sales.
Add-Backs Buyers Will Accept (And the Ones They Quietly Discount)
Which add-backs survive due diligence and which get reversed by a buyer's CPA? Learn which categories of owner expenses pass scrutiny, where aggressive adjustments backfire, and why credibility often matters more than technical defensibility.
EBITDA vs SDE: Which Earnings Number Matters for Your Phoenix Business Sale
SDE and EBITDA are not interchangeable—one is the right earnings metric for owner-operated businesses under $2M, while the other applies when institutional buyers enter the picture. Understanding which denominator applies to your deal can mean the difference between a realistic valuation and leaving money on the table.
Asset Sale vs. Stock Sale in Arizona: Which Structure Costs You More?
When selling a business in Arizona, the choice between an asset sale and a stock sale dramatically affects your tax liability, the buyer's financing options, and the final proceeds you walk away with. Understanding which structure applies to your deal—and why liquor licenses and other regulated assets often dictate the answer—is essential to negotiating the right price.
Why Service Businesses Trade Higher Than Restaurants in the Phoenix Market
Service businesses typically command multiples of 2.5–4x SDE in the Phoenix market, while restaurants cluster closer to 2x. Three structural factors—recurring revenue, lower capital requirements, and owner independence—explain why buyers value service-sector stability differently than the restaurant model.
What an Arizona Business Broker Actually Does: A Day-by-Day Account
Business brokers do far more than list businesses and show them to buyers. From financial recasting and marketing to buyer screening, due diligence coordination, and escrow management, the work that happens behind the scenes is the unglamorous foundation that justifies the fee.
From LOI to Purchase Agreement: What Sellers Should Expect to Negotiate Twice
Many Phoenix business sellers believe that signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) commits the buyer to the deal terms. In reality, the LOI opens negotiations on a second front: the final Purchase Agreement often re-trades critical deal points that sellers thought were settled.
How Arizona Business Brokers Get Paid: Fees, Minimums, and What Is Actually Negotiable
Arizona business brokers typically charge 12% commission on the first $1 million, 8% on the second million, with a minimum fee floor—but these rates are more negotiable than many sellers realize if you understand the economics underneath.
Landlord Consent and Lease Assignment: Why This Clause Derails Phoenix Commercial Sales
Most commercial leases require landlord approval to transfer the business—and landlords often demand steep conditions in return. Understanding what to expect, how to negotiate early, and why this single clause kills deals in Phoenix.
Will Your Buyer Qualify for SBA 7(a)? The Five Tests Phoenix Lenders Run
SBA 7(a) loans power most small business acquisitions, but lenders apply five gatekeeping tests that disqualify buyers before closing. Sellers who prequalify buyers on these criteria early avoid wasted due diligence and dead deals.
Five Due Diligence Red Flags That Kill Phoenix-Metro Business Sales
When a Phoenix-metro business sale enters weeks four through six of due diligence, hidden discrepancies and undisclosed liabilities often surface — and many deals don't survive. Here are the five red flags that most commonly derail transactions.
NDA to Close: The 90-Day Timeline for an Arizona Business Sale
A 90-day sale timeline is standard for Arizona businesses without liquor licenses. Add 30–60 days if your business holds an Arizona liquor license, which requires separate state processing. Here's the week-by-week breakdown from NDA to close.
Auto Repair Shops in Arizona: A Strong Multiple, a Hard Transition
Auto repair shops in metro Phoenix command solid multiples of 2.5–3.5x SDE, but their sale difficulty lies not in price, but in owner transition. The business relies on personal relationships between the owner-mechanic and customers, making earnout structures and rigorous due diligence critical to a successful handoff.
Phoenix Restaurant Sales in 2026: Where the Market Is Hot and Where It Cooled
Restaurant pricing and deal velocity vary dramatically by Phoenix submarket in 2026, with Tempe near ASU, Scottsdale Old Town, and Downtown Phoenix commanding different premiums based on foot traffic patterns, concept type, and operational complexity.
Selling an Arizona-Based E-Commerce Business: What Buyers Look For in 2026
Arizona has become a hub for e-commerce operations due to favorable tax treatment, central warehouse positioning, and access to West Coast logistics. Understand what buyers prioritize when valuing Amazon FBA and direct-to-consumer businesses, how the SDE-to-EBITDA transition works around $1M revenue, and where current multiples stand.
Thinking about buying or selling a business in one of these cities?