Step 04 of 08
Qualified buyers come to you
Most first-time sellers underestimate how much filtering happens before a real meeting. We do that filtering up front.
Every buyer who wants past the teaser fills out three forms: a non-disclosure agreement, a buyer disclosure acknowledging that Exit On My Own represents the seller (not them), and a buyer qualification form covering capital, financing path, industry experience, and timeline. Anyone who balks at any of the three is not a real buyer.
We also run a competitor check on every inquiry. Most of the time it's clean. Occasionally it isn't — a competitor uses a personal email and a fake employer to fish for your customer list. Catching that before they see the CIM is most of the value here.
What we deliver in this step
- NDA signed (confidentiality, non-circumvent, non-solicit, term)
- Buyer Disclosure acknowledged (representation, no financial certification)
- Buyer Qualification Form complete (capital, financing, experience, timeline)
- Competitor check (LinkedIn, employer history, common-name search)
- Brief intro call before the CIM is released
The three forms
Every buyer fills out three forms before seeing your name.
Anyone who balks at any of the three is not a real buyer.
Non-Disclosure Agreement
Before any identifying details are shared.
- Confidentiality of all business information for 36 months
- Non-circumvent: no direct contact with seller, employees, or suppliers without broker approval
- Limited sharing on a need-to-know basis (attorney, advisor, broker, spouse only)
- Indemnification of broker against losses arising from the acquisition process
- Documents returned or destroyed on request from seller or broker
Buyers complete this before seeing your CIM.
Disclosure Notice (Agency Relationship)
What Exit On My Own does and doesn't do for buyers.
- Exit On My Own represents the seller as marketing agent, not the buyer
- Broker compensation is paid by the seller
- Exit On My Own does not verify or warrant any information provided by the seller
- Buyers are urged to retain their own legal, tax, and financial counsel
- Broker arranges meetings; seller represents and confirms facts directly to the buyer
Buyers complete this before seeing your CIM.
Buyer Qualification Form
The minimum a seller needs to know before a meeting.
- Financing required (yes/no, and path)
- Cash available for purchase, and how readily it's available
- Willingness to put at least 10% down
- Years interested in buying a business
- Bankruptcy history (and how long ago)
- Approximate yearly income desired
- Past work experience and reason for interest in this listing
Buyers complete this before seeing your CIM.
Exit On My Own and its brokers do not provide legal advice. Templates, document reviews, and broker guidance are for informational and operational purposes only. Consult a licensed attorney before signing or relying on any legal document.