Step 06 of 08
Receive and analyze offers
A Letter of Intent (LOI) is not a contract — it's a structured proposal. The price is the first line; the rest of the page is where the deal actually lives.
Two LOIs at the same sale price can be wildly different deals. One is all cash at close. The other is half cash, half seller carry at 6% over five years, with a 10% earnout tied to retained revenue and a four-year non-compete. The headline number is identical. The risk profile is not.
We line up every offer in a single table — sale price, cash at close, seller carry amount and terms, interest rate, earnout, non-compete, closing timeline, contingencies — so you can compare them the way a banker would. Then we help you respond.
What we deliver in this step
- Sale price
- Cash at close
- Seller carry amount, rate, term
- Earnout structure and triggers
- Non-compete scope and duration
- Closing timeline and key contingencies
- Buyer financing status (SBA pre-qual, cash on hand, equity partners)
How we compare LOIs
Two $850K offers can be wildly different deals.
| Term | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $850,000 | $850,000 |
| Cash at close | $850,000 | $425,000 |
| Seller carry | — | $425,000 over 5 yrs |
| Interest rate | — | 6.0% |
| Earnout | — | 10% of yr-1 retained revenue |
| Non-compete | 3 yrs, 25-mile radius | 5 yrs, statewide |
| Closing timeline | 60 days | 90 days |
| Contingencies | SBA approval, clean diligence | Cash on hand, clean diligence |
Need a lawyer to review your LOI?
Exit On My Own partners with a licensed small-business M&A attorney who accepts fixed-fee online engagements for LOI and purchase-agreement review.
Engage our partner attorneyExit 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.