Business Brokers in Pasadena, CA

Start with the local numbers. You will find 14 business brokers listed under Pasadena, all in Los Angeles County. There are many names to weigh, so narrow it by the kind of business you own before you pick up the phone and then compare two or three of them side by side. The page also covers brokers located in San Gabriel and Alhambra.

Services vary, and the most frequent are general business brokerage or M&A work (3 of 14), Main Street and small-business sales (3 of 14) and valuation services (3 of 14). 13 of the 14 are members of CABB, IBBA, or M&A Source, a useful signal, though membership is not a license or a government credential. 4 of the 14 note a credential such as CBI or M&AMI, and those are designations, not substitutes for a license. Together the brokers have 130 Google reviews, averaging 5.0 stars, so use them to decide who to call first.

Before anyone starts marketing your company, ask for a written engagement that spells out what is being sold, how long it runs, and who handles your file. On your first call, find out how the firm gets paid, whether valuation or marketing is billed separately, and whether anything changes if you find the buyer yourself. On confidentiality, ask whether buyers sign a nondisclosure agreement before they learn your name, and who at the firm will see your information.

Verify the license before you sign: a paid sale of a California business opportunity, meaning the business and its goodwill, generally calls for a real estate license, and the Department of Real Estate's public lookup shows whether a given license is current. If a salesperson will handle your file, ask for the name of the licensed broker they work under, which is the Department of Real Estate's own advice to consumers. Arcadia (6 brokers), Glendale (6) and North Hollywood (7) each have their own page here, and an advisor based nearby can widen your options.