Business Brokers in San Francisco, CA

Here is the local field. This page covers 25 business brokers in and around San Francisco, mostly in San Mateo County with others in Alameda County. That is a long list, 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. A few advisors operate from Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda and appear here too.

The mix leans toward general business brokerage or M&A work (6 of 25), a named industry focus (6 of 25) and a confidential or NDA process (6 of 25). 24 of the 25 belong to a broker association such as CABB, IBBA, or M&A Source, a useful signal, though membership is not a license or a government credential. 6 of the 25 report credentials such as CBI or M&AMI, and those are designations, not substitutes for a license. Google shows 29 reviews across the brokers, with an average rating of 3.7, so use them to decide who to call first.

With any advisor you interview, ask for a written engagement that spells out what is being sold, how long it runs, and who handles your file. Right from the start, find out how the firm gets paid, and what happens to the fee if you end the agreement early. Because staff and customers may not know you are selling, ask whether buyers sign a nondisclosure agreement before they learn your name, and who at the firm will see your information.

Confirm credentials early: selling a business and its goodwill for pay generally falls under California real estate licensing, and the Department of Real Estate's public lookup shows whether a given license is current. When your main contact is a salesperson rather than a broker, ask for the name of the licensed broker they work under, which is the Department of Real Estate's own advice to consumers. San Rafael (10 brokers), San Mateo (9) and Walnut Creek (5) each have their own page here, and an advisor based nearby can widen your options.