GLZR Group

Region 01 / 03

Buyers and sellers inthe United States

In brief

GLZR Group is a business acquisition intermediary for buyers and owners in the United States. We learn what a buyer wants to acquire, speak with owners considering a sale, gather initial information and introduce the parties where there is a potential fit. Some opportunities are off-market. Where the buyer agreement permits it, we also introduce qualifying brokered or banked opportunities. The buyer pays GLZR when an introduced acquisition closes, under agreed terms.

What we do in the U.S.

Source, qualify, connect.

Sourcing and qualification are conversations with buyers and with sellers. GLZR does not buy the businesses it introduces.

IFor sellers

Qualifyinitial

We discuss the business, the reason for considering a sale and the timeline. We gather initial information on revenue, earnings, customers, management and owner involvement, and we discuss valuation expectations and transition preferences. That is initial qualification. We do not verify financial statements or complete due diligence. GLZR does not charge sellers for this service. Legal, tax and accounting costs of a sale are separate.

What is my business worth?

IIFor buyers

Sourcewe find

We discuss industries, locations, size and acquisition criteria, then capital availability, decision-making and readiness. We agree what counts as a qualifying introduction, and we set confidentiality and success-fee terms. An introduction may be off-market, or brokered or banked where the buyer agreement permits it.

Price an acquisition

IIIFor both

Connectwe introduce

Where there is a potential fit, we introduce the parties. Buyers, sellers and their advisors handle underwriting, formal valuation, due diligence, financing, documents and closing. Our fee is paid by the buyer when an introduced acquisition closes, under agreed terms. No retainers or pay-per-lead charges. GLZR does not charge sellers for its sourcing and introduction service.

Valuation multiples 2026

Run the numbers

Price it before the first call.

Educational calculators built on 2026 market multiples and the SBA rules in force from 1 October 2026. They are not a formal valuation, a financing approval or underwriting by GLZR.

Definition

What is an off‑market business?

An off-market business is a company whose owner would consider selling but has not listed it with a broker or on a marketplace. Buyers reach it through a direct approach or a trusted introduction, so there is no public listing, no auction, and far fewer people see the numbers.

Off-market does not mean informal. The same diligence, advisers and legal documents apply. What changes is who is in the room, and when.

Off-market sourcing is one part of the work. Where a buyer agreement permits it, GLZR can also introduce a qualifying opportunity that is already with a broker or a bank. Not every introduction is exclusive, unlisted or new to the buyer.

For owners

  • No public listing for employees, customers or competitors to find.
  • You set the pace, including deciding not to sell.
  • Fewer parties see your figures than in a broadly marketed sale.

For buyers

  • A first conversation with the owner, not a broker’s teaser.
  • Less competition than a broadly marketed auction.
  • Companies that match a stated mandate, not a list of everything for sale.

By the numbers

United States, in figures.

36.2M

Small businesses in the United States (2022 data).

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, 2026

45.9%

Share of private-sector employees who work for a small business: 62.3 million people.

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, 2026

50%+

Of U.S. business owners were 55 or older in the Census Bureau's 2019 Annual Business Survey (2018 data).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

$5M

Maximum SBA 7(a) loan. A change of ownership is an eligible use, which makes 7(a) a common way to finance buying a business.

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration

Figures are from the public sources linked under each one, checked 23 September 2026. They describe the market, not GLZR Group’s own activity.

Coverage

One search, four Census regions.

Our search covers the country. The U.S. Census Bureau groups the states into four regions; these are the ones in the contiguous map.

  • Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Alaska and Hawaii are also in the West but are not drawn on this map.

  • Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

  • Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

  • Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Dot map of Contiguous United States by region
Contiguous United StatesNatural Earth

In this market

Established businesses, nine sectors.

Common owner-operated sectors in this market. Buyers name their own criteria. A sector on this list is not a statement that GLZR has a buyer for a business.

  • ManufacturingFabrication, machining, packaging and specialty production.
  • Home servicesHVAC, plumbing, electrical and other residential trades.
  • Construction and contractingGeneral and specialty contractors.
  • Logistics and transportationTrucking, distribution, warehousing and last-mile delivery.
  • Commercial and B2B servicesCleaning, facilities, staffing and other business services.
  • Managed IT servicesManaged service providers and IT support firms.
  • Niche B2B softwareVertical software built for a specific industry.
  • Food and beverageProducers, co-packers and distributors.
  • Main Street businessesEstablished local consumer businesses.

Process

How an off-market sale usually unfolds.

Six stages a sale often passes through. Timelines vary, and a conversation with GLZR is not a closing date. GLZR handles sourcing, initial qualification and the introduction. Later stages belong to the parties and their advisors.

  1. A private first conversation

    GLZR speaks with the owner and, separately, with buyers whose criteria may fit. The owner decides what to share and when. An introduction is not a listing, and it is not a commitment to sell.

  2. Fit

    Buyers and their advisors look at how steady the earnings are, how concentrated the customers are, and how much still depends on the owner. GLZR's earlier conversation is initial qualification only. It is not underwriting.

  3. Confidentiality before detail

    Detailed financials, customer names and contracts are typically shared only after a confidentiality agreement is signed, and only with a buyer who fits.

  4. Letter of intent

    A serious buyer sets out price, structure, timing and conditions in a letter of intent.

    In the U.S. the letter of intent is usually non-binding on price but binding on confidentiality and exclusivity.

  5. Due diligence

    The buyer checks what it has been told: financial statements, tax filings, contracts, employees, licenses and legal exposure. A quality-of-earnings review by an outside accounting firm is common.

  6. Agreement, closing and transition

    Lawyers turn the letter of intent into a purchase agreement and the deal closes. The owner usually stays on for an agreed transition so customers and staff carry over.

    Most U.S. deals of this size close as either an asset purchase or a stock purchase, and the tax result differs sharply between the two.

Local rules

What to know in the U.S.

Buyer financing often runs through the SBA

Many buyers of owner-operated companies fund part of the price with an SBA 7(a) loan. The SBA lists changes of ownership, complete or partial, as an eligible use, and caps a 7(a) loan at $5 million.

When a buyer relies on SBA financing, the lender's requirements shape the timetable and the documents, so it pays to know early how a buyer is funding the deal.

Source: SBA, 7(a) loans

An antitrust filing is rarely triggered at this size

A Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger filing is only required when a deal crosses the size-of-transaction threshold, which rose from $126.4 million to $133.9 million on February 17, 2026.

Acquisitions of owner-operated companies in the lower middle market usually fall well below it.

Source: FTC, current HSR thresholds

Foreign buyers and CFIUS

CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment into United States businesses, to determine their effect on national security.

Whether a deal is covered depends on who the buyer is and what the business does. A buyer from outside the U.S. should get a view from U.S. counsel before signing a letter of intent.

Source: CFIUS

A generation of owners at the same crossroads

More than half of U.S. business owners were 55 or older in the Census Bureau's 2019 Annual Business Survey, which reflects 2018 data.

For many of them the question is not whether the business changes hands, but how, when and to whom.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

General information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Thresholds and rules change; confirm them with a qualified adviser in the relevant jurisdiction. Sources checked 23 September 2026. GLZR handles sourcing, initial qualification and introductions. It does not provide a formal valuation, financing approval or underwriting.

Questions

Questions owners and buyers ask.

How much is a small business worth in the United States?

Most sell on a multiple of earnings that rises with size. In Q2 2026, IBBA advisors reported 2.0x to 3.1x seller's discretionary earnings for businesses valued under $2 million and 4.0x to 5.8x EBITDA from $2 million to $50 million. GLZR Group's free calculators apply those multiples to your numbers and test what a buyer can finance under the SBA rules in force from 1 October 2026.

What is my business worth? Run the calculator

How do I sell my business without listing it publicly?

You can speak with buyers directly, or through an intermediary. GLZR speaks with owners who are considering a sale, gathers initial information, and introduces buyers whose criteria appear to fit. That can stay off-market, or include a brokered or banked opportunity where the buyer agreement permits it. An introduction is not a promise that the business will sell.

Does GLZR Group buy businesses itself?

No. GLZR does not supply acquisition capital and does not purchase the businesses it introduces. Speaking with both sides does not mean GLZR formally represents both. The buyer pays the agreed success fee when a qualifying introduced acquisition closes.

What do U.S. buyers and sellers discuss with GLZR Group?

Buyers describe the industries, locations, size and criteria they want. Sellers describe the business, why they are considering a sale, and the timeline. GLZR does not buy businesses in a fixed list of sectors.

I'm a buyer. How do I hear about opportunities from GLZR Group?

Email contact@glzrgroup.com with your industries, locations, size and acquisition criteria. We introduce opportunities that appear to fit. An introduction is not due diligence, and it is not a statement that the opportunity is exclusive.

Price a target with the acquisition calculator

What is the difference between an asset sale and a stock sale?

In an asset sale the buyer purchases the company's assets, and usually only the liabilities it agrees to take on. In a stock sale it buys the owner's shares and the company comes with them, liabilities included. Buyers often prefer asset purchases and sellers often prefer stock sales, largely for tax reasons, so bring in a CPA and a deal attorney early.

Do I have to decide to sell before talking to GLZR Group?

No. A conversation is not a listing and commits you to nothing; the business stays yours unless you decide to move forward.