30-Day Business Broker Training: 1:1 Mentorship, Deal Support, and Your First Closed Exit

Short version: This is not a passive “watch 200 videos” course. This is direct guidance to help you operate like an actual business broker within 30 days. We work on: how you approach your first seller, how you price the business so it can actually sell, how you protect your fee, how you talk to buyers, and how you keep the deal alive all the way to money cleared.

1. What This Programme Actually Is

The 30-Day Business Broker Training is a direct-execution programme designed to get you operating as a broker fast. You do not get generic “entrepreneur mindset” fluff. You get:

• How to speak to an owner about exit without sounding desperate or inexperienced
• How to position yourself so they trust you with their company quietly
• How to value the business in a way buyers will actually accept
• How to secure a signed engagement letter that protects your fee
• How to build a first buyer shortlist and start outreach
• How to manage panic and ego on both sides so the deal does not die at the last minute

End result: you operate like an actual broker, not a spectator. For a full breakdown of what a business broker does day-to-day, see What Does a Business Broker Do?

If you first need the big picture of the profession, read How to Become a Business Broker.

2. Who This Is For (and Not For)

Best fit (high success probability)

• Property / commercial real estate agents who already speak to owners about exit and succession
• Wealth managers / private banking / family office who hear “I’m tired, I want out” before the market does
• Ex-founders who already sold or failed and still know buyers in that niche
• Trusted connectors (lawyers, accountants, consultants) who are already seen as “the discreet fixer”
• High-network adults who are calm under pressure and want a high-ticket advisory role without a big team

Bad fit (we will likely reject you)

• You want “passive income” or “online money with no calls”
• You avoid direct conversation about numbers, exit, retirement, divorce, burnout
• You want “deal-making theory” but refuse to speak to a real owner

For more detail on profiles that convert well, see Who This Is For.

3. What You Get: Tools, Scripts, Deal Support

Valuation stack

Defensible valuation logic so you can explain “why this number” to both seller and buyer.

Seller conversation script

Approach an owner who’s tired and open to exit, without insulting them or promising nonsense.

Engagement letter / fee protection

Operate under a signed engagement with a success fee. No signature = no enforceable commission.

Buyer outreach playbook

Quietly match the business to 3–5 likely buyers and start controlled outreach.

Compliance basics

What you can say, what you must keep confidential, and when to involve legal/accounting. Public overview: Do You Need a Licence to Be a Business Broker?

4. Your First 30 Days: Week-by-Week Timeline

Week 1. Broker Role, Compliance, Lead Generation (Days 1–7)

Module 1. What a Business Broker Is

• Your job: source sellable businesses, price them realistically, run the transaction, get paid at closing (typically 8–12%+ on Main Street deals; varies by market).
• Asset sale vs share sale (basic legal/structural difference).
• Ethical / licensing notes (disclosure, confidentiality, no bullshit promises).

Module 2. Market Positioning

• How to introduce yourself to an owner without sounding like a banker or a real estate agent.
• Niches: “main street” ($100K+, owner-operated) vs “lower mid-market” (management layer in place). Why is Main Street faster to start?

Module 3. Prospecting & Lead Sourcing

• Where listings come from: ageing owners, tired operators, divorce, relocation, burnout, health, immigration, succession.
• Building a micro-farm list in your chosen geography/industry (Google Maps, Companies House–style records, local associations, accountants, lawyers).
• Scripts for first contact: cold call opener, warm intro from accountant, “quiet exit planning” letter.

Module 4. Confidentiality & First Call Discipline

• Never talk about price on the first contact.
• Your only goal: book a discovery meeting with the owner.
• NDA basics.

Field Work / Deliverable by end of Week 1

• A 20-business prospect list with owner contact info.
• Your 60-second positioning script.
• Your ‘Are you considering an exit in the next 12 months?’ outreach message.

This makes you operational, not just “studying”. In brokerage, pipeline is everything.

Week 2. Financials, Valuation, Engagement (Days 8–14)

Module 5. Reading the Financials

• P&L, balance sheet, cash flow: what matters for sale.
• Add-backs / normalisation: owner salary, personal car, wife on payroll, etc. This is how we get Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE), which is what most small businesses are valued on.
• Red flags (customer concentration, lawsuits, tax arrears).

Module 6. Pricing / Valuation

• Using SDE multiple for main street deals vs EBITDA multiple for larger.
• Impact factors: growth, systems, dependency on owner, recurring revenue.
• How to explain realistic value to a seller without breaking rapport.

Module 7. Seller Discovery Meeting

Exact agenda:

• why are you selling,
• how fast do you need out,
• who runs day-to-day,
• key numbers,
• what must stay confidential.

Setting expectations about time-to-sell and buyer behaviour (they will ask to see everything).

Module 8. Securing the Listing

• Exclusive engagement agreement: term (usually 6–12 months), commission %, minimum fee.
• How you justify exclusivity (“I invest my time and money to sell you, I can’t do that if five other people undercut me”).

Field Work / Deliverable by end of Week 2

• 1 mock recast P&L showing SDE.
• Your talking points for “your business is worth about £X–£Y”.
• Your draft Listing Agreement (engagement contract).

This gets you to the point where you can sign a client and legally represent them. Without this, you cannot earn commission.

Week 3. Packaging & Going to Market (Days 15–21)

Module 9. Packaging the Business

Teaser / blind ad:

• high-level industry, revenue, SDE,
• location described vaguely (“SE England” / “Bangkok service business”),
• no name, no brand.

Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM):

• story of the business,
• financial summary,
• operations,
• growth opportunities,
• handover/support offer from seller.

Data room checklist: last 3 years’ financials, tax returns, asset list, lease, key contracts, org chart.

Module 10. Marketing Channels

• A quiet list of known buyers (previous enquiries, your network, accountants, competitors).
• Online deal platforms, classifieds, your own website.
• How to talk about upside honestly without promising “guaranteed growth”.

Module 11. Handling Enquiries

• Sending NDA first. Never send CIM without NDA.
• Logging each enquiry in a simple pipeline sheet: name, funds, reason they want it, timeline.

Field Work / Deliverable by end of Week 3

• A teaser (1-page blind summary).
• CIM outline (section headers + bullets).
• Your buyer enquiry intake form and NDA response email.

This makes you look like a “real broker” immediately. Sellers judge you on how you package them. Buyers judge you on how organised you are.

Week 4. Buyers, Offers, Due Diligence & Closing (Days 22–30)

Module 12. Qualifying Buyers

• Proof of funds / lender pre-qualification.
• Strategic vs financial buyer: why it matters.
• Filtering time-wasters (dreamers, tourists) without insulting them.

Module 13. Site Visits / Management Meetings

• How to run a controlled business tour or Zoom call between buyer and seller:
• what can be shown,
• what must not be shown (customer names, supplier pricing) before LOI.
• Post-visit debrief questions to capture buyer seriousness.

Module 14. LOI (Letter of Intent)

• Key terms in an LOI: purchase price and structure (cash + seller note + earn-out), what assets included, exclusivity period, timeline to close.
• Negotiation basics: You defend deal logic, not just headline price.

Module 15. Due Diligence

• Financial, legal, operational, HR, leases, licences.
• Your job: keep both sides moving, prevent panic, solve small fires before they kill the deal.

Module 16. Closing & Post-Closing

• Closing checklist: final asset/stock purchase agreement, lien/encumbrance checks, training/transition agreement, handover of logins, keys, and supplier intros.
• Getting your commission wired.
• How to turn one successful close into referrals and future mandates.

Final Deliverables by the end of Week 4

• Buyer qualification script.
• LOI template.
• Due diligence checklist.
• Your personal 90-day action plan: niche focus, outreach volume targets per week, first 5 accountants/lawyers you’ll partner with, revenue goal.

Read more about the 30-day programme and apply below, or jump to the application.

5. How We Help You Win Your First Mandate and Commission

Script the first seller conversation

Speak like an adviser, not a hustler. That’s how you get trust and a signature.

Sanity-check pricing

Position a number that a buyer can accept without insulting the seller. See How Much Do Business Brokers Make?

Build a first buyer shortlist

Quiet matching by geography/bolt-on/capacity/staff takeover → faster close.

6. Legal, Licence and Compliance Basics

In some jurisdictions, selling a business touches specific licensing (shares/equity; real-estate-style “business opportunity”). Elsewhere, asset-sale advisory is allowed without a classic broker licence. Know your lane.

We show you the risk zones:

• When you are allowed to present, introduce, and negotiate
• When you must involve a lawyer or accountant and avoid promises
• How to keep confidentiality and data handling clean

Public overview: Do You Need a Licence to Be a Business Broker?

7. How We Protect Your Fee (Engagement Letter)

Engagement letter basics

You work under a signed engagement with a success fee (often ~8%–12% or a defined minimum).

Why most rookies never get paid

• No formalised relationship → seller uses their buyer → $0
• Fantasy pricing → no close → $0
• Overselling → credibility dies → mandate goes to someone older

8. What This Is Not

• Not passive income. You will talk to real owners and buyers.
• Not “$200k in 30 days”. First wins are often $5k–$40k equivalent.
• Not MLM. You broker exits of real companies.
• Not generic coaching. We fix process to get a signed mandate and a fee.

9. Entry Requirements (Who We Turn Away)

We are selective because this work touches retirement money, divorce money, succession money.

We usually reject you if:

• You want “AI do it for me” and refuse to talk to humans
• You chase fast cash with no regard for ethics or confidentiality
• You are frantic/dramatic and can’t hold calm when money is discussed

We usually accept you if:

• You are already trusted by owners
• You can speak like an adult about money, succession, exit
• You are prepared to act now

10. Investment & How Access Works

This is a focused, high-touch programme. We keep it small so we can work with you on a real mandate.

• We speak first and check fit
• If we both agree, you enter the 30-day sprint
• You get direct guidance, templates, engagement letter structure, buyer outreach framing, and compliance hygiene
• Outcome target: a signed, fee-protected mandate and active buyer conversations in the first 30 days