For Sellers

Understand Your Business Attractiveness Score

Selling your business? Use BizBuyScore to see exactly how attractive your business is to prospective buyers—before you list. Know your competitive position, benchmark against similar businesses, and optimize what matters most.

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Why It Matters

Why Score Before You List

When you understand how buyers evaluate your business—before you put it on the market—you gain an unfair advantage. You'll know which metrics are strong selling points, where there's room to improve, and exactly how your business compares to others for sale at your price point.

Most business sellers don't know what buyers care about until it's too late. BizBuyScore puts that knowledge in your hands upfront.

See What Buyers See

Understand the 6 dimensions buyers evaluate: profitability, margins, growth, valuation, DSCR, and risk. No surprises when buyers dig into your numbers.

Know Your Competitive Position

Benchmark your business against similar listings in your industry. Are you above or below average? Are your margins stronger or weaker than peers? You'll know exactly where you stand.

Identify Improvement Opportunities

Find the one or two metrics that, if improved, could significantly increase your attractiveness score and asking price. Should you increase marketing spend? Negotiate supplier costs? Lock in a key contract? Your score shows the way.

Price with Confidence

Validate whether your asking price aligns with your business's attractiveness. Overpriced? Great deal? You'll know upfront and can adjust expectations or improve metrics before going to market.

Reduce Buyer Objections

If your score shows weakness in an area, address it before dealing with skeptical buyers. Come to the table prepared, and you'll close faster.

The Score

How It Works: The 6 Dimensions of Business Attractiveness

BizBuyScore evaluates your business across 6 financial dimensions that matter most to buyers. Each dimension is benchmarked against 64 industries, so you see exactly how you stack up.

Profitability: How Much Profit Does Your Business Generate?

Profitability is the foundation of business value. It measures how much of every dollar in revenue becomes profit. Highly profitable businesses are more attractive to buyers and command higher valuation multiples. Your Score: A percentage of revenue that's profit (net margin). Why Buyers Care: Is this business actually making money? Benchmark: We compare your profitability to 64 industries so you know if you're above or below average for your sector. If You're Below Average: Consider cost-cutting, pricing increases, or operational improvements before listing. Or adjust your asking price to reflect lower profitability.

Margins: How Efficiently Do You Run Your Business?

Margins (gross and operating) tell buyers how efficiently you've built your business. High-margin businesses are seen as better-managed, more resilient, and less vulnerable to market downturns. Your Score: Gross margin (revenue minus cost of goods sold) and operating margin (revenue minus all operating expenses). Why Buyers Care: Efficient businesses have more cushion and more cash to reinvest or pay down debt. Benchmark: We compare your margins to peers in your industry. Are you lean and mean, or wasteful? If You're Below Average: Look for cost-saving opportunities. Negotiate with suppliers, reduce overhead, or improve sales per employee. Even a 5% margin improvement can transform your attractiveness.

Growth: Is Your Business Growing, Stagnant, or Declining?

Buyers want to buy businesses with momentum. Even a slightly growing business commands a premium vs. a flat or declining one, because growth suggests the business is still attractive to the market. Your Score: Year-over-year change in revenue or profit. Why Buyers Care: Growth justifies higher valuation multiples. A growing business is less risky and more valuable than a stagnant one at the same profitability level. Benchmark: We show you how your growth rate compares to industry average. 10% YoY growth in your industry might be exceptional; in another it might be below average. If You're Below Average: Pursue growth before listing (more marketing, new products, customer acquisition) or adjust your valuation expectations. Even 5–10% documented growth can shift buyer perception significantly.

Valuation: Is Your Asking Price Aligned with Your Business's Worth?

Your asking price matters. BizBuyScore compares your asking price to industry-standard multiples (revenue multiple, EBITDA multiple, SDE multiple—depending on your industry and how your business is structured). Your Score: How your asking price compares to typical multiples in your industry. Why Buyers Care: Are they paying a fair price for what you're offering, or does the deal seem expensive? Benchmark: If your industry sells at an average 5x EBITDA multiple and your EBITDA is $100K, comparable businesses are valued around $500K. If you're asking $700K, buyers will want to know why you're a premium deal. If You're Above Multiple: You can still sell above multiple if you have explosive growth, unique competitive advantages, or recurring revenue. But be prepared to justify it. If you can't, lower your ask or improve metrics.

DSCR: Can the Business Afford Its Own Debt?

DSCR measures whether your business generates enough cash flow to cover debt payments. Most business acquisitions are financed, so buyers will evaluate this carefully. Your Score: Cash flow divided by annual debt obligation. A DSCR of 1.25 means your business generates $1.25 for every $1.00 of debt you owe. Why Buyers Care: A strong DSCR makes your business easier to finance and more attractive. A weak DSCR (below 1.0) means the business doesn't cover its own debt—a major red flag. Benchmark: We compare your DSCR to industry average. For many industries, a DSCR above 1.5 is considered strong. If You're Below Average: Pay down high-interest debt before listing to improve DSCR, or disclose it upfront and adjust your price. A strong DSCR is a huge selling point; a weak one is a major objection point.

Risk: How Vulnerable Is Your Business to Loss or Disruption?

Risk is the wild card. Customer concentration, revenue stability, key-person dependence, and contract renewal risk all affect how attractive your business is to buyers. High-risk businesses get deep discounts. Your Score: Assessment of customer concentration, stability, and operational risk. Why Buyers Care: Risky businesses are harder to finance and more likely to fail. A business where 80% of revenue comes from one customer is riskier than a diversified one. Benchmark: We identify concentration and stability red flags vs. industry norms. If You're High Risk: Diversify customer base, lock in multi-year contracts, document processes, hire strong management team, and build recurring revenue. These moves can transform your attractiveness. If time is short, disclose risk upfront and adjust price.

Benchmarking

See How Your Business Compares

Score your business in minutes and see exactly where you stand. Our benchmarking data covers 64 industries, so you'll know if your profitability, margins, growth, and valuation are competitive, above average, or below average for your sector.

With that clarity, you can either improve the weak spots before listing, or adjust your asking price to reflect market reality.

Start Here

Scoring your business takes just a few minutes. You'll upload basic financials or answer a short questionnaire, and we'll give you a detailed attractiveness score and benchmarking report.

Get started free. No credit card required.

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FAQ

Common questions from sellers.

How long does it take to score my business?

Most businesses are scored in 5 minutes or less. Depending on the complexity of your financials, it might take up to 10 minutes.

What if I don't have detailed financials?

We offer both a detailed financial questionnaire and a simplified version. You can score your business either way.

Is my information private?

Yes. Your business data is encrypted and never shared with other users or third parties. You own your score.

Can I use this score to convince buyers?

Absolutely. Many sellers include their BizBuyScore report in their listing materials or share it with interested buyers. It shows transparency and helps buyers make faster decisions.

What if my score is low?

A low score doesn't mean you shouldn't sell. It means you know what buyers are looking for and where your business stands. You can improve before listing, or adjust your asking price and pitch to attract buyers who value your specific strengths.