Buy a business

Buying an established business
in Greater Cincinnati.

Main Street Exit Partners (MSEP) works with owners of established businesses in Cincinnati, Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana who are getting ready to sell. Buyers who join the buyer list hear about an opportunity when it fits what they told us they want. Some of these sales are handled privately and never advertised. MSEP works with each owner on organized financial records before a business goes to market.

MSEP primarily represents sellers. Joining the buyer list doesn't make you an MSEP client, and there's no fee.

Join the buyer list How it works

Who this is for

Buyers with the means and a clear idea of what they want to own.

Individuals buying their first business, or their next one
Owners buying a competitor, a supplier or a customer
Search funds and independent sponsors
Private equity firms and family offices adding to a company they already own

Most of the businesses MSEP works with are in the counties around Cincinnati, on both sides of the river. Some are farther out in Ohio, in the Dayton and Columbus areas. They are typically in the $1M to $10M range by sale price. If you're looking for something smaller, tell us anyway.

Every buyer goes through the same steps before seeing confidential information, whatever kind of buyer they are.

Your buy box

Start with a clear buy box.

An owner who is about to share their numbers wants to know who is asking. A buyer who can describe what they want in a sentence or two is much easier to match. Before you fill out the form, settle these.

The kind of business, and what you'd want to change or grow once you own it
Annual earnings you're looking for. Smaller businesses are usually described by seller's discretionary earnings (SDE), which is pretax profit with the owner's own pay and personal expenses added back. Larger ones are described by EBITDA, which is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, after paying a manager.
Where the business can be, and how far you'll travel
Your role. Will you run it day to day, or keep a manager in place?
How much cash you can put in, and where it comes from
When you want to own it

An example, for illustration only. "I'm looking for a distribution or light manufacturing company in Greater Cincinnati earning $500,000 to $1 million a year, where I'd take over sales and keep the operations manager."

How it works

How information reaches a buyer, one step at a time.

Confidentiality is not a promise. It is a system. It also protects the buyer. A rumor that the business is for sale can send the best foreman or a large customer looking elsewhere, and that's the business you might end up owning.

Join the buyer list

Fill out the buyer profile at the bottom of this page.

A blind profile

When a business looks like a fit, MSEP sends you a short description that doesn't name the company. It covers the industry, the general location, the size and the basic terms.

NDA and buyer profile

If you want to know more, you sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and complete a buyer profile, including your background and financial capacity. You also provide proof of funds or a lender's pre-qualification letter.

Staged disclosure

The company's name and financial statements come next, then a meeting with the owner, then full due diligence after a signed letter of intent. The seller approves each step.

Who MSEP represents

MSEP primarily represents sellers.

In most sales, Main Street Exit Partners is engaged and paid by the seller. MSEP represents a buyer only under a separate written buyer representation agreement, and never on both sides of the same sale. Your profile and financial information go only to the seller of a business you've asked to see.

Have your own advisors from the start. Your attorney reviews the letter of intent and the purchase agreement. Your CPA, or a quality-of-earnings firm on a larger deal, checks the numbers and the tax effect of how the deal is structured.

Financing basics

How buyers usually pay for a business.

Many Main Street buyers rely on outside financing, often backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Under the SBA's lending rules in effect since October 1, 2026 (SOP 50 10 8.1), a buyer acquiring a business with a 7(a) loan puts in at least 10% of the total project cost in cash or other equity. A buyer that already owns a business in the same industry can sometimes put in less. A seller note can cover up to half of that 10%, but only if it's on full standby, meaning the seller receives no payments for the life of the SBA loan.

The business part of the loan runs no longer than 10 years. If the deal includes the building, that part can run up to 25 years. Lenders want the business's cash flow to cover the loan payments at least 1.25 times, and many set stricter standards of their own. Anyone who owns 20% or more of the buying entity generally signs a personal guaranty. To use an SBA loan, every owner of the buying entity must be a U.S. citizen or national living in the U.S. Lenders also want to see cash left over after closing to run the business.

This is general information, not financing advice, and the lender makes the credit decision. MSEP can introduce you to SBA lenders in the area early in your search. If the business owns its building, Selling a business that owns its building explains the choices a seller has, and Cincinnati Small Bay covers the real estate side.

Common questions

What buyers ask first.

Do I pay Main Street Exit Partners a fee?

No. Main Street Exit Partners (MSEP) is paid by the seller at closing. Joining the buyer list is free, and so is buying a business MSEP is selling.

Does Main Street Exit Partners represent buyers?

Main Street Exit Partners primarily represents sellers. When it represents a buyer, it does so only under a separate written buyer representation agreement, and it never represents both the buyer and the seller in the same sale. Buyers should have their own attorney and CPA.

What does a buyer provide before seeing a business's financial statements?

A signed nondisclosure agreement (NDA), a completed buyer profile with your background and financial capacity, and proof of funds or a lender's pre-qualification letter.

Does Main Street Exit Partners have businesses for sale now?

Main Street Exit Partners doesn't post listings on its website. Many of the owners it works with are still preparing to sell, and some sales are handled privately. Buyers on the list hear about an opportunity when one fits their profile.

Can Main Street Exit Partners help with SBA financing?

Main Street Exit Partners can introduce buyers to lenders in Greater Cincinnati who make U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. It doesn't lend or arrange financing itself, and the lender decides whether to make the loan.

Buying an established businessin Greater Cincinnati.