The Shifting Landscape of Business Buyers

Travis Strack was recently featured in the fall edition of the IBBA Insights Magazine https://www.ibba.org/ibba-magazine/ibbainsights-fall-2025/

For years, business brokerage has classified buyers into two broad groups: financial buyers-typically individuals or private investors, and strategic buyers-larger companies or private equity firms operating at the mid-market level and above. However, this distinction is becoming increasingly blurred.

Today, strategic buyers are showing greater interest in Main Street and lower middle market businesses. These buyers include local competitors, suppliers, and business owners seeking geographic expansion, skilled labor acquisition, or complementary services. Their growing presence is reshaping how deals are sourced, marketed, and negotiated.

Traditionally, brokers have tailored their approach to financial buyers, often individual entrepreneurs utilizing SBA financing. However, failing to adapt to the rise of strategic buyers could mean missing opportunities to bring stronger offers to sellers. Understanding these buyers, who they are, what they prioritize, and how to engage with them effectively is now crucial in today’s market.

Why Strategic Buyers Are Moving Down Market

Strategic buyers have always been active in mid-market acquisitions, but several factors are drawing them toward smaller deals:

• Labor shortages: Companies are acquiring businesses not just for their customers, but for their skilled teams.
• Slowing organic growth: Mature companies are finding that acquisitions offer a faster, more predictable path to scale.
• Baby boomer retirements: A wave of retirements is creating a surplus of sub-$5M businesses, which previously wouldn’t have attracted private equity interest.
• Capital efficiency: In an environment of higher interest rates and tighter credit, smaller acquisitions can deliver strong ROI without requiring excessive leverage.

From HVAC firms to IT service providers to commercial cleaning companies, well-established operators are seeking acquisitions that provide route density, new contracts, or operational synergies. These buyers often close deals more quickly and pay premium prices for businesses that align with their strategic goals.

What Strategic Buyers Value Most

Unlike traditional financial buyers, strategic buyers focus less on Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and more on how a business enhances their existing operation. Brokers should reframe their pitch to highlight integration potential rather than standalone profitability.

Here are key triggers that attract strategic buyers:

• Geographic proximity to their existing operations
• Access to skilled labor, specialized licenses, or certifications
• Recurring revenue, especially in contract-driven businesses
• Cross-selling opportunities with their current customer base
• Scalable operational systems that can be transferred or absorbed seamlessly

For example, a small plumbing company generating under $2MM in annual revenue might seem like a modest lifestyle business to an individual buyer. However, for a larger regional contractor struggling to find licensed plumbers, the team and service coverage provide immediate value, justifying a premium price and closing fast.

How to Identify Strategic Buyers Early

Many brokers wait until a business is listed to begin targeting strategic buyers; a mistake that can limit deal potential. Instead, identifying these buyers should be part of the pre-market process.

Key strategies include:

• Industry mapping: Research competitors, vendors, and adjacent service providers within a 100-mile radius. Identify who is expanding, raising capital, or hiring aggressively.
• Referral networking: Leverage connections with bankers, vendors, and other brokers who may have insights into active acquirers.
• Buyer segmentation: During buyer screening, ask whether prospects currently own a business, operate within specific industries, or have completed acquisitions before. This helps filter and prioritize strategic buyers early.

Structuring Deals for Strategic Fit

Strategic buyers often approach deals differently than financial buyers. While SBA-backed individuals are constrained by lender requirements, strategic buyers are more flexible, provided the deal aligns with their business goals.

Common deal structures include:

• Cash-heavy offers to move quickly and bypass financing delays
• Minimal transition periods if they already have the infrastructure in place
• Earn-outs linked to performance metrics related to integration, not just revenue

It’s essential to manage seller expectations regarding these dynamics. Strategic deals tend to close faster and cleaner, but they also tend to be pragmatic rather than sentimental. Sellers who are emotionally attached to their business may need guidance on adapting to a buyer focused on operational efficiency rather than legacy preservation.

Marketing to Strategic Buyers: Tell the Right Story

A standard Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) or Confidential Business Review (CBR) designed for individual buyers may not resonate with strategic acquirers. Instead of presenting the business as an independent opportunity, position it as a growth asset that enhances an existing enterprise.

Consider incorporating:

• SWOT analysis emphasizing integration potential
• Customer concentration insights highlighting cross-selling opportunities
• Key personnel profiles, especially for businesses where the team is the primary asset
• Operational synergies showing what the buyer can eliminate, absorb, or leverage immediately

By reframing the business as a valuable addition rather than a standalone entity, brokers can attract companies thinking three steps ahead rather than individual entrepreneurs.

Final Thoughts: A Growing Opportunity for Brokers

Strategic buyers are not replacing traditional financial buyers, they are expanding the market. However, brokers who adapt to this shift and learn how to identify, engage, and structure deals for strategic acquirers will have a competitive advantage.

These buyers are well-capitalized, decisive, and capable of closing transactions smoothly. They don’t just acquire businesses, they acquire capability. A broker’s role is to surface that capability, tell the right story, and make the right introductions.