Mountain West Ad Publication Sold for $173K, LOI in 77 Days
Rachel Horner
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2 min read
About the Business
Industry: Media – Local Advertising Publication
Location: Mountain West
Size: $50K–$100K in cash flow, owner-operated with no employees
Sale price: $173,000
Listing to signed LOI: 77 days
Signed LOI to close: 50 days
The Challenge: Retiring From a One-Person Business
The owner was ready to retire after running the publication on her own for years. She needed a buyer who could take over the advertiser relationships and keep it running.
77 Days to a Signed LOI: One Local Buyer, All Cash
What happened at every stage
Valuation: Baton valued the business on $50K–$100K in cash flow and built the listing.
Buyer Outreach: Baton marketed the listing through its marketplace, a buyer email campaign and BizBuySell. A local first-time buyer who opened the data room received Baton's follow-up emails, booked a qualification call and met the owner about two weeks after signing up.
Offer Selection and Negotiation Support: The buyer's first LOI came in at $150,000, and the Baton advisor negotiated him to $165,000. The owner countered at $173,000 and the buyer accepted, $23,000 above his opening offer.
Diligence and Closing Support: The Baton advisor ran the closing checklist for the design archive, client contracts and client list, and set a firm deadline for documents. The deal closed 50 days after the LOI.
The Results
The buyer is a local first-time owner who runs the publication full-time. Through Baton's process, the business:
Sold for $173,000, $23,000 above the buyer's first offer
Was paid for entirely in cash, with no loan, seller note or earnout
Closed 50 days after the signed LOI
What's next for the owner?
The owner is retiring after training the buyer through his first full advertising cycle.
Advice and Lessons for Future Sellers
Counter every offer. Two rounds of negotiation added $23,000 to the buyer's opening bid.
Follow up with every data-room visitor. A few timely emails turned one data-room visit into the winning buyer.
Train through a full cycle. Staying on through a complete advertising cycle let the buyer learn sales and production on a live issue.