Southwest Child Care Center Sold for $50K, 42 Days After LOI

About the Business

• Industry: Education & Child Care – Child Care Center

• Location: Southwest

• Size: $250K–$500K in annual revenue

• Sale price: $50,000

• Listing to signed LOI: 112 days

• Signed LOI to close: 42 days

The Challenge: A Year on the Market Without a Sale

The center had been listed for sale for over a year before the owner came to Baton. She was ready for retirement and a life change, and the center was operating at capacity with a wait list.

112 Days to a Signed LOI: From First Inquiry to the Data Room in a Day

What happened at every stage

1. Valuation: Baton built the valuation and listing, and set up a data room with videos from the owner.

2. Buyer Outreach: Baton marketed the center on its own marketplace and on BizBuySell, and 50+ buyers viewed the listing. The eventual buyer inquired through Baton's BizBuySell listing and signed the NDA and reviewed the data room the same day.

3. Offer Selection and Negotiation Support: Baton negotiated price and payment timing directly with the buyer and her partner. The owner signed the LOI 112 days after launch.

4. Diligence and Closing Support: Baton managed the buyer's CPA review and the purchase-agreement redlines. The deal closed 42 days after the LOI.

The Results

The buyer, a career educator and administrator with 20 years of experience, bought the center with a partner as her first business. Through Baton's process, the business:

• Sold for $50,000 in an asset sale of the entire business

• Closed 42 days after the signed LOI, with no lender involved

• Took its buyer from first inquiry to the data room in one day

What's next for the owner?

The owner sold the center for retirement and a life change, handing over her operations handbooks and licensing plan at closing.

Advice and Lessons for Future Sellers

1. Make your data room easy to review. Owner videos and organized documents let the buyer review the data room on the day she first inquired.

2. List where buyers are looking. The winning buyer found the business through Baton's syndicated listing.

3. Plan the handover in the purchase agreement. A staged transfer of licenses and contracts let the buyer run the center from day one.