Mountain West Event Staffing Firm Sold for $727K in 150 Days

About the Business

• Industry: Business Services – Event Staffing

• Location: Mountain West

• Size: $500K–$1M in annual revenue, run remotely with a small management team

• Sale price: $727,000

• Listing to signed LOI: 75 days

• Signed LOI to close: 75 days

The Challenge: Handing Off a Remote Staffing Business

The owner was ready to retire from a business that supplied bartenders, servers and event staff for weddings, private parties and corporate events. He needed a buyer who could run it remotely with the existing staffing managers.

75 Days to a Signed LOI: A New Buyer Moved Fast

What happened at every stage

1. Valuation: Baton re-ran the valuation once the owner documented more add-backs, which raised it by about $200,000 before launch.

2. Buyer Outreach: Baton marketed the listing on its own marketplace. Nearly 80 buyers viewed it, 24 opened the data room, and 3 buyers made early offers.

3. Offer Selection and Negotiation Support: An early buyer walked away after a month of negotiation, and a new buyer signed up on Baton days later. The Baton advisor set up her owner meeting and negotiated her offer terms within a day, and she went from signup to a signed $727,000 LOI in 26 days.

4. Diligence and Closing Support: The Baton advisor ran weekly diligence check-ins with a shared closing checklist, set up the escrow deposit and drafted the contract-assignment agreement. The deal closed 75 days after the LOI, about 10 days ahead of the LOI's outside date.

The Results

The buyer is a first-time owner with a background in finance and operations, and she bought the business with her spouse. Through Baton's process, the business:

• Sold for $727,000 in an SBA-financed deal

• Went from listing to close in 150 days

• Closed with $654,300 in cash at closing (an SBA loan plus buyer equity) and a $72,700 seller note

What's next for the owner?

The owner is now retired.

Advice and Lessons for Future Sellers

1. Document every add-back. Supporting the adjustments raised the valuation before a single buyer saw it.

2. Keep the listing live when a buyer walks. The winning buyer signed up the day after the first buyer passed.

3. Agree on terms before the LOI. Settling the offer terms first got the LOI signed 8 days after her first offer.