2026 report
The same multiple can mean two completely different things.
Real estate buyers pay for what you own. Wholesale buyers discount what you earn. Both land near a 3.4x median, and almost nothing else about the two deals is alike. That’s the part a market average can’t tell you. It puts you in the right neighborhood without telling you which door buyers are actually knocking on, what they’ll pay a premium for, or where they stop cold.
Small Business Acquisition Trends by Industry Report
Ten industries, broken down by what buyers pay, where they’re looking, and how fast they move — drawn from 1,500+ businesses that drew buyer interest on Baton this half.
10 industries
1,500+ businesses with buyer interest
Median asking price, cash flow, and multiple by industry
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What’s inside
Across 1,500+ businesses that drew buyer interest on Baton this half, the Small Business Acquisition Trends by Industry Report covers ten industries and, for each one, three things worth knowing before you go to market.
What buyers are willing to pay
Median asking price, median cash flow, and the multiple where interest actually lands.
Where they’re looking
Retail interest piles up under $500K. Real estate concentrates above $5M. Admin & Support does both at once. Your asking price lands somewhere on that curve, and where it lands matters more than how it compares to a midpoint.
How fast they move
Some categories go from introduction to offer in a handful of conversations. Others take eight. It changes what a reasonable timeline looks like.