Selling a business,
answered plainly.

The questions owners actually ask before they sell — what the business is worth, what buyers pay in your industry, how a sale really runs, and what AI does and does not do. Every guide is free to read in full: no email wall, no gated PDF.

Get my free valuation→Free Exit Profile→

60-second valuation: anonymous, no email · Exit Profile: eleven questions, about three minutes

By the Sentinel Transitions team42 guides · updated October 2026

Find your industry

What do businesses like yours sell for?

Choose your industry

42 guides
23 industries
0 email walls

No guides match your search. Try a different word, or clear the filters.

Reading paths

Don’t know where to start? Pick the situation closest to yours — each path is three or four guides, in the order owners usually need them.

Timeline

Selling in the next 12 months

Already in motion

Just got an offer

First question

Valuing my business

Start here

The three questions every owner asks first.

Start hereWhat is my business worth?Adjusted EBITDA, industry multiples, and what actually moves your number.3-minute read →Start hereEBITDA multiples by industryWhat businesses actually trade for, sector by sector — and why the ranges are wide.4-minute read →Start hereHow long does it take to sell?A realistic timeline, and what actually causes delays.3-minute read →

By industry

What businesses like yours sell for, who buys them, and the question owners in each sector ask before selling.

AccountingShould I sell my accounting firm to private equity?Why the math changed, and when succession is still right.3-minute read →Auto repairWhat is my auto repair shop worth?Bay utilization, technician bench, real estate, and the multiples repair shops actually trade at.4-minute read →ChildcareWhat is my childcare business worth?Enrollment, licensed capacity, and the multiples childcare centers actually trade at.4-minute read →ConstructionWhat is my construction business worth?Backlog quality, negotiated work, and the multiples contractors actually trade at.4-minute read →DentalDental practice EBITDA multiples in 2026Rule-of-thumb ranges by practice size, and how DSO pricing really differs.7-minute read →DentalShould I sell my dental practice to a DSO?What a DSO offer really contains, and when it is the wrong buyer.3-minute read →DentalWhat to do with an unsolicited DSO offerWhat the letter usually omits, and how a competitive read changes leverage.7-minute read →E-commerceWhat is my e-commerce business worth?Channel mix, repeat customers, and the multiples online brands actually trade at.4-minute read →Gym & fitnessWhat is my gym worth?Membership retention, recurring revenue, and the multiples gyms actually trade at.4-minute read →HVACHVAC business valuationThe service-agreement math, and why revenue quality beats revenue size.7-minute read →HVACShould I sell my HVAC business to private equity?What platforms underwrite, and when a competitor fits better.3-minute read →InsuranceInsurance agency valuationWhy retention is the multiple, and what buyers diligence on a book.7-minute read →InsuranceSell the agency, or perpetuate internally?What each really pays, and how to compare them honestly.3-minute read →MSP / ITShould I sell my MSP to a platform?Why contracted MRR decides everything.3-minute read →Med spaHow to sell a med spaValuation, the compliance structure buyers check first, and who’s buying.7-minute read →OptometryWhat is my optometry practice worth?Dispensary margin, recall strength, and the multiples optometry practices actually trade at.3-minute read →Pest controlWhat is my pest control business worth?Why recurring contracts and route density drive pest control multiples above the other trades.3-minute read →PharmacyWhat is my pharmacy worth?Script volume, payor mix, and the multiples independent pharmacies actually trade at.3-minute read →RestaurantWhat is my restaurant worth?Why single units trade on SDE, groups on EBITDA, and what moves the number.4-minute read →RoofingWhat is my roofing business worth?Why commercial and maintenance work prices above storm volume, and the multiples roofers trade at.3-minute read →StaffingWhat is my staffing agency worth?Why gross margin beats revenue, and the multiples staffing agencies actually trade at.4-minute read →TruckingWhat is my trucking company worth?Contracted freight, fleet age, and the multiples carriers actually trade at.4-minute read →VeterinaryShould I sell my veterinary practice to a corporate group?Why they pay well, and what changes after closing.3-minute read →

Don’t see your industry? The calculator covers 23 sectors plus “something else” — get your range, or see how a sale works for any business →

Reading about your industry? Get your own number.

A free market range for your business in 60 seconds — anonymous, no email needed.

Get my free range→

The selling process

Earnings, diligence, deal structure, confidentiality and who should run your sale.

ProcessAdjusted EBITDA & add-backsThe owner’s guide to their own number — which add-backs hold up, and which get rejected.7-minute read →ProcessWhat is a quality of earnings report?The buyer test that routinely moves the price.3-minute read →ProcessAsset sale vs stock saleTax, liability, and why buyers and sellers want opposite things.3-minute read →ProcessDo I need a broker?Broker vs M&A advisor vs selling on your own.3-minute read →ProcessSelling without employees finding outHow confidential processes work, and when to tell your team.3-minute read →ProcessShould I sell to private equity?What a PE offer really contains, and when it is the right buyer.3-minute read →

AI & selling a business

What AI actually changes about selling a company — and, honestly, what stays human.

AI & M&ACan AI sell my business?An honest answer: what AI does, what stays human, and who decides.4-minute read →AI & M&AHow AI helps sell a businessStage by stage — before, during and after the sale.4-minute read →AI & M&AAI M&A advisor vs. business brokerWhat actually changes — and what stays the same.4-minute read →AI & M&AWhat AI actually does in M&AConcrete task lists, no robot broker — and your sign-off on everything.3-minute read →AI & M&AAI buyer research vs. broker listsA continuously researched buyer universe vs. one rolodex.4-minute read →AI & M&APreparing for sale with AIThe 6–24-months-early playbook, driver by driver.4-minute read →AI & M&AHow AI analyzes an LOIWhy the biggest headline number isn't the best deal.4-minute read →AI & M&AFinding diligence risks firstBuyer Simulation: fix the problems before buyers price them.4-minute read →AI & M&AWhen AI runs your M&A processAn engagement from the owner's chair, week by week.4-minute read →AI & M&AHow confidential AI M&A worksNDA-first machinery: nothing moves without your go-ahead.4-minute read →

Free · confidential · no obligation

Know your number before a buyer names it.

Get a free market range for your business in 60 seconds — anonymous, no email. Then open a free account and ask Vera, Sentinel’s AI, where you’d land in it and what would raise it.

Get my free valuation→Ask Vera — free account→

Confidential by policy
No listing, no retainer — a success fee only at closing
A senior principal answers for the outcome

Holding an offer already? Get a free offer read → · Prefer to talk? (888) 560-5852

☎ Call Free valuation →