Before You Sign a Listing Agreement

Smaller businesses sell on a multiple of Seller's Discretionary Earnings, usually 2x to 4x. Larger ones move to an EBITDA multiple, and the multiple rises because a different class of buyer starts competing.

Two things move the number in DFW specifically. The first is whether your revenue is contracted or transactional — a managed services firm with monthly agreements and a contractor with recurring maintenance work both command a premium over the same business doing project work. The second is construction-sector timing. Contractors here have had a strong run, and buyers know it; the question they'll ask is whether your backlog and margins hold in a normal year, not the best year.

We'll give you a written valuation with the reasoning shown, at no cost and with no obligation to list with us afterward.

Dallas–Fort Worth Business Brokers — Seller-Side M&A Advisory

Graymarc represents business owners across Dallas–Fort Worth who are ready to sell. We represent sellers only, we charge no retainer, and there's no long-term exclusivity — if you're not satisfied with how we're representing you, you can end the engagement.

That last point matters more in DFW than anywhere else in Texas. This is the most competitive brokerage market in the state, and most of the firms calling you will want a retainer upfront and your signature on a twelve-month exclusive. We think you should be able to leave.

Dallas–Fort Worth Is Two Markets, Not One

The Dallas Fed tracks Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington–Grapevine as separate metro divisions, and if you own a business here you already know why.

The Dallas side runs on business and financial services — telecom, IT, law, accounting, staffing, consulting, and a banking sector that's grown enough to earn the nickname "Y'all Street." Business services alone employ roughly 17 percent of the workforce. The businesses that sell here are professional services firms, IT and managed services companies, staffing and specialty consulting practices, and distribution businesses feeding the Inland Port.

The Fort Worth side is built on transportation and logistics, aerospace and defense, and construction. BNSF is headquartered here, GM's Arlington plant employs over five thousand people, and the aerospace and defense cluster grew 27 percent between 2016 and 2023. Construction was the fastest-growing sector in the region over the same period. The businesses that sell here are contractors, industrial and equipment services, freight and logistics operators, and specialty manufacturers.

Same metroplex, different buyer pools, different valuation multiples. We'd rather tell you which one you're actually in than sell you a generic "DFW" pitch.

What Is My Dallas–Fort Worth Business Worth?

The Businesses That Change Hands in DFW

If you're talking to brokers in DFW, you'll be handed an agreement. Four things worth checking before you sign it:

How long am I committed? Twelve-month exclusives are standard here. Ask what happens if the firm doesn't perform. We don't ask for long-term exclusivity at all.

What do I pay if it doesn't sell? A retainer of $2,500 to $25,000 is common, and it's usually non-refundable. Our fee is entirely contingent on a closing.

Who actually runs my deal? Many firms sign you with a senior person and hand you to an associate managing fifteen or more listings. At Graymarc it's Sam or Marco, start to finish.

Do you represent buyers too? A lot of firms do, sometimes on the same transaction. We never do. Sellers only, always.

These aren't trick questions. Any broker worth hiring will answer them straight.

On the Dallas side: professional and technical services, IT and managed services, staffing, healthcare support practices, distribution and e-commerce fulfilment, and franchise resales — DFW has one of the most active franchise resale markets in the country.

On the Fort Worth side: mechanical, electrical and specialty contracting, industrial and equipment services, freight and logistics, specialty manufacturing, and aerospace supply-chain businesses.

None of that is a limit on what we'll take on. It's what the market moves. We work with privately held, owner-operated businesses across a wide range of industries, generally between $200,000 and $6,000,000 in annual profit, with enterprise values from $500,000 to $30,000,000.