1
Preparation
2–4 weeks- Initial due diligence
- CIM development
- Data room setup
- Buyer universe research
The five-stage process behind every senior-led exit.
3–9 months from kickoff to close. Five stages of disciplined preparation and execution. One senior advisor from first call to final signature — no handoffs, no junior associates.
1 · Prep
2 · Market
3 · DD
4 · Negotiate
5 · Close
The Process
Five stages from valuation to close.
Every stage managed with clear milestones and direct senior-advisor access.
2
Marketing
4–12 weeks- Buyer outreach
- Vetting & qualification
- Management presentations
- Initial bids (IOIs)
3
Due Diligence
3–9 weeks- LOI & exclusivity
- Buyer due diligence
- Quality of Earnings
4
Negotiations
1–4 weeks- Purchase agreement
- Reps & warranties
- Final terms lock
5
Closing
1–2 weeks- Final documentation
- Funds transfer
- Post-close transition
Total timeline: 3–9 months average. We calibrate every step to your buyer type.
Stage 1 · 2–4 Weeks
Preparation
We prepare everything before a single buyer is contacted — your financials, your story, your data room.
Setting the foundation before we go to market.
01
Initial Discovery
- Financial review
- Customer & revenue analysis
- Tech stack overview
- Operational walkthrough
1 wk
02
CIM Development
- Market positioning
- Competitive analysis
- Growth story
- Financial projections
2–4 wks
03
Data Room Setup
- Folder structure
- Access controls
- Q&A preparation
- Document organization
1 wk
Stage 2 · 4–12 Weeks
Marketing
We reach out to qualified buyers, vet them, and create competition so you're choosing between offers.
Creating competitive demand.
Wide Reach
Concentrated Offers
1
Step 1
Buyer Outreach
- Buyer list finalization
- NDA execution
- Teaser distribution
2
Step 2
Buyer Vetting & Qualification
- Proof of funds verification
- Cultural fit evaluation
- Competitive tension
3
Step 3
Buyer Meetings
- Management presentations
- Site visits & Q&A
- Follow-up coordination
4
Step 4
LOI Collection
- LOI's
- Bid analysis
- Buyer selection
Stage 3 · 3–9 Weeks
Due Diligence
Facilitate the buyer’s review while protecting your position. Organized responses and proactive management keep momentum and prevent re-trading.
From LOI to verified close-ready.
Financial
Legal
Tech DD
Organized data room
Indexed. Access-controlled.
DD Workflow — LOI → Verified Close-Ready
01
LOI
- LOI negotiation
- Term sheet review
- Buyer selection
1–2 wks
02
Buyer Due Diligence
- Financial DD
- Legal DD
- Tech DD
- Commercial DD
15–45 days
03
Close-Ready
- Open items resolved
- Cleared to close
- First draft APA requested
1–2 wks
QofE
On larger or more complex deals, buyers may commission a 3rd-party Quality of Earnings analysis. We coordinate the prep so it never slows the deal.
Stage 4 · 1–4 Weeks
Negotiations
Locking in the definitive agreement. Line-by-line drafting, structural negotiation, and uncompromising protection of the terms that matter at close.
Locking in the definitive agreement.
Expert guidance
Key elements to consider
- Reps & warranties drafted to seller-favorable language
- Indemnification caps, baskets, survival periods tightened
- Escrow structure sized to deal risk, not buyer convenience
- Working capital peg calculated rigorously and locked early
- Employment agreements clear on scope, comp, and exit
- Closing conditions explicit and time-bounded
Balanced for the seller
Protecting against
Hidden risks
- Indemnity exposure — tail risk after the deal closes
- Working capital surprises — last-minute true-up disputes
- Earnout traps — vague triggers the buyer can exploit
- Non-compete overreach — scope wider than the deal warrants
Stage 5 · 1–2 Weeks
Closing
Signature, wire, transition. Land the plane with a structured hand-off that protects the seller and the business through the first months of new ownership.
Signature, wire, transition.
Closing checklist
✓
Final Documentation
- Signature coordination
- Closing certificates
- Officer's certificates
- Legal opinions
1 wk
✓
Funds Transfer
- Closing call
- Wire verification
- Disbursement confirmation
- Public announcement
1 wk
✓
Post-Closing Transition
- Integration planning
- Knowledge transfer
- Stakeholder updates
- Earnout tracking
3–12 mo
Sold
Signed, cleared, in motion. You exit with confidence, not chaos.
What We Protect You From
Common deal-killer traps.
First-time sellers without expert representation leave 20–30% on the table. Every trap below is one we have navigated hundreds of times.
Initial Engagement
Stages 1–2- Moving too fast before the CIM is tight
- Information overload that confuses buyers
- Wrong buyer type from the start
- Single-track outreach with no leverage
LOI & Negotiation
Stage 3- Weak LOI terms that leak value
- No exclusivity limit — unlimited lock-up
- Earn-out heavy structure without guardrails
- Missing break-up fees and reverse protection
Due Diligence
Stages 3–4- Unorganized data room triggering red flags
- Financial surprises during buyer review
- Over-explaining weak spots instead of framing them
- Missing documentation driving price re-trade
Closing
Stage 5- Indemnification traps written into the SPA
- Escrow overreach beyond standard market terms
- Employment terms no one read closely
- Last-minute changes in the final 48 hours
Our Commitment
How we keep your deal moving.
Deals slow down when no one is pushing. Here's how we keep yours on track.
1
Same-Day Responses
- Every data room request answered within 24 hours
2
Multiple Buyer Tracks
- 3–5+ qualified buyers simultaneously for leverage
3
Hard Deadlines
- LOI exclusivity capped at 15–45 days
- Weekly check-ins throughout
4
Business Continuity
- We run the process so you keep running the business
5
Senior Access
- Direct access for strategic decisions
- Never a helpdesk queue
Why Website Properties
Experience, senior attention, proven outcomes.
Since 2002, Website Properties has advised owners through complex digital business transactions with a boutique, senior-led model. You work directly with experienced deal professionals — not a rotating bench of junior intermediaries.
By the numbers
Every metric below represents closed, completed transactions — not listings, not “in progress,” not aspirational.
24+Years Active
600+Deals Closed
$650M+Value Represented
50K+Buyer Network
Top 25 Lower Middle Market Broker
Recognized by Axial for transaction quality, process rigor, and owner outcomes in digital M&A.
- Entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs — our advisors have built and exited their own digital businesses
- Senior-led execution — direct access for every strategic decision
- Collaborative team model — the whole team supports your deal, not just one broker
Proof Of Process
Recent closings. Real numbers.
A representative sample of recent transactions across SaaS, e-commerce, FBA, and content — with sale prices, multiples, and time-to-close, all anonymized to the band. Not the full transaction log; pick a few that match yours and ask us for comparables.
SaaS & Software
B2B SaaS Platform
$8.7M
Recurring-revenue play with sticky enterprise logos. Short buyer pool of three strategic acquirers in adjacent verticals; closed to the one with the best product-roadmap fit.
Strategic acquirer · 85% cash
E-Commerce & DTC
Multi-Channel DTC Brand
$4.2M
Category-leading DTC brand with a strong email list and repeat customer base. Buyer was a consumer-holding platform adding a flagship in the category.
Strategic holdco · 90% cash
Amazon FBA
Private Label FBA Portfolio
$2.1M
Three-ASIN private label in a single niche, clean Seller Central history. Closed to an operator-buyer building a multi-brand FBA portfolio.
Operator buyer · 100% cash
Content & Media
Digital Publishing Network
$1.8M
Niche-publishing network with diversified traffic and a defensible email list. Closed to a media holdco rolling up content properties in adjacent niches.
Strategic holdco · 80% cash + earnout
Twenty-four years, six hundred deals, every kind of buyer playbook navigated. The four above are illustrative — the full anonymized list lives on the case-studies page.
See all case studies →In Their Own Words
What founders say about the way we run a process.
Three quotes from sellers who went through the five stages above. Verified post-close, on the record.
Being new to a brokerage sale, Website Properties made the entire process easy to understand and seamless. They understood our sale goals and crafted a comprehensive prospectus that was easy for prospective buyers to understand.
Their staff eagerly assisted me every step of the way, practically holding my hand, helping me navigate what seemed like challenges into a seamless transaction. They found the perfect buyer for my website.
They were incredibly knowledgeable, responsive and helpful, always there to answer questions and provide any guidance I needed. From the first phone call about possibly listing my business to the sale of my business was less than one month!
01How long does a typical exit take?
3–9 months end-to-end on average. We calibrate every step to your buyer type. Stage 1 (Preparation) typically runs 2–4 weeks of CIM, data room and buyer-universe work before a single buyer sees your business.
02Do I have to be hands-on every week?
No. Stages 1 and 3 (Preparation and Due Diligence) need a few hours of your time each week. Stage 2 (Marketing) is mostly us. Stage 5 (Closing) is mostly your attorney. We're explicit about every ask before we make it.
03What happens between LOI and final signature?
8–12 weeks of buyer-side diligence: financial, legal, technical, customer. We act as the deal quarterback — managing buyer asks, protecting confidentiality, pre-empting re-trade attempts, and keeping the schedule alive. Most deals die in this window when there's no senior bench.
04What if my financials need cleaning up first?
Common, and addressable. Stage 1 includes financial cleanup: P&L recasts, customer concentration views, expense reclassification. If the work is bigger — tax restructuring, true Quality of Earnings — we point you to a QofE provider before going to market. Better to spend 6 weeks now than lose 0.5× on a re-trade later.
05Will my staff or competitors find out?
Not until you decide. Every buyer signs an NDA before they see your CIM. Teaser materials never identify your business by name or URL. We've represented hundreds of founders whose own teams didn't know a deal was happening until the day it closed.
06What if a stage needs longer than the timeline?
We extend it. The timelines on this page are averages — the actual deal moves on the schedule that protects your outcome, not the schedule that's quickest. If diligence needs an extra 3 weeks, we take the 3 weeks. Speed has never closed a deal at a higher number.
Start Here
Start with a conversation, not a pitch deck.
A senior advisor will read your business, walk you through what your stages would look like, and tell you the truth about whether you're ready to start. No obligation either way.
Senior-led from valuation to close