Tidewater Business Brokerage is the business broker Chicago owners hire when the goal is the highest value, not the fastest exit. We have sold businesses across Chicago and the Chicagoland metro since 1997, backed by a national buyer network and 2,100+ private equity relationships.
Confidentiality is our primary concern. Your inquiry stays private, and your contact details are never sold or shared without your consent.
Your inquiry stays confidential.
You only do this once. The owners who get the most for their business are the ones who started planning before they had to. That is the conversation we have with Chicago owners every week, whether you are 12 months out or 12 minutes from the offer call.
You built the business. You should not have to learn how to sell one on top of running it. We handle your valuation, marketing, qualification, negotiation, and closing logistics so you stay focused on the company while we move the deal forward.
We have closed hundreds of deals this way since 1997. Each step is built to keep the deal moving while you stay focused on running the company.
We analyze four years of revenue, cash flow, and assets to establish what your business is actually worth in today’s Chicago market.
We build a blind profile and put it in front of qualified buyers nationally and globally. Your name stays off it until they sign an NDA.
We substantiate every interested party for strategic fit, financial capacity, and serious intent before they get access to your information.
We manage offers, counters, and deal terms so you get the strongest price the market will pay and the structure that protects what you want after the sale.
We coordinate buyers, lenders, attorneys, accountants, and landlords so the process moves and the deal does not stall on a paperwork question.
We help your buyer secure financing through lenders, SBA programs, and investor partners, so a funding gap never costs you the deal.
We work alongside your attorney on the purchase agreement, lending documents, and the transition of vendor and lease relationships.
We finalize timelines, manage the transition, and keep the handover structured so you walk out clean.
The way we approach a Chicago-proper deal is different than how we approach a business in the greater Chicagoland area. The buyer pool is bigger inside the city, with strategic acquirers, food and beverage roll-ups, hospitality groups, and dozens of private equity firms based in the Loop, West Loop, and Fulton Market. In the suburbs, the buyers come for different reasons, and the deal mechanics shift with them. Either way, the value comes from competition. When one buyer is at the table, that buyer sets the price. When five qualified buyers want the same company, you do. The difference often runs into the hundreds of thousands.
Inside the city, commercial lease assignment needs landlord sign-off and zoning runs tighter, which can change how a deal closes. Out in the suburbs, the deal usually involves owned real estate, equipment, and a different buyer mix, and we structure each engagement around what the specific business actually needs. We have been working through both since 1997, so we know what is coming and when.
Your Chicago business broker, backed by national networks
We sell businesses in the industries that power the Chicago economy. Whether you run a food manufacturing operation, a professional services firm, or a hospitality group, we know which buyers are actively acquiring and how to get them competing for what you have built.
Verified Seller | Google
"As a woman founder in the tech space, I was nervous about selling my company. Tidewater Business Brokerage handled everything with professionalism and care from start to close."
Verified Seller | Google
"The deal nearly fell apart three separate times, but this team never wavered. Their dedication, calm approach, and buyer relationships kept everything on track to a successful close."
Verified Seller | Google
Answers to common questions from Chicago business owners considering a sale, valuation, or confidential consultation.
A Chicago business broker manages your sale from valuation through closing so you can keep running the company. That covers setting the price, finding and substantiating buyers, running negotiations, managing due diligence, and coordinating the close. There is no public listing and no sign in the window. The whole process stays confidential, so your employees, your customers, and your competitors do not find out until the deal is done.
Hire one if you want the highest value and a clean exit. Owners who go it alone usually reach fewer buyers, take the first offer that comes in, and spend months managing a process they have never run before. We bring multiple qualified buyers to the table, manage due diligence end to end, and keep the sale confidential the whole way through. And because we work on a success fee, we only earn when your deal closes on terms you accept.
You can, and most owners who do leave money on the table. Owners who sell independently typically close at 20 to 40 percent below full market value. A broker brings pricing accuracy, qualified buyer outreach, and negotiation expertise that consistently produces a stronger outcome and more favorable terms. The likelihood of a transaction closing also improves significantly when an experienced expert manages the process.
Tidewater works on a success fee with no upfront cost. There are no retainers, no listing fees, and no monthly invoices. The majority of our compensation is tied to a successful close on terms you sign off on, which keeps our priorities aligned with yours from the first conversation to the last document.
Business brokerage typically covers companies under $5M in revenue. M&A advisory handles larger, more complex transactions. Tidewater operates as both, matching the right level of expertise and attention to each engagement regardless of size.
We give you a confidential valuation based on the most probable sale price of the company.
If you are not ready to sell, the smart next step is a Broker Opinion of Value. Owners use a BOV every few years to see how their decisions are moving the value of the company, not only as a pre-sale step. Tidewater’s BOV is $1,695 for the business alone and up to $3,500 when it includes real estate, against a market rate closer to $2,200. If you later list with us, the fee credits toward your engagement, so there is no sunk cost. It is the experienced way to know your number long before you need it.
We start with a confidential consultation. We evaluate the business, prepare a valuation, and put together a professional prospectus that tells the company’s story to the right buyers before going to market. From there we run a multi-channel campaign across our national and global buyer network and our 2,100+ private equity relationships, substantiating every interested party before any sensitive information changes hands.
Most transactions close within seven to 16 months of listing. The timeline depends on your industry, the strength of your financials, how the business is priced, and the terms of the transaction, which are not always about price. Sellers tend to fixate on the number, but the structure of a deal often moves the timeline more than the headline figure does. Clean books and a realistic valuation keep the process on track.
We use best efforts to maintain your confidentiality throughout the entire process. Buyers see only a blind profile until they sign an NDA with Tidewater, and the majority of your marketplace won’t know you’re for sale until after closing. Discretion is built into every stage rather than added at the end.
The market is strong for owners with the right representation. Chicago has more active strategic buyers and private equity firms than any market in the Midwest, with PE firms based in the Loop, West Loop, and Fulton Market and dozens of regional and national acquirers tracking city deals. Demand is steady across the industries Chicago is built on, including food and beverage manufacturing, professional services and B2B, hospitality at scale, and specialty manufacturing. Having that many buyers nearby only pays off when they compete for your company instead of negotiating you down one at a time. That is the part we take care of.
We sell businesses across the entire city and the broader Chicagoland metro, including the Loop, West Loop, Fulton Market, the North Side, Logan Square, Lincoln Park, Pilsen, South Loop, and the industrial corridors out toward Cicero and the South Side. Wherever your business is, you get a team that knows your local market and a buyer network that reaches well beyond it.
The biggest difference is price per square foot, and it shapes the kinds of businesses each market produces. In Chicago, high cost per square foot favors smaller retail and office-based operations. Out in the suburbs, lower cost per square foot opens the door to manufacturing, logistics, and other scalable operations. We have sold businesses across both markets since 1997, and how we run a deal depends on the business, not on which side of the city line it sits.
Tidewater represents owners across manufacturing and machining, food and beverage production, professional services and B2B, commercial services, hospitality, and strong retail environments, all at $1M+ in annual sales. Our Chicago practice handles companies from $1M to $50M in revenue.
That depends on how the sale is structured and how your business is set up, so the precise number comes from your accountant, not from a web page. In broad terms, the profit on the sale is generally subject to federal capital gains treatment plus Illinois state income tax, and the way the deal is structured can change what you owe significantly. We work alongside your CPA and attorney throughout the process so the structure supports the best after-tax outcome for you, rather than leaving money on the table at closing.
The tax rate is one part. How the purchase price gets allocated across the assets is the other, and it directly affects what you actually pay. Tidewater works to preserve a beneficial allocation of purchase price in your favor, coordinating with your CPA and attorney so that the structure holds up. Most owners under $10 million in value do not realize a broker negotiates this at all, which is exactly why it belongs on your side of the table.
When you try to sell your business, the price matters, but it is not the only thing you are negotiating. The right deal structure also protects the people who built the company with you, the customers who trusted you, and the work you want to do next. We negotiate every term with that in mind, so when you finalize the sale, you do it on terms you would still take a year later.
Get a confidential valuation based on what real Chicago buyers are paying right now, not a generic online estimate. It costs nothing, it stays private, and it could change your timing.
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Confidential Process
Thinking about selling your business?
Talk to someone who has done it before.
"As the owner of a large plastics manufacturing company, I had high expectations when it came time to sell. Tidewater exceeded every one of them with their process and network."