FAQ
Questions owners actually ask
Straight answers, including the ones that are still “it depends.”
Process
How a sale actually runs
Timeline, readiness, messy books, your professionals, and what happens after the letter of intent.
How long does a sale take?
It varies with your readiness, your industry, and the buyer pool. Processes for companies this size commonly run six to nine months from kickoff to close, and Bankerly compresses the preparation phase — materials that traditionally take months are drafted in days, then refined with you. No platform can honestly promise a closing date.
How is this different from a business broker?
Most brokers list a business and wait. Bankerly runs the preparation an investment bank would: a quality-of-earnings analysis, a driver-based projection model, institutional-grade marketing materials, targeted buyer matching, and a managed, audited process through diligence. The difference shows up in buyer confidence — and usually in price and certainty of close.
What happens after I sign a letter of intent?
The LOI starts exclusivity and confirmatory diligence. Bankerly keeps the process on rails: the data room is already built, buyer questions run through managed Q&A with response tracking, and diligence requests map to documents you have already organized. Your attorney negotiates the purchase agreement; we keep the information flow clean and fast.
Do I still need my accountant and attorney?
Yes. Bankerly prepares documents and analysis, but it does not replace professional advice. Your CPA should review the quality-of-earnings output, and every legal document we draft is marked for attorney review. Deals close well when the owner's advisors are engaged early — we make their work faster, not optional.
My financials are messy. Is that a problem?
It is normal. Most companies this size run on cash-basis books, owner adjustments, and a long-tenured bookkeeper. The onboarding process is built for exactly that: we work from what you have — QuickBooks exports, tax returns, bank statements — and the quality-of-earnings analysis is where the mess gets cleaned up, documented, and explained to buyers.
What if I'm not ready to sell yet?
Then preparation is the highest-value thing you can do. Owners who start a year early fix the issues buyers would otherwise price against them — customer concentration, owner dependence, unclear add-backs. You can run the analysis phase now and go to market when you choose.
Confidentiality
Keeping the sale quiet
Who sees what, when they see it, and the controls behind every release of information.
Will anyone find out my company is for sale?
Confidentiality is the default at every step. Buyers first see an anonymous teaser with no identifying details. Your name and confidential materials are released only after a buyer signs an NDA, and only to buyers you approve. Every document is watermarked with the recipient's identity, and every view and download is logged.
How is my data protected?
Files are encrypted at rest with per-file keys, access is deny-by-default and scoped to your company, data-room documents are watermarked, download links expire within minutes, and an append-only audit log records every sensitive action. The security page describes the full posture, including what we have not yet certified.
How are buyers vetted?
Buyers register with their firm, mandate, and acquisition criteria. Before any confidential release we confirm the firm exists, the person is who they claim, and the mandate plausibly fits your deal. Buyers who fail verification, or who breach process rules, are removed from the network.
Who sees my information inside Bankerly?
Access is scoped to your company and deny-by-default. Buyers see only what you have released to them at their current stage, watermarked with their identity. Bankerly staff access is limited, logged, and auditable. We never sell or share your data.
AI
What the software does — and doesn't
The AI drafts and screens. You and your advisors review, decide, and approve.
What does the AI actually do — and not do?
The AI drafts: it analyzes your financials for quality-of-earnings adjustments, builds the projection model, writes the teaser and CIP, and screens buyers against your profile. It does not decide. You and, where relevant, your advisors review and approve every document before a buyer sees it, and every AI-drafted figure links back to its source in your records.
Is my data used to train AI models?
No. Your records are used to produce your own analysis and documents — nothing else. We do not train models on customer data, and our AI provider terms bar the provider from training on it. What the AI reads is governed by the same company-scoped, logged access controls as every other part of the platform.
Money
Cost, valuation, and what we are
How pricing works, how a valuation range is built, and what Bankerly is not.
How much does Bankerly cost?
Pricing is being finalized with early-access customers. Our commitment: aligned, success-based pricing — a structure where we do well only when your sale does well, and where the all-in cost is materially below the fee stacks commonly reported on small deals. Early-access participants help set the final structure and receive preferred terms.
How do you estimate what my company is worth?
We benchmark your adjusted EBITDA and revenue against comparable transactions in your industry and size range, then present a range — not a single number — with the assumptions stated.
This valuation guidance is an educational estimate generated from publicly sourced comparable-transaction data and standard methodologies. It is not an appraisal, a fairness opinion, or investment, legal, or tax advice, and it does not predict the price any buyer will pay. Actual outcomes depend on diligence, market conditions, and negotiation. Consult your own advisors before making decisions.
Is Bankerly an investment bank or broker-dealer?
No. Bankerly provides software and document-preparation tools. We are not a registered broker-dealer and do not provide investment, legal, or tax advice. Where a transaction requires a licensed intermediary, we help you engage one.
Didn’t find your question?
Ask us directly — a person reads every note — or walk through the owner process end to end.