Business brokers charge 8 to 12% commission, with minimum fees of $10,000 to $25,000. Type in your sale price and see the cut, before you sign anything.
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Last updated: October 11, 2026
| Sale price | Broker fee | Share of the sale | You keep, after the fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | $10,000 | 13.3% | $65,000 to $65,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 to $12,000 | 10% to 12% | $88,000 to $90,000 |
| $150,000 | $12,000 to $18,000 | 8% to 12% | $132,000 to $138,000 |
| $250,000 | $20,000 to $30,000 | 8% to 12% | $220,000 to $230,000 |
| $400,000 | $32,000 to $48,000 | 8% to 12% | $352,000 to $368,000 |
| $750,000 | $60,000 to $90,000 | 8% to 12% | $660,000 to $690,000 |
The minimum is why small sales pay a larger share: on a $75,000 sale, a $10,000 minimum is 13.3% of the price. Commissions are negotiated privately, so any one broker's agreement can differ.
A broker's commission is a percentage of your final sale price, taken from your proceeds at closing. For main-street businesses the standard range is 8 to 12%, and nearly every broker sets a minimum fee, commonly $10,000 to $25,000, so small deals still pay them. The percentage is negotiable in theory. The minimum almost never is. The commission is only page one; business broker fees, line by line walks through the up-front fee, the tail and the rest of the agreement. To see the fee beside the other numbers a sale turns on, one made-up owner asks what is my business worth and works it through to the take-home.
A broker doing months of work for a $10,000 minimum on a $90,000 sale earns less than they would parking the same hours in a bigger listing. That is why many brokers quietly pass on businesses under $500,000. It is not that your business can't sell. It is that the commission model doesn't pay them to sell it. If you have been told yours is too small to bother with, read should I close my business or sell it before you lock the door.
Buyers don't require a broker. They require proof: a price supported by your tax returns, a clear buyer pitch, the payment math a lender will accept, an NDA before they see your numbers, and a plan for the negotiation. That is a document problem, not a commission problem. We build all of it for a flat $299, and a licensed attorney papers the closing, usually one flat fee at the end, often payable from the sale money.
Start with the free step: see what your business is worth in 60 seconds, no email. Or see everything in the $299 package. Selling a salon? Here is how to sell it without a broker, and how to read a hair salon valuation calculator. Running a janitorial company? See how a commercial cleaning business is valued. Running a lawn company? See how a landscaping business is valued. Still cleaning a shift yourself? This janitorial company valuation shows what that does to the price.