Upward Exits is a boutique business brokerage. We aim to add transparency to the business buying process and will work with qualified sellers to structure purchase agreements that are beneficial for all parties.
Because we have a narrow focus on digital businesses we have developed relationships with lenders who are comfortable with digital businesses.
We have developed relationships with a small number of lenders who are comfortable with lending for digital business acquisitions.
Far more than just applying a multiple to earnings. Our multiple valuations are based on precedent transactions and marketplace comps.
We also can create three stage DCFs and buyer return forecasts for businesses using leverage or selling for over $500K.
The Upward Exits vetting process looks into business history, revenue from various sales channels, backlink structure and content originality. Because we are a small team and only list a small number of businesses, we have a stringent criteria that businesses must meet before we will accept them as clients. Ultimately our buyers and lending partners are the largest beneficiaries of our stringent vetting process.
We use our industry expertise to help buyers secure financing, forecast future business performance and perform due diligence. This helps assure that our listings close for the appropriate valuation.
Selecting the right business
When looking to buy a digital business, it is important to make sure the business is a fit for the your skill set, risk tolerance, time commitment and industry expertise.
We always do our best to set buyers up for success by matching business listings with various buyer archetypes. Successfully operating a $2 MM software business is typically different than a $100K AdSense site. If you would like our guidance on what type of business may be a fit, feel free to contact our team or create a classified ad below.
Professional valuation
Because we solely focus on digital businesses, we are able to keep an accurate pulse on the market supply and demand. We combine this expertise along with our valuation methodologies to give all of our listings fair and accurate valuations.
How has this business been verified?
Because we only accept a small number of businesses to list, you can be sure that we think highly of the businesses that we bring to market.
We review the businesses revenue, advertising dashboards, review documentation for intangible assets and audit the link profile with industry leading software.
We always recommend that the buyer does their own due diligence in addition to our vetting process. Our typical acquisition structure has a 14 day review period build into the transaction for the buyer to verify the sellers claims.
What will my returns look like?
Digital businesses are almost always priced lower than other asset classes. The stock market is typically priced at 15X earnings while many digital businesses are sold for 3X earnings. There are many reasons for this, the largest being the hands on nature of owning a business and the risks associated with online businesses.
Because digital businesses are purchased for a fraction of the price of other investments, the hypothetical forecasts of buyer returns are typically exponentially higher and it is important to understand that these high returns don’t come without risk. We prepare these forecasts for buyers of listings over $500K and offer consulting services to lend our expertise to the management and growth of the business.