Sell Your Business – Miami

Miami, Florida

Sell Your Miami Business Into Florida’s Fastest-Growing Capital Market

Miami-Dade is the highest-GDP county in Florida ($219B) and the country’s leading trade gateway to Latin America. Florida’s 0% state income tax, surging in-migration of capital and talent, and accelerating PE deal volume (+18% YoY through Q1 2026) have turned Miami into one of the most active lower-middle-market acquisition markets in the country.

200+
Deals Sold
$800M+
Volume Sold
#1
Ranked by Axial
50
States Served

The Miami Market

Why Miami Has Become a Top-Tier Acquisition Market

Miami-Dade ranks 14th nationally by county GDP and combines a high-growth in-migration story with the deepest concentration of family offices, hedge funds, and private equity capital outside New York. Florida’s zero-percent state income tax pulls additional out-of-state sellers in to time their exits.

2.7M
Population (Miami-Dade County)
Most populous county in Florida and 7th-most-populous in the US. The metro added 500,000+ residents in the past decade.
$219B
Miami-Dade GDP
Highest-GDP county in Florida (14% of state total), ranking 14th in the country. Job growth outpaced the US average by 3.1 points from 2018–2023.
+18%
Florida PE deal volume YoY (Q1 2026)
Florida M&A activity outpaced national averages through 2025–2026 — concentrated in logistics, hospitality, healthcare services, and tech-enabled B2B.
0%
Florida state capital gains tax
Sellers keep what a California or New York counterpart would lose to state tax — often $100K+ on every $1M of gain.

The Florida Advantage

Same Sale Price, More Money Home

Florida imposes no state income tax and no state capital gains tax. For a Miami owner with a $2M taxable gain on the sale of a business, that can mean keeping an extra $200,000–$260,000 versus a seller in California, New York, or New Jersey — before any tax-structuring strategies are even considered. It’s a major reason Miami has become a destination market for sellers relocating from high-tax states.

Example: $2M capital gain on a business sale

A Florida resident pays $0 in state tax on the gain. A California resident at the top bracket pays 13.3% — about $266,000 — to Sacramento before federal tax even kicks in. New York City sellers face similar burdens once state and city taxes are stacked.

We see out-of-state owners increasingly time their move to Florida before triggering the sale. Residency rules are technical — loop in your CPA before relocating or structuring anything.

+$266K
kept by the Miami seller
vs. a California seller on the same $2M gain

Who’s Buying in Miami

Miami Has Become a Magnet for Acquisition Capital

Miami’s transformation into a finance and capital hub over the past five years has dramatically deepened the buyer pool for lower-middle-market sale processes. Four categories of buyer routinely show up at the table:

Miami / South Florida PE firms

Lower-middle-market sponsors with major South Florida presence include Trivest Partners (~$6.1B AUM, focused on founder/family-owned businesses), Millpond Equity Partners (business services), Mollitiam Holdings (industrial services), Somers Investment Partners (enterprise software, business services), and Alterna Equity (business and financial services).

National service and industrial roll-ups

Home services, healthcare services, logistics, and hospitality platforms all actively acquire in Miami. Florida LBO activity (notably in logistics, hospitality, and healthcare) was up 18% YoY through Q1 2026.

Family offices and search funds

Miami is one of the fastest-growing US cities for family offices and independent sponsors. Search-fund and independent-sponsor buyers want B2B service businesses with $1.5M+ EBITDA and a stay-on-as-CEO opportunity.

SBA-leveraged individual buyers

Florida is consistently among the top 5 states for SBA 7(a) lending volume. With dozens of active SBA lenders competing in metro Miami, financing for owner-operator buyers in the $1M–$5M range is broadly available.

Miami Industry Mix

The Sectors Driving Most Miami Deal Activity

Miami’s economy is anchored by trade and logistics, healthcare, construction, professional services, and a fast-growing tech and life-sciences base. The metro’s role as the #1 US trading partner with Latin America gives it a unique industrial mix that drives specific acquisition patterns.

Trade & LogisticsMiami is the #1 US trade gateway to Latin America (~30,000 direct local jobs in trade/logistics, ~340,000 indirect). Customs brokerage, freight forwarding, 3PL, and import/export services see strong strategic interest.
Healthcare ServicesHealthcare is Miami’s largest employment sector. Dental, vet, behavioral health, home health, healthcare staffing, and specialty practices all command active sponsor and strategic buyer pools.
Construction & Home ServicesMiami’s construction sector is among the largest US employment bases for the industry. HVAC, electrical, roofing, pest control, and specialty trades see aggressive PE roll-up demand.
Hospitality & Food ServicesFlorida hospitality M&A volume climbed sharply through 2025. Multi-unit restaurant groups, hotel-services businesses, and catering operators are active categories.
Tech & Life SciencesMiami’s startup ecosystem is valued at ~$95B with 2,500+ startups. Biotech, medical devices, health-tech, and SaaS resellers see growing PE and strategic interest.
Professional & Financial ServicesWith the influx of family offices, hedge funds, and PE firms relocating to Miami, demand for accounting, legal-services, and B2B financial-services businesses is rising fast.

The Process

How We Sell Your Miami Business

From your first valuation call to the wire hitting your account, we handle every stage of the exit. A typical transaction closes in 4–9 months. You focus on running the business; we run the deal.

01

Free Business Valuation

We benchmark your financials against current market comparables and active buyer demand to give you a real, defensible valuation — at no cost and no obligation.

02

Confidential Marketing

We approach the buyers most likely to bid quickly first — typically lower-middle-market PE firms and search funds — then broaden the process. Your name, location, and identifying details stay out of any public listing.

03

Buyer Competition

We bring multiple qualified offers to the table — PE platforms, search funds, strategics, SBA buyers — and negotiate them against each other to drive price and terms.

04

Due Diligence & Close

We coordinate with your CPA, attorney, and the buyer’s diligence team to keep momentum and prevent the deal from drifting. Closings typically happen 60–120 days after LOI.

Recent Market Activity

Miami Deal Activity Accelerated Through 2024–2025

Across all four buyer categories, lower-middle-market deal volume in Miami picked up materially through 2024 and 2025 — with Florida outpacing national M&A growth rates.

Florida M&A volume +18%
Florida deal volume rose 18% year-over-year through Q1 2026, concentrated in logistics, hospitality, and healthcare services — Miami capturing the largest share.
Growth-equity median size up
Growth equity deal sizes climbed to a median of $61M in late 2025 (a 14% YoY increase), with Miami a primary destination for sponsor capital.
Home services & healthcare roll-ups
National PE-backed platforms continued aggressive add-on activity in Miami through 2024–2025, particularly in HVAC, plumbing, dental, vet, and behavioral health.

Common Questions

Miami Sellers Ask Us

What are Miami service businesses actually selling for right now?
It depends on size and category. Small-business listings (BizBuySell etc.) in metro Miami tend to average around 2x earnings, but those are mostly sub-$1M deals. In the lower-middle-market range we work in ($2M–$60M revenue, $500K+ EBITDA), multiples typically run 3x–6x EBITDA for stable service businesses, with logistics, healthcare, home services, and recurring-revenue B2B often commanding the upper end when multiple platforms compete.
Does Florida’s no-state-income-tax really make a difference at closing?
A meaningful one. On a $2M long-term capital gain, a Florida resident pays $0 in state tax versus roughly $266K for a California resident at the top bracket. That changes both your net proceeds and your negotiating position. (We’re not tax advisors; loop in your CPA before structuring.)
Who’s actually going to buy my Miami business?
Four categories are most active here: (1) South Florida lower-middle-market PE firms (Trivest, Millpond, Mollitiam, Somers, Alterna); (2) national service roll-ups in home services, healthcare, logistics, and hospitality; (3) family offices, search funds, and independent sponsors targeting B2B businesses with $1.5M+ EBITDA; and (4) SBA-leveraged individual buyers, with Florida consistently among the top SBA lending states.
How long does it take to sell a business in Miami?
Most transactions close within 4–9 months from start to wire. Smaller SBA-financed deals can move faster (3–5 months). Larger PE-led deals with quality-of-earnings reports and committee approvals can take 6–10 months. We give you a realistic timeline at the valuation call.
Will my employees, customers, or competitors find out I’m selling?
No. We never publish your business name. Every prospective buyer signs an NDA before seeing identifying details, and we vet financial qualifications before granting access to your data room.
Do I have to stay on after the sale?
Almost always for some transition period — 3 to 12 months is typical. Search-fund and PE buyers often want longer because they’re acquiring the relationships and knowledge as much as the assets. Shorter transitions are possible when the operation is genuinely turnkey.
What does Business Exits charge?
We work on a success-fee model — we get paid only when your deal closes. There are no upfront retainers and the valuation is free.

Our Team

Brokers Built From the Operator’s Side of the Table

Our brokers are former business owners themselves. That’s why the process is built around the things that actually matter to sellers — net proceeds, confidentiality, and not having the deal drift for a year.

Business Exits Team

Find Out What Your Miami Business Is Worth

Takes 15 minutes. No obligation. Just an honest number, benchmarked against current buyer demand and recent comparable transactions.

Get My Free Valuation →

Market Data Sources

Miami-Dade population and GDP from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Miami-Dade Beacon Council (2024–2025). Florida M&A and PE volume figures from publicly reported deal-tracking sources. Fortune 500 headquarters from the 2025 Fortune 500 list. Florida imposes no state-level individual income tax; consult a CPA for residency and structuring questions. Active acquirer examples are drawn from publicly disclosed transactions and firm marketing materials and do not imply an exclusive relationship with Business Exits. We are not tax or legal advisors; consult a CPA and attorney before any transaction.