Off-market sourcing · $500K–$5M EBITDA

Own a business without quitting your job to find one.

Most full-time searchers spend 20 months and $550K finding a business.† We call the owners and introduce you to the ones open to selling, while you keep your job.

Book a 30-minute callBrowse our network

First 30 days free. Cancel anytime.

≤6 months
to get every previous client to an LOI or MOU
1 to 2
owner introductions a week
3% vs ~13%*
our fee vs buying a listed business
How it works

You decide what to buy. We do the outreach.

Finding a seller is mostly volume: thousands of calls to reach a few owners ready to talk. We take that part. You make the decisions.

“This is exactly the kind of pipeline I was looking for.”
Private buyer, Houston
  1. Step 1

    Tell us what you want to own

    Industry, region, size, and your deal-breakers, set in one meeting with a partner.

  2. Step 2

    We build the list

    Every business that fits, with the owner’s name and how to reach them.

  3. Step 3

    You approve it

    No owner hears from us until you sign off.

  4. Step 4

    We call the owners

    Your rep, trained and overseen by our partners, calls every week. You get a report on every call.

  5. Step 5

    You meet owners who said yes

    One or two a week. Each has agreed to meet you, and you get an in-depth summary of the business from our intro call first.

  6. Step 6

    We help you reach an LOI

    Intro calls, gathering the financials, and a first model of the deal.

  7. Step 7

    We bring in specialists

    Partners we trust for diligence, legal work, and real estate.

What it costs

$1,500 a month. Keep your salary.

Every search needs someone calling owners and the data to find them. We cover both, so you don’t have to hire a caller or pay for tools yourself.

✓ First 30 days free. Cancel in that time and you owe nothing. After that, $1,500 is billed monthly until you cancel.

$750A callerSomeone dialing owners for you every week, the work you would otherwise do at night or hire out.
$750Data and techOwner data and sourcing tools you would otherwise personally cover in a search.
If you buyA success fee of 3% on the first $5M, 2% on the next $5M, and 1% above $10M. Nothing if you don’t close. Applies only where permitted by law, under a signed agreement. Waystation works for the buyer.

Not ready to search? Browse businesses our clients passed on, with no monthly fee.

Why buy direct

Buying direct costs you less.

A listed business is sold in an open market, with a broker working for the seller. Direct, you deal with the owner and we work for you.

A listed business
~13%*
estimated markup
  • Multiple bidders push the price up in an open market
  • The broker represents the seller
  • Not sourced to your EBITDA, region or industry
Direct, through Waystation
~3%
our success fee, only if you close
  • Personalized outreach
  • You negotiate directly with each owner
  • Support through the whole sale process
~$300Kless on a $1M EBITDA business, before monthly fees.
Sources

Example: $1M EBITDA at an assumed 3x ($3M) price; ~13% markup ($390K) vs our 3% success fee ($90K), before monthly fees. Success fee where permitted by law, under a signed agreement. Waystation works for the buyer. *RCP Advisors, The Case for Small Buyouts, Part I (2024): median EBITDA multiples, competitive auctions vs non-auction deals, 4,308 PE deals under $10M EBITDA; unadjusted medians, not a prediction for any deal. †Stanford GSB 2024 Search Fund Study: median search time and capital, traditional search funds.

Make an impact

Your search helps a student buy a business of their own.

The rep calling owners for you is a college student, trained and overseen by our partners, on a five-year path to ownership.

  1. First months

    Proves they can do it

    No one works a client search until they go through months of outreach and consistently set up about two introductions a week.

  2. Years 1 to 5

    Earns from your search

    $750 a month per client, plus commission when you buy a business they found.

  3. Years 1 to 5

    Saves toward ownership

    They save part of every commission, and strong performers can earn a discretionary match from our Growth Fund.

  4. About year 5

    Buys a business

    Their savings can buy in, and they run it as CEO with Waystation as a minority partner.

Every introduction they set up for you brings them one step closer to owning a business.

Get started

Tell us what you want to own.

Tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll tell you plainly whether we can find it.

✓ First 30 days free. Cancel in that time and you owe nothing. After that, $1,500 is billed monthly until you cancel.

Mason Quinn

Mason Quinn, Managing Partner. You’ll talk with me on this call. Our partners oversee every search and train every caller before they work on yours.

Prefer email? mason@waystationadvisors.comorbrowse our network

Due to state licensing rules, we do not currently work with buyers, sellers, or businesses in California, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, or Wisconsin.