Wharton in three years
Finance and accounting, finished a year early.
NYU MBA
Earned on a full scholarship.
Straight to private equity
Skipped banking for the buy side: diligence, valuation and deal structure.
Owner and operator
Bought a Florida company with an SBA loan in 2025. Runs it today at about $7M in revenue.
Why a one-advisor practice
You hire me, and you get me.
Most brokerages win the listing with a senior name, then hand the file to whoever is free. I built this practice the other way around.
You work with me, start to finish
No junior associates, no handoffs after the pitch. The person who reads your numbers is the person in the negotiation and on the closing call.
A short client list on purpose
I run one practice with one calendar, so I take on a small number of engagements at a time. Each one gets my direct attention, and you will always know where your deal stands.
No listing-volume incentive
Big shops make money by signing listings. I would rather tell you to wait a year and fix the books than take a retainer for a business I don't believe will sell.
Three ways to work with me
Every engagement starts with a paid first step.
A fixed fee, a fixed scope and a written answer. You walk away with something useful even if you never hire me again.
Sell
Sell at a price a lender will finance.
Sale-Readiness Assessment from $5,000. Recast financials, a defensible value range and a ranked fix list.
Selling a businessBuy
Buy the business, not the listing.
Deal Review from $3,000. The memo a PE investment committee would write, sized for an SBA buyer.
Buying with an SBA loanGrow
Run it like someone is about to buy it.
Value Baseline from $4,000, then an optional Owner's Board: board-level oversight from an operator.
Growing valueYour side of the table
I was trained to buy companies like yours. Now I work for you.
I know the playbook
Funds anchor low, use diligence to chip away at the price and bury value in the fine print. I learned that playbook from the inside.
Retrades get answered
When a buyer tries to cut the price after the LOI, you'll have the numbers to push back, because we built them first.
The fine print decides what you keep
Working capital targets, seller notes, consulting terms and non-competes decide what you take home. That's where I push hardest.
My name is on a loan too
I've put my own money and my own signature on an SBA loan. I treat yours the same way.
FAQ
Questions owners and buyers ask first.
Who will I actually work with?
Me. Ebenger Advisors is a one-advisor practice. I do the analysis, the buyer or lender conversations, the negotiation and the closing work myself. When a deal needs an attorney, CPA, lender or credentialed appraiser, I bring in people I trust and coordinate them, but I stay your single point of contact.
Do you need a real estate license to sell a business in Florida?
Yes. Florida law treats business enterprises and business opportunities as real estate for licensing, so anyone paid to sell a business for someone else has to be a licensed real estate broker or work under one. My Florida broker license is in process. Until it is issued I don't list businesses or take success fees, but owners can start with a fixed-fee assessment now.
How much do I need down to buy a business with an SBA loan?
Plan on at least 10% of the deal as equity. A seller note on full standby (no payments for the life of the SBA loan) can cover up to half of that, combined with any small minority investors. For loans numbered on or after October 1, 2026, the deal also has to show at least 1.25x debt coverage on historical earnings. Confirm current terms with your lender.
What is SDE, and why is a buyer's number lower than my broker's?
Seller's discretionary earnings adds your salary, perks, one-time costs, interest and depreciation back to profit. It shows what the business pays one full-time owner. If a buyer has to hire a manager to replace you, that salary comes back out, and the buyer prices off what's left. I start from that number so it holds up at the bank.
Do you buy businesses yourself?
Sometimes, which is why I decide my role at intake, before I see your financials. If I represent you, neither I nor any company I own will bid on your business.
Start here
Send your numbers.
Revenue, earnings and what you want to do. I read every inquiry myself and reply within two business days.
Ebenger Advisors
Austen Ebenger · Florida broker license pending
Orlando, Florida · Serving all of Florida
Email: [email protected]
For CPAs, lenders and attorneys
Have a client thinking about selling or buying? I'll run a free value snapshot for them and keep you informed at every step.