One of the websites we use to promote our confidential business sales is BizBuySell.com BizBuySell is the closest tool in our arsenal for promoting the sale of a business that resembles the MLS for a Real Estate agent. Consequently, BizBuySell has tons of business sales data.
The table below shows the type of business sold, the number of businesses sold in 2018, the median sales price, and the cash flow multiple (average). The Cash Flow Multiple (average) is a great bit of information to have if you are valuing business as often as we do. The Cash Flow Multiple is a ratio of a business’ adjust earnings (I call it seller’s discretionary earnings) and the final sale price. So you can use this information to discover the value of your business. For example, if you own a restaurant that has adjusted earnings of $100,000 annually, you can expect it to sell for $208,000 (based on the cash flow multiple of 2.08)
The table below is sorted and edited from the full BizBuySell Insight report you can find here.
| Business Type | Number of Reported Sales | Median Sales Price | Cash Flow Multiple (average) |
| Restaurants | 2195 | $180,000 | 2.08 |
| Other Service Businesses | 439 | $215,000 | 1.99 |
| Furniture and Furnishings Stores | 365 | $225,000 | 2.46 |
| Routes | 354 | $175,692 | 2.02 |
| Websites and Ecommerce Businesses | 353 | $475,000 | 2.99 |
| Bars, Pubs and Taverns | 343 | $255,000 | 2.6 |
| Liquor Stores | 301 | $332,500 | 2.85 |
| Gas Stations | 300 | $225,000 | 2.56 |
| Convenience Stores | 273 | $175,000 | 2.35 |
| Auto Repair and Service Shops | 268 | $277,500 | 2.43 |
| Hair Salons and Barber Shops | 213 | $99,000 | 1.83 |
| Other Retail Businesses | 196 | $200,000 | 2.2 |
| Coffee Shops and Cafes | 187 | $150,000 | 2.14 |
| Other Building and Construction Businesses | 180 | $450,000 | 2.12 |
| Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Shops | 175 | $135,000 | 2.05 |
| Dry Cleaners | 158 | $167,000 | 2.27 |
| Clothing and Accessory Stores | 121 | $177,500 | 2.04 |
| Landscaping and Yard Service Businesses | 106 | $174,000 | 1.81 |
| Other Health Care and Fitness Businesses | 103 | $294,500 | 2.36 |
| Cleaning Businesses | 97 | $236,000 | 2.12 |
| Day Care and Child Care Centers | 91 | $300,000 | 3.43 |
| Laundromats and Coin Laundry Businesses | 87 | $150,000 | 2.83 |
| Bakeries | 85 | $120,000 | 1.79 |
| Accounting Businesses and Tax Practices | 81 | $227,500 | 2.03 |
| HVAC Businesses | 75 | $420,000 | 2.24 |
| Durable Goods Wholesalers and Distributors | 73 | $609,000 | 2.82 |
| Other Entertainment and Recreation Businesses | 70 | $207,500 | 2.65 |
| Grocery Stores and Supermarkets | 66 | $465,000 | 3.2 |
| Home Health Care Businesses | 64 | $275,000 | 2.4 |
| Other Manufacturing Businesses | 63 | $1,250,000 | 2.98 |
Did you business make the top 30? Have you been thinking about selling your business? Maybe you just want to get an idea of what your business is worth. We are Business Brokers. Call us today for free and confidential business valuation.