Success Stories

Collaborative’s approach is unique in the business brokerage industry. We’re proud of who we are and what we do for our clients.

We can share some impressive stats from our experience. Thirty years of helping small business sellers and buyers achieve their goals. More than 1,000 transactions successfully closed. A close rate of 90% for deals that go under contract, compared to an industry average of 40%.

However what’s most important is our clients, and what they have to say about us. Below are testimonials from clients – both sellers and buyers – about how Collaborative served them during an acquisition/divestiture.

Client Testimonials

“We highly recommend using the Collaborative team to sell your business. We initially questioned if we even needed a broker. After all, we had a marketing background and could list our business on popular business sale websites. But listing the business was just the tip of the iceberg. The Collaborative team-approach brought to bear expertise in all of the key areas we were not only lacking, but didn’t even know we needed when we started. From value determination to promotion to buyer profiling and vetting to negotiating to working with the appraisers and banks — the experts on the Collaborative team were able to get us the buyer and value we were looking for. They truly earned their commission and we are thankful for their guidance in helping us transition our business to the perfect buyers.”

– Colleen and Jason Gerke, Jowler Creek Winery

“We bought a business that was being represented by Collaborative, closing in May 2019. The process began in September of the previous year when we made an initial inquiry. From our initial contact, we were introduced to the entire team, and provided a detailed explanation of each team member’s role in the process and how we would be supported as a prospective buyer.

The team worked closely with us to review all financial details as well as other disclosed information to ensure we fully understood what was being provided. They also helped with recommendations resources we could consult with and, on several occasions, made introductions. Different members of the team provided various support as needed and answered questions as well as provided resources we could use to share information and build our business plan and financial pro formas.

During the entire process, we never felt pressured to buy, and we were always made aware that we should only move forward if we were fully comfortable with our decision and had all the information we needed. Buying a business is a very stressful process, but the team made the process go smoothly and was there to help us every step of the way.”

– Rob and Stacy Plamondon, t. Loft

“I wanted to write and thank the Collaborative deal team for all the effort that was put into making the sale of my business a success. I knew very well how to build a profitable business… I had no idea how to go about selling it. How do you advertise your business is for sale when you don’t really want everyone to know? Who should you allow or not allow to see your financials? How do you attract the right buyer and how can they be motivated to buy my company as opposed to the hundreds of others out there for sale? I am glad that I was smart enough to know that I didn’t know. I am glad I was able to turn it all over to Collaborative. I still had my hands full running my business; the last thing I needed was for the sales to drop because I was occupied with trying to do a job that I was not qualified to do, thus lowering the value of my company. As I told the deal team after closing, they earned their compensation… they found me a buyer, got me a good price, and it took minimal effort on my part. I could not be happier. Whenever I come across someone who is ready to sell their business, I tell them to call the Collaborative deal team!”

– Brian Dillon, Dog Gone Mold

“Working with the deal team was a simple and worthwhile experience! It was nice knowing that there was always someone that could answer my questions and help me prepare my materials for the satisfaction of a buyer. Speaking of which, they provided me with numerous qualified buyers, and getting to the right one was an easy process. 

I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with, especially Joe Bodine. Among his many assets, I feel the most important one is his honesty and integrity. I always felt as though he was proceeding in our transaction with me in mind and not just lining his pockets. I would definitely recommend them to my friends and have already recommended him to my CPA who had a client wanting to sell their business.”

– Paul Sessel, Creative Displays