If you're here
A shoebox of receipts
What we do
Bad records aren't a dealbreaker. We help you rebuild the last two or three years with your bookkeeper, price the business honestly, and tell buyers exactly where the gaps are before they find them.
About Polite Partners
Come as you are.Messy books and all.
A shoebox of receipts or audited statements. One owner who does everything or a team of twelve. Thinking about it, or ready by spring. Polite Partners works with independent businesses at every stage, and we meet you exactly where you are.
We work with
- Sole owners
- Partnerships
- Family businesses
- Teams of 2 to 25
- Owner-operators
- Second-generation shops
- Shoebox records
- Detailed books
- Just thinking about it
- Ready to sell this year
- Side businesses
- Multi-location operators
140+
Small businesses sold since 2019, from $80K to $2M
1 in 3
Came to us with incomplete or messy records
2
Countries we work in: the United States and Canada
4.9
Average rating from owners and buyers
Meet the peopleyou'll actually talk to.
Polite Partners was started by two people who'd watched too many owners get rushed, talked down to, or ignored. Every new conversation still starts with one of them.
Co-founder · Sellers
Chris Blackwell
Started Polite after watching too many owners get rushed into bad deals. Leads valuations and seller conversations, and still takes the first call with every new owner.
Book a call with Chris
Co-founder · Buyers
Dylan Minter
Runs the buyer side: vetting, financing, and the handover. The person who'll tell you, kindly, when a deal isn't the right one for you.
Book a call with Dylan
Three things we won'tcompromise on.
Everything else about a sale can flex. These three don't.
People first
The business is you. We start there.
Before we look at a single number, we want to know what you built, who depends on it, and what you'd like life to look like after. The deal follows from that, not the other way round.
Plain English
No jargon, no surprises.
If you don't understand something, we've explained it badly. You'll know what every document says, what every fee is, and what happens next, before it happens.
Your pace
You set the clock. We keep it.
Some owners sell in ninety days. Some take two years to decide. We'll tell you honestly what's realistic, and then we'll work to your timeline, not ours.
Wherever you're starting from,we're in.
Two very different owners can call us on the same day and get the same answer: yes, let's talk. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Records
Either way, we've seen it before.
If you're here
Audited, detailed books
What we do
The best possible start. Clean books mean a faster valuation and a stronger price, and we make sure buyers see the story behind the numbers, not just the spreadsheet.
Ownership
One pair of hands or many.
If you're here
One owner who does everything
What we do
Owner-dependent businesses still sell, every week. We plan a longer handover, write down how things actually get done, and show buyers how your role can be split or hired.
If you're here
A team that runs the place
What we do
A team that stays is one of the most valuable things you own. We help you decide when and how to tell them, and we write their future into the deal.
Timing
Early is fine. Now is fine too.
If you're here
Just thinking about it
What we do
No pressure, and no follow-up calls you didn't ask for. Many owners talk to us a year or two early and use the free valuation to decide what to fix first.
If you're here
Ready to sell this year
What we do
We can be listing confidentially within four to six weeks, and we pace every step to the handover date you choose.
Size
No such thing as too small.
If you're here
A side business or a tiny shop
What we do
Too small to bother with isn't a thing here. If it has customers, a reputation, and a way of doing things, it has a buyer, and it deserves a proper process.
If you're here
Multi-location, or over $2M
What we do
Bigger deals mean more due diligence and more people at the table. We bring in the right lawyer, accountant, and lender early, and keep the whole thing confidential.
What polite means
Polite isn't about being soft. It's about being straight with you.
- We tell you the real number, even when it's lower than you hoped.
- We return every call and answer every email, usually the same day.
- We never push you to sign anything, and we mean never.
In writing
What we do.What we don't.
Every one of these is in our engagement letter. If we ever fall short, tell us, and we'll put it right.
We always
- Give you a free, honest valuation before anything else
- Keep your name confidential until a buyer signs an NDA
- Vet every buyer before you spend an hour with them
- Explain every document and every fee in plain English
- Stay through the handover, not just the closing
We never
- Charge an upfront fee or a retainer
- Lock you into a long exclusivity contract
- List a business we don't believe will sell
- Pressure you with artificial deadlines
- Share your financials without your say-so
No big decisions required
Whatever shape your business is in,let's talk about it.
A thirty-minute conversation, a free valuation if you want one, and an honest answer either way. That's the whole first step.
- Confidential
- No obligation
- Reply within one business day
- United States and Canada