Know what your business is worth before you sell it.

Exchange Street Advisors prepares Geneva and Finger Lakes owners for a sale. Start with a free, confidential Value Check. If you want the full Sale Package, it costs a flat $2,000 and an independent CPA checks the numbers.

Request a free Value Check See a sample

No cost. No commission. No obligation to go further.

Downtown Geneva, New York
Geneva, New York
Value Check
FreeA one-page opinion of value
Sale Package
$2,000 flatPaid at delivery, not before
Commission
NoneNo success fee, no referral fee
Accuracy
CPA-checkedBy a local, independent CPA

Most small businesses close. Few are sold.

When a longtime owner retires without a buyer, the business usually closes. The jobs go, and the owner receives little for decades of work.

U.S. small and medium-sized businesses that exited in 2022. Source: McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, 2026.

A sale takes preparation. Buyers, lenders, and brokers all ask for the same things: clean financials, a defensible value, and a clear account of the business. Brokers typically charge 8% to 15% of the sale price, often with minimums of $10,000 or more, which makes a sale under $500,000 hard for them to take on.

That preparation is our work. We built this firm for established local businesses worth under $500,000, from breweries to storefronts.

Three steps. One flat fee.

You can stop after the free Value Check. Many owners will.

Step What you receive Cost to you
Step 1 Value Check
  • An opinion-of-value range, based on what comparable businesses have sold for
  • The three things most likely to lower your sale price
  • What to do about each one
 FreeNo obligation to continue
Step 2 Sale Package
  • Your cash flow recast as Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE), with every add-back documented
  • A valuation range from comparable sales
  • The Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) that buyers read
  • A short video of your story as the owner
  • A review of the numbers by a local, independent CPA
 $2,000Flat fee, paid at delivery
Step 3 Hand-off
  • You decide who sees the package: a family member, your employees, a lender for an SBA 7(a) loan, or a business broker
  • We prepare you for that conversation
  • We do not market the business, find buyers, or negotiate
 IncludedNo commission on any sale

The same business, valued two ways.

Many owners run personal costs through the business. That is common, and it hides what the business really earns. Recasting puts those earnings back on paper.

  1. Start with reported profit

    A tax return shows profit after every expense, including personal ones. In this example a Geneva storefront reports $70,000.

  2. Add back personal costs, with proof

    The owner’s truck, phone plan, and health insurance total $40,000. We document each one. The result is SDE of $110,000 a year.

  3. Apply a market multiple

    Buyers price a small business as a multiple of yearly cash flow. BizBuySell’s 2025 average was 2.61 times.

Value Check Illustrative example

Sample storefront, Geneva NY

The free one-page summary every owner receives

Reported net profit $70,000
Documented add-backsVehicle, phone, health plan + $40,000
Adjusted cash flow (SDE) $110,000
Market multipleBizBuySell 2025 average × 2.61
Opinion of value $287,000
Value on reported profit alone
$183,000
Difference from documented add-backs
+ $104,000

Illustrative example only. This is not a certified appraisal. Actual value varies by business and by what buyers are willing to pay.

Where we fit.

We prepare. Others sell. Here is how the options compare for a business worth under $500,000.

Compare Exchange Street Advisors Business broker Online self-listing SBDC or SCORE
What they do Prepares you, your valuation, and your CIM, then hands off Markets the business, finds buyers, negotiates Hosts a listing. You handle buyers. Free advising. You build the documents.
Cost to you Free Value Check. $2,000 flat. No success fee. 8% to 15% at closing, often $10,000 or more at minimum Listing fees Free
Sales under $500,000 Built for them Minimum fees can make them hard to take on Yes Yes
Where Geneva. We meet in person. Regional, often Rochester Online only Regional centers

You can prepare with us and still hire a broker later. You would pay for both, and you would arrive with your numbers already in order.

How your information is protected.

Your financial records are private. These are the rules we work under.

  • An NDA comes first

    We sign a non-disclosure agreement before you share a single document.

  • An attorney reviews our agreements

    Our client agreement and NDA are reviewed and approved by an attorney under New York law.

  • An independent CPA checks the work

    A local CPA checks each Sale Package against your tax returns, the documented add-backs, and our calculations before you see it. It is a review, not an audit.

  • You decide who sees it

    The package is yours. No buyer, lender, or sponsor sees your information without your permission.

  • No commission, no referral fees

    We are paid one flat fee. Our advice does not depend on whether you sell, or to whom.

  • Clear about our limits

    We are not a business broker. Our value estimates are opinions of value, not certified appraisals.

We will not take on a client until the attorney-approved agreement and the CPA reviewers are in place.

Who you will work with.

Exchange Street Advisors is run by two Melly Scholars at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva. We lead every owner meeting ourselves, so you always speak with the people doing your work.

Our rule is simple: listen first, act second.

Arden Jalal

Arden Jalal

Co-founder · Melly Scholar, HWS Class of 2030

Arden started by listening. He interviewed more than 25 small business owners through his hometown Chamber of Commerce and heard that they needed guidance and funding more than networking events. That work became a small-business revitalization proposal at American Legion Boys State, and then this firm. He studies finance at HWS and produces each owner’s story video.

  • Three years at Wegmans, including work in the accounting office
  • Fourth in New York State in SIFMA’s stock market competition, solo against more than 4,500 teams
  • Passed the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam
Vincent Gledhill

Vincent Gledhill

Co-founder · Melly Scholar, HWS Investment Club

Selling a business is personal as well as financial. Vincent’s greatest strength is connecting with people, and he brings consulting experience and a firm grasp of finance to every meeting.

  • Years of experience at his family’s consulting firm, Policy Navigation Group
  • Shadowed a Deloitte tax CPA
  • Member of the HWS Investment Club

Behind us, student analysts from the HWS Investment Club build each model from our templates, and a local, independent CPA reviews every Sale Package before you see it. Our finance training includes technical sessions with leaders in the field. We also train together almost every day for Ironman Lake Placid, and we bring the same discipline to your sale.

For banks and credit unions.

Sponsor the free Value Check and meet local owners years before they sell.

Every Value Check is free to the owner. We are inviting regional banks and credit unions to cover its cost, at cost, as sponsors.

  • Earlier relationships. Meet owners who are planning a transition and, with the owner’s consent, the employees, family members, and local buyers who may need financing.
  • Loan-ready files. A buyer can share the CPA-checked Sale Package with a lender, including for an SBA 7(a) loan.
  • Owner consent, always. A sponsor sees owner information only with the owner’s permission.
  • No exclusivity. Sponsorship carries no exclusive lending rights. The owner chooses the lender.
  • Reviewed terms. An attorney reviews the sponsorship arrangement, including SBA disclosure rules for paid lender referrals.

Discuss sponsorship

Common questions.

How do I know my financial information is safe with a student-run firm?

It is a fair question. Before you share a single document, we sign a non-disclosure agreement reviewed by an attorney. After that we work from set templates, and a local, independent CPA checks each finished package against your tax returns and the documented add-backs.

Are you a business broker?

No. A broker markets your business, finds buyers, and negotiates the deal, usually for 8% to 15% of the sale price. We do the preparation: the financial recast, the valuation range, and the package a buyer or lender will ask for. You pay one flat fee and decide what happens next.

Why is the Value Check free?

We designed it to be paid for by a sponsoring bank or credit union, not by you. A sponsor sees your information only if you give permission, and has no exclusive right to lend to you or to your buyer.

Is the Value Check a certified appraisal?

No. It is an opinion of value: a range based on your adjusted cash flow and on what comparable businesses have sold for. Actual value depends on the business and on what buyers are willing to pay.

When do I pay for the Sale Package?

At delivery. The fee is a flat $2,000. There is no commission, no success fee, and no fee tied to whether you sell.

What if I do not plan to sell for several years?

That is the best time to start. Knowing what your business is worth today, and which three things hold the price down, gives you years to fix them before you sell.

Request your free Value Check.

Find out your adjusted cash flow and what your business might be worth. It costs nothing, and you are not committed to anything further.

  1. We reply to you personally to arrange a first conversation.
  2. We sign an NDA before you share any document.
  3. You receive your one-page Value Check.

Please do not put tax returns, bank statements, or other financial records in this form. After we talk, we will send you a secure way to share documents.