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MicroM&A
Sell

Selling a business in Ontario

Sell your business to a buyer who has been checked.

MicroM&A is an Ontario marketplace for owner-operated businesses. List anonymously, show buyers numbers backed by your own statements, and pay nothing unless the business sells.

List your business freeHow it works

The auction sets the price. Choose a starting bid you would be comfortable taking, and ask your accountant or a Chartered Business Valuator if you want an opinion of value.

How a sale works here

  1. List it without your name on it

    The listing shows the region, the industry and the figures. Your name, address and trading name stay hidden until a buyer has signed a confidentiality agreement, so staff, customers and competitors do not learn the business is for sale from a listing.

  2. Back the numbers with your statements

    Upload the financial statements and tax returns the figures come from, now or once a buyer is interested: they are needed before buyers get the confidential package, not to go live. The listing shows which figures are supported, so buyers can bid on numbers they trust.

  3. Let verified buyers compete in public

    Every buyer is verified before they can contact you, and proves their funds before they can bid. When enough buyers are ready, you open bidding, and ten days of public bidding decide the price. You set the starting bid, the bid step and, if you want one, a reserve nobody sees.

  4. Sold at the close, then to your own lawyer

    You and every bidder sign the Agreement of Purchase and Sale in advance, complete except for the price. When bidding closes, the winning bid is written in and it is binding. Your solicitor gets a file with the Ontario closing checklist already built.

What an Ontario sale has to cover

An asset sale of a small business in Ontario usually involves the items below. The deal room tracks each one for both sides; your lawyer and accountant decide how each applies to your sale.

  • The GST/HST section 167 election, where the sale qualifies
  • The allocation of the price across equipment, goodwill and inventory
  • Your landlord's consent to assign the lease
  • Retail sales tax and WSIB clearance certificates
  • Employees who transfer, under the Employment Standards Act
  • Licences, permits and contracts that need consent to change hands

Questions owners ask

Is MicroM&A a business broker?
No. MicroM&A acts as auctioneer: it runs a public auction on terms you set, records the bids and declares the highest. It does not represent either side, negotiate for you or advise on price. You keep your own lawyer and accountant.
What does it cost to sell a business here?
Listing is free, with no time limit. If the business sells, the seller pays a 2% platform fee on the winning bid, through their own solicitor on completion. If it does not sell, you pay nothing. A main-street broker typically charges eight to twelve percent.
Will my employees or customers find out?
Not from the listing. It names the region and industry, never the business, until a verified buyer signs your confidentiality agreement.
What size of business is this for?
Owner-operated businesses anywhere in Ontario, from a single shop run by its owner to a company with staff and more than one location.
Can I sell the building as well?
Yes. If the business owns the land and buildings it runs from, they can be sold with it, in one auction and one agreement.
Do I need a lawyer?
Yes, and so does the buyer. The platform prepares the documents and tracks the closing checklist, but the sale closes between your solicitors.
List your business freeMore questions