How to Buy a Business on Dealin

Buying a business is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll make. Get it right and you're walking into something with customers, cash flow, and a head start. Get it wrong and you're inheriting someone else's mess. The difference usually comes down to whether you followed a proper process — or skipped the parts that felt slow.

Here's every step, in order.

Step 1 — Search for a Business

Go to Dealin Business for Sale and use the search bar to start looking. Type in keywords that match what you're after — "café", "cleaning", "retail", "franchise", "transport" — and add a location to narrow it down. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide — wherever you're based or willing to operate.

Don't just scroll through everything. The platform lets you filter by industry type, asking price (minimum and maximum), state or suburb, and turnover range. Use them. A $300k listing means something very different depending on the industry and location — filters stop you wasting time on listings that were never going to work for your situation.

Step 2 — Register and Create Your Account

You can browse without an account, but you'll need one to do anything useful — contact sellers, save listings, and track your enquiries. Registration is free. Enter your email, confirm your email and enter your name & contact number.

Please do not forget to complete your profile. Sellers on Dealin get a lot of half-hearted enquiries. A complete profile with a real name and phone number tells them you're serious before you've even said a word — and that gets you faster, more detailed responses.

Step 3 — Click "Enquire Now"

Found a listing worth exploring? Hit the Enquire Now button on the listing page. Your message goes directly to the seller or their agent through Dealin's secure messaging system.

Let's say you're interested, but don't say it. Send a proper first message (introducing yourself by stating that you are a real buyer and asking specific questions like why are they selling? What is their annual turnover? if financials are available? and if they need an NDA for documents to be shared?. If the posting contains sensitive business information, state early in the conversation that you're willing to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before giving the posting any information. This is a common transaction in business sales and a sign of the knowledge that you have ahead of time.

Step 4 — Meet the Seller In Person

When the seller replies, make a showing appointment during his/hers hours for trading. Walk-in as a customer would. Watch the foot traffic. Check the actual condition of the equipment, not just the photos. See how the staff operate when the owner's around. You're not just verifying the listing — you're getting a feel for whether this business actually works the way the seller says it does. Hold off on sharing any financial or personal details until due diligence is complete.

Step 5 — Conduct Due Diligence

This is the most crucial. Slow down, do not cut out sections, and don't hurry or force anyone to go through it faster than they feel they should.

Ask to obtain financial records for at least the last 3 years; profit and loss statements, tax returns and BAS statements. Read the lease carefully, particularly the length of its term and the conditions of renewal. Review all supplier and customer contracts, staff details and entitlements, all relevant licences and permits. Be on the lookout for anything unusual: One customer who's responsible for a large percentage of your sales, equipment that's due for replacement sooner than the seller indicated, or a lease that's coming to an end sooner than the seller has mentioned.

Ask questions about anything that doesn't make sense. If it is a straight question, a seller with nothing to hide will have no problem with it.

Step 6 — Get Professional Advice

Before you sign a single thing, get the right people involved.

A business accountant to independently review the financials and tell you whether the asking price actually reflects the value of the business. A commercial solicitor to review or prepare the sale contract and handle the legal side of the transaction. If you're borrowing to fund the purchase, a finance broker can help you structure the loan correctly. These aren't optional — they're what protect you when things get complicated.

Step 7 — Make an Offer

Happy with what due diligence turned up? Submit a formal offer — typically through a Letter of Intent (LOI) that sets out your proposed price and key terms. It's not the final contract, but it gets both parties aligned before the solicitors take over.

The seller will accept, counter, or decline. Negotiate from the facts — what the financials show, what the lease looks like, what the market says a business like this is worth.

Step 8 — Sign the Business Sale Agreement

Once the offer is accepted, your solicitor prepares or reviews the Business Sale Agreement. This is the binding contract. It will cover the final sale price, the settlement date, exactly what's included in the sale, and the terms of any handover or training period the seller has agreed to provide.

Read it properly. Ask questions. Don't sign under time pressure.

Step 9 — Settlement and Handover

Funds are moved on the date of the settlement and the title of the property is transferred. Quickly do the work of updating the ABN and business registrations, transferring the lease and utilities to your name and informing suppliers, customers and staff of the change of ownership from here.

Attend every handover session the seller agreed to. The outgoing owner knows things about that business that aren't written down anywhere — supplier quirks, seasonal patterns, which customers need a personal touch. That knowledge transfers in conversation, not in documents. Don't waste it.

Key Things to Remember

• Always check for a Verified Seller badge on Dealin listings before proceeding
• Keep all communication on the Dealin messaging system — it creates a record of everything
• Do not pay any deposit or enter into a contract without independent legal advice.
• When you feel like you're getting a deal that's too good to be true, do more diligence, not less!
• Take your time — this is a major financial decision and there's no prize for moving fast

Ready to find your next business? Browse hundreds of listings across Australia at Dealin — filter by industry, location, and budget to find the right fit.