Business acquisitions · Toronto & the GTA
Business for sale in Toronto.
Buying an established GTA business, profitable, staffed and already trading. Search on and off market, underwrite the earnings honestly, structure the deal, arrange the financing and close with the lease and the property side handled properly.
How buying works
From shortlist to keys in hand.
01
Decide what you're actually buying
Cash flow for an owner-operator, a bolt-on for an existing company, or an asset you can systemise and step back from. Budget, industry experience and the level of involvement you want narrow the field faster than browsing listings does.
02
Search listed and unlisted
Public inventory across the GTA plus quiet outreach to owners approaching retirement who have never listed. Many of the best Toronto businesses change hands before they are ever advertised.
03
Read the numbers, not the story
Normalised seller's discretionary earnings and EBITDA, add-backs tested one by one, customer concentration, staff dependency, supplier terms and how much of the profit walks out the door with the owner.
04
Value it and structure the offer
Most small GTA businesses trade between two and four times discretionary earnings; larger, systemised companies at a multiple of EBITDA. Price is only half of it, earn-outs, vendor take-back notes, transition periods and working-capital adjustments decide your real risk.
05
Finance it
Bank and BDC lending, the Canada Small Business Financing Program for equipment and leaseholds, and vendor financing. Lenders need clean statements and a defensible valuation, which is why preparation happens before the offer, not after.
06
Diligence, lease and close
Financial and legal diligence, employee and supplier contracts, licensing, and assignment or renewal of the premises lease. A great business in a lease you cannot keep is not a great business.
Sectors
Businesses that change hands here.
- Manufacturing & fabrication
- Distribution & wholesale
- Construction & trades
- Transportation & logistics
- Restaurants & hospitality
- Retail & e-commerce
- Auto service & collision
- Medical, dental & veterinary clinics
- Cleaning & facility services
- Landscaping & property maintenance
- Professional & B2B services
- Childcare, tutoring & training
Covering Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa, Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Newmarket.
Why work with a broker
Buying blind is expensive.
Buy revenue, not a hope
An established business comes with customers, staff, systems and a track record a lender will underwrite. Most start-ups spend years reaching the cash flow an acquisition delivers in month one.
The real-estate angle
Many GTA business sales come with a building or a critical lease. Being a commercial broker as well as a business intermediary means the property side is valued and negotiated properly rather than treated as paperwork.
Confidentiality both ways
Sellers require it, and buyers benefit from it. Enquiries are screened, information is released in stages under NDA, and nothing is shared with a seller's staff, customers or competitors.
One broker, whole file
Search, valuation, offer, financing coordination and closing handled by the same person, working alongside your accountant and lawyer.
Questions
Buying a GTA business, answered.
+How much does it cost to buy a business in Toronto?
Small owner-operated service businesses in the GTA commonly sell between $150,000 and $500,000, established trades, clinics and distribution companies between $500,000 and $3 million, and manufacturers or multi-location operators well beyond that. Buyers typically need 20% to 35% of the price as their own equity, with the balance funded through bank, BDC or vendor financing.
+How are businesses valued in the GTA?
Smaller businesses are valued on a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings, profit before the owner's salary, interest, tax, depreciation and one-off costs, usually two to four times. Larger companies with management in place are valued on a multiple of EBITDA. Recurring revenue, customer diversity, transferable systems and a secure lease push the multiple up; owner dependence pushes it down.
+Do I need experience in the industry?
For licensed trades and regulated clinics, yes, often as a condition of the licence or the franchisor. For most other businesses, lenders and sellers care more about your management ability, your capital and a credible transition plan with the outgoing owner.
+How long does buying a business take?
From serious search to closing, four to nine months is normal: several weeks to shortlist, two to four weeks for an accepted offer, thirty to sixty days of due diligence and financing, then closing and a training period. Franchise and licensed transfers add approval time.
+Should I buy the shares or the assets?
Buyers usually prefer an asset purchase because it leaves historical liabilities behind and resets depreciation; sellers usually prefer a share sale for the lifetime capital gains exemption. It is a tax decision as much as a legal one, so your accountant should weigh in before the offer is drafted, not after.
+Who pays your fee?
On most transactions the fee is paid by the seller at closing. Any buy-side search or advisory engagement paid by a buyer is quoted and agreed in writing before work starts.
Selling instead? See sell a business in Toronto. Looking at franchises? See Franchise Toronto. Need the building too? See commercial property for sale in Toronto.
Let's talk about your next deal
Tell me what you are buying, selling or leasing. You will get real comparables, a defensible value range and a clear next step, at no cost and with nothing owed either way.
Get in touch
Tell me what you want to buy.
Industry, budget, whether you'll run it yourself, and your timeline. I'll come back with what's realistically available, listed and off market.
Meshesha Robel
Real Estate Broker
Sutton Group - Admiral Realty Inc., Brokerage