For people buying a small business
Before you buy, check the profits are real.
Send us the seller's P&L, tax returns and bank statements. You get an earnings readout: whether revenue shows up in the bank, which add-backs hold up, what the owner really takes out, and the questions to ask before you sign.
Not a valuation. We never put a price on your deal.
What's in the readout
Everything is tied back to the seller's own documents. Click a number and you see the page it came from.
Revenue vs bank deposits
Month by month, does reported revenue actually arrive in the bank? Gaps, transfers and owner deposits are called out. This is the proof of cash lenders and QoE providers start with.
Add-backs, rated
Each add-back the seller claims is rated solid, shaky or unsupported, with the evidence that would change the rating.
Owner costs and one-offs
What the owner pays himself, runs through the business, and calls "one-time". Plus the costs you'll have that he doesn't, like a manager or a repair tech.
P&L vs tax return
Where the seller's P&L and the filed returns disagree, and by how much.
Questions for the seller
A list of specific questions and document requests, ready to send to the seller or broker.
What an SBA lender will check
The points a 7(a) lender is likely to test under the current SBA rules, so you find them first.
A readout, not a valuation
No price or value
We never tell you what a business is worth or whether the asking price is fair. We check the earnings, and you and your advisers decide the price.
Not for lending decisions
A readout isn't a Quality of Earnings report, an audit or an appraisal, and lenders shouldn't rely on it. It helps you get ready for theirs.
Documents stay private
The seller's documents are used only for your readout. We don't share them with brokers or lenders, and we'll delete them when you ask.
How it works
- Send the documentsP&Ls, two or three years of tax returns, and 12 to 36 months of bank statements. PDFs and scans are fine.
- We read every pageRevenue, expenses, deposits and add-backs are pulled out and matched across documents.
- You get the readoutMarked as an unreviewed draft, with every number linked to its source page so you can check it yourself.
- Optional human reviewWhere available, a finance professional reviews the readout and your questions. The readout says whether a person has reviewed it.
Who it's for
First-time buyers
You've found a business and the broker's numbers look good. Find out whether they hold up before you spend money on lawyers and lenders.
Search funders
Screen more deals faster. Kill the ones with soft earnings at the LOI stage instead of in a paid QoE.
Business brokers
Catch the add-backs a buyer's lender will reject before the listing goes out, so deals don't die in underwriting.
Get started
Tell us about the deal. We'll reply with a secure upload link for the documents and the pricing. Nothing is uploaded through this form.
- We reply by email, usually within two business days.
- Pricing is shared before you send any documents.
- Readouts are AI drafts unless we tell you a person has reviewed yours.
Want to learn first? Start with how to buy a business or the free SDE calculator.
Guides for buyers
Plain-English guides written from the buyer's side of the table.
- How to buy a businessThe whole process, from first look to the first 90 days.
- Seller's discretionary earnings (SDE)What it is, how to calculate it, and where sellers stretch it.
- Add-backsWhich ones hold up and which ones a lender will throw out.
- Proof of cashMatching bank deposits to reported revenue.
- SBA 7(a) loans to buy a businessThe October 2026 rules from a buyer's point of view.
- How to buy a laundromatTesting revenue against the water bills.
Frequently asked questions
Does OKtoBuy tell me what the business is worth?
No, and it never will. OKtoBuy checks the earnings a price would be based on. It doesn't give a value, a price range or an opinion on whether the asking price is fair. If you're using an SBA loan, the lender gets its own valuation.
Is a readout the same as a Quality of Earnings report?
No. A Quality of Earnings report is a formal engagement by an independent financial professional, and for SBA deals with a purchase price of $3 million or more the lender must order one. The readout is a buyer's working tool to find problems early and know what to ask. It doesn't replace a QoE, an audit, a lender's review or your CPA.
Who reviews the readout?
The AI readout is marked as an unreviewed draft, and every number links to the page of the document it came from so you can check it. Where available, you can add an optional human review by a finance professional. Every readout says plainly whether a person has reviewed it.
How much does it cost?
Pricing is shared before you send any documents.
What happens to the seller's documents?
They're used only to prepare your readout. We don't sell them, share them with lenders or brokers, or use them to value the business. You can ask us to delete them at any time. See our privacy page for details.