Joining Finn Due Diligence

Finn Online Induction Training, designed to get you grounded with the Finn business systems.
All Face-to-face Training Days with Len, Steve, and our Expert Business Brokers.
These are where you can develop and hone your skills as a business broker.
All Live Webinar Training Events with Len, Steve, and our Expert Business Brokers.
Finn’s comprehensive online Business Broker Course. Arguably one of the most advanced training courses business brokers can undertake.
Finn’s online Valuations Course, vital to understanding how to value a business accurately.
Finn’s online Business Buying Course.
First Year Guidance and mentoring - One-on-one with Len, Steve or our experienced and Expert Business Brokers.

To assist you in becoming successful as a Business Broker.
To prevent you from wasting your time and money in your new venture.
To save you and point you in the right direction when you make a mistake.
To help you get that valuation right, so you don’t over price businesses.
To show you how to present yourself to a client so they say "Yes".
To guide you on what fees to charge so you are well paid, but you don't miss getting the new business listed.
To help you manage the situation when a buyer wants to make a low-ball offer.
To show you which clients to say "no" to.
To support you while you're learning new skills.
To train you to keep improving your skills to become an expert Business Broker.
To show you how to grow your business to meet your goals.
To help you sell that property along with the business when they come together.
To show you how to work in with other agents and share commissions.
To introduce you to our network of migration agents and fellow Finn Business Brokers.
To run the entire back end of your business infrastructure so you can focus on clients only and maximising your income from completing deals.
To assist you with lease transfers and other areas of business sales transactions that are a bit more complex.
To show you how your buyer can get finance.
...and to assist you make this new business venture work for you.

Steve, Len, and our team of expert business brokers have personally been involved in the sale of hundreds of businesses. The experience they bring to your training and support will help you accelerate your career as a business broker and fast-track your income growth. Everyone needs guidance and support when starting an entirely new career and when you are responsible for helping your clients with such a large financial transaction that can be worth hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars. Having experts in your corner, really is a must have support requirement.

To operate as a business broker you need to be issued a licence by the Government of the State or Territory you are operating in.
In most cases the licence is the same that is issued to Real Estate Agents. Yes - technically you will be able to sell property as well if you like!

Here's how it works...

Step 1:
Complete the relevant Real Estate Course with an RTO (Registered Training Organisation). Normally about $2k-$3k, takes about 40-50 hrs online

Step 2:

Apply for the licence in your State or Territory, and with your application submit your Certificate of Completion for the above course. Takes a few weeks to process

Step 3:

Pay the annual Government fee. Normally about $1k

How long does the licence go for?

It's a rolling year x year agreement. After the first year, either party can end the agreement with 3-mths notice. If you change your mind within the first year you need to at least make your payments until the end of the 12 mth period.

Why the 3-mths notice?

This is designed so that after the first year, neither party is locked in long term. If you decide one day you want to operate without the use of the Finn brand etc, then you are able to do so quite easily. From our perspective, we hope you stay long-term and are very successful as our business model is built primarily around our licensee income.

When do I start paying regular fees?

As soon as you commence your training and set-up. We help you look for new clients at the same time, so you can start earning income ASAP.

Do I need to have my own company?

No, you can operate as a Company, Sole Trader, or Partnership. Maybe ask your accountant.

Who does the advertising to find buyers when I get a new listing?

We've made this very easy. This is handled by a separate marketing company (affiliated with us) that specialises in generating buyer leads when a business is for sale. The vendor can choose the level of marketing they wish to do (much the same as when selling a house), and they pay the marketing company directly. In short -it's all done for you, there is no cost to you, and all the buyer leads will come directly to your inbox. You can then receive 30% of what the vendor pays to assist in the administration of their marketing for listings that you have signed up yourself if you choose to take on some of the admin duties involved.

What happens with a business that is over $2m?

These are typically more complex transactions. Usually these are a corporate business transaction that involves high-level valuation methods, tax and asset deal structuring, and due diligence with more legal implications. Also the marketing campaigns to find the right prospective purchasers is very unique. These clients are to be looked after by our Finn M&A people. These are licensees also, but they operate only in the $2m+ categories. We have a handful of these guys around Australia.

Your licence with Finn is for all business sales that are below $2m, as these are usually regular family-owned businesses in the SME market that change hands at a high volume of transactions. These make up more than 90% of the marketplace. If an M&A enquiry comes across your desk, the protocol is to refer that onto one of the M&A team. Depending on your level of expertise in that particular industry, they might ask you to collaborate with them and share in any commissions. Otherwise it's just a simple passing on of the enquirers details. In turn, they will usually reciprocate when a SME enquiry comes to them. They don't normally do these deals so they would pass them on. To keep things clear and transparent, we have an M&A Fee Sharing Policy in place that shows how the fees are split depending on the work involved.

Are there any restrictions on what fees I can charge my clients?

No, you can charge whatever you like.

Essentially, what does the licence cover?

It's important to know that this is not a franchise. You can operate your business however you choose. You are choosing to operate a business brokerage and advisory business, and use the Finn Business Sales name to give you immediate credibility in the marketplace. You also have an immediate suite of documents, guides, and marketing materials at your disposal from day one, and you are part of a larger team rather than being on your own. This means you can avoid a lot of the trial and error, and it helps clients to trust you in helping them sell or buy a business.