REAL PEOPLE. REAL BUSINESSES. REAL TRANSITIONS. BUYING OR SELLING.
You built the business.
We help you in what comes next.
Paulson Exchange helps small and mid-sized business owners understand what their business is worth, prepare for a transition, and find the right next owner.
Whether you’re ready to sell now, thinking a few years ahead, or just wondering what your options are, we can help you figure out the next step.
Kris Fuehr, Founder/Agent
WA & ID
Josh Allison, Partner/Agent
WA & ID
“What is my business worth?”
You don’t have to be ready to sell to start understanding what you’ve built. Our Real-World Value Estimate looks at your business the way a potential buyer is likely to look at it — including financial performance, acceptable adjustments, opportunities to improve earnings, and the market multiples buyers typically apply. It’s not a thick, formal appraisal but a practical estimate designed to help you understand what a real buyer may be willing to pay. If you’re in the Inland Northwest and belong to a local Chamber of Commerce, get your complimentary Real-World Value Estimate →
Selling a business is more than finding a buyer.
For most business owners, selling is something they’ll do once. We do it all the time.
Understand the value. We start by looking at the business, its financial performance, and what a buyer is actually purchasing.
Prepare for the market. Small changes can sometimes make a big difference. We help identify issues, opportunities, and information that should be addressed before buyers start asking questions.
Find the right next owner. We help identify and work with buyers who have the ability, financing, and fit to carry the business forward.
Get the deal across the finish line. Offers are only the beginning. We help navigate negotiations, financing, due diligence, attorneys, accountants, lenders, and the inevitable issues that come up along the way. [Learn About Selling Your Business →]
A business isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. It may be decades of work, employees who depend on it, customers you’ve known for years, and a reputation you worked hard to build.
We understand that. In Dec 2024, Kris purchased a slumping Plato’s Closet in Spokane Valley, WA and relocated, revamped and re-hired to a healthy business hitting 20% above goals and a lot of growing pains in the process. Our job is to help you make a good transition — financially, practically, and personally — without making the process more complicated than it needs to be. You’ll get straightforward answers, honest feedback, and someone to tell you when something doesn’t make sense. No glitz. No pressure. No drama.
Just experienced help getting from where you are now to whatever comes next.
Our first tip: Keep your business sale under wraps and only reveal your intentions to sell to the right people with the right context. We treat your sale as confidential.
The best time to start thinking about a transition is often before you need one. Selling might be years away, but there may be things you can do now to make the business easier to operate, easier to transfer, and ultimately more valuable. You don’t need a complete exit plan before you call us. And even if you do need to sell right away, we can help. Sometimes a conversation is enough to get started. Let’s talk.
Looking to buy a business?
Buying an existing business can be a very different path to entrepreneurship than starting one from scratch. Take a peek at our “Start or Buy?” eBook. Paulson Exchange works with buyers to clarify what they’re looking for, evaluate opportunities, understand the numbers, navigate financing and due diligence, and move toward a successful acquisition. Whether you already have a business in mind or you’re still figuring out what would be a good fit, we can help.
Our first tip: Plan on securing 10% down. You can secure financing for the remainder, using the business's profits to manage payments.
[Explore Buying a Business →] or take our [Buying-a-Biz Quiz]
Sit down and chat with us: Coffee Tours
We’d like to get to know you! We host informal conversations, workshops and educational events for people who own businesses, want to buy businesses, or simply want to better understand how business ownership and transitions work.
Come ask questions. Meet other business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn something useful. Think of it like Office Hours for business.
Spotting business opportunities
Essential buying considerations
Evaluating and valuing businesses
Due diligence process
Financing options and SBA tips
Negotiation and closing deals
Transition and training for new ownership
Why Paulson Exchange?
We believe good business transitions happen when people have good information, realistic expectations, and enough time to make thoughtful decisions.
Paulson Exchange works with privately held businesses throughout Washington and Idaho, helping owners and buyers navigate the financial and human sides of changing ownership. We’re local. We’re accessible. And we believe in telling people what we really think — even when the answer isn’t the one they expected. You don’t need to know whether you’re ready to sell. You don’t need perfect financials. And you don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out. Start with the question that’s on your mind.
More resources for entrepreneurs:
Audio Podcast: My Business is Driving Me Nuts!
eBOOK: Start or Buy? Buying a Profitable, Established Business
Freshen up a Ripe Biz: Flipping a Business eBook
Audio Podcast: “My Business is Driving Me Nuts!”
Whether you're an accidental entrepreneur or a pro at your business, you may find your company missing goals, consuming too much of your time, or operating rudderless. This series applies concepts from top thought leaders from eMyth* to Traction*, and cuts to the real work that will improve your business life and create a legacy that survives you.
Start or Buy? A guide for investors, entrepreneurs, and first-time buyers. Download this book for a perspective on whether starting your own business or buying an established, ongoing business is a good fit for you. Find how to search for the right fit, finance the business, and conduct due-diligence. See examples, templates, and step-by-step guidance to buying a profitable business that is an ongoing concern.
Freshen the Ripe: Flipping a Tired Business. Find a fixer-upper in an area of your strength and increase its value. Old businesses are a great opportunity to add technology, sales & marketing, improve operations, or bring in skilled people.
Learn from experts on how they’ve serialized business acquisitions through absentee ownership. A self-sustaining business can be attainable if you set it up correctly or convert an existing business to an independent state.
Industries we work with most:
Manufacturing
If you own a manufacturing business, you have a high-value business to sell due to its asset-base and equipment with inherent value. Whether you manufacture food or equipment, together, we have a good chance of finding a buyer quickly.
Niche
The more specialized and interesting the business, the better! Bring your unique businesses, we love them!
Industrial
Construction, repair, maintenance, infrastructure businesses that are the backbone of our economy. We have many investors and entrepreneurs looking for your line of business, particularly where services and contracts are in place.
Coffee Shops/Drive-Throughs
There is a lot of interest in buying coffee shops and drive-through businesses.
Services
Services have special considerations when selling. Ownership, intellectual property, documented processes, and customer contracts are all considerations when selling a services-based business.
“Entrepreneurship is not just risk taking. It's a vision followed by project-by-project management and a series of daily decisions.“
“When all is said and done, a business is a living legacy that may never have an end.” -KF