Build · Buy · Own
Know what a business is worth. And whether the deal works.
Bootstrapper.com is an independent toolkit and field guide for people buying, financing and owning profitable small businesses. Real math, plain English, no hype.
- Free, no signup
- Shareable results
- Open, tested formulas
- Independent
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Open the full Deal AnalyzerAssumes a $90k replacement salary, $20k capex, 10% seller note at 6%/5 yrs, 10-yr senior loan, 1.25x target. Illustrative.
Start with your job
Five jobs between “I want to buy a business” and owning one.
Pick where you are. Each job has its own tools and guides, in the order you will need them.
Value a business
What is it worth?
- Business Valuation
- SaaS Valuation
Finance a deal
Can the deal carry the debt?
- Deal Analyzer
- SBA Loan Payment
Find & evaluate
Is this the right business?
- Business Affordability
- Acquisition Quality Score
Run the deal
From LOI to closing.
- Due Diligence Checklist
- Deal Analyzer
Own & grow
Run it, grow it, or sell it.
- Break-Even
- Business Valuation
The Deal Toolkit
Underwrite it before you fall in love with it.
Calculators with charts, plain-language verdicts and links you can share with a partner, lender or advisor. See all 10 tools
Deal Analyzer
Valuation, financing and DSCR in one view: can this business carry this deal?
Open tool →Business Valuation Calculator
Estimate a low, base and high value from SDE or EBITDA.
Open tool →NEWSBA Loan Payment Calculator
Monthly payment, amortization and the largest loan your cash flow supports.
Open tool →Acquisition Financing Calculator
Senior debt plus seller note: DSCR and post-debt cash flow.
Open tool →Seller Financing Calculator
Seller-note payments, balloon and total interest, charted.
Open tool →Business Affordability Calculator
What purchase price your cash can support.
Open tool →SaaS Valuation Calculator
An indicative ARR multiple from growth, margin, churn and concentration.
Open tool →Acquisition Quality Score
Score a target across six risk dimensions out of 100.
Open tool →Free resources
Templates and references you will actually reuse.
Free to use and link to. No email required.
Letter of intent template
An editable LOI with clause-by-clause drafting notes. Have your lawyer adapt it.
Get the template → Interactive · saves progressDue diligence checklist
50 checks in eight areas. Tick, print or export as you go.
Open the checklist → ExplainerValuation multiples, explained
SDE vs EBITDA vs ARR multiples, how to convert between them and the traps to avoid.
Read the explainer →Start here
The core guides
Long-form, specific and updated. Each links to the tools that do the math.
How to Buy a Small Business: Step by Step
How to buy a small business, step by step: set criteria, find deals, screen and value, make an LOI, arrange financing, run due diligence and close.
Read the guide →Value a business · 9 min readBusiness Valuation: How to Value a Small Business
Business valuation for small businesses: SDE vs EBITDA, how multiples work, normalizing earnings and how to build a defensible value range.
Read the guide →Finance a deal · 8 min readBusiness Acquisition Financing: How to Pay for a Business
Business acquisition financing explained: buyer equity, SBA 7(a) loans, bank debt, seller notes, earnouts and investors, and how much debt a deal carries.
Read the guide →Finance a deal · 8 min readSeller Financing: How Seller Notes Work When Buying a Business
How seller financing works when buying or selling a business: seller note terms, interest, balloons, standby, security, and pros and cons for both sides.
Read the guide →Run the deal · 8 min readHow to Write a Letter of Intent to Buy a Business (with Template)
How to write a letter of intent (LOI) to buy a business: what to include, binding vs non-binding terms, key clauses explained, and a free editable LOI.
Read the guide →Run the deal · 8 min readBusiness Due Diligence Checklist (for Buyers)
A practical due diligence checklist for buying a small business: financial, tax, legal, customers, operations, employees, technology and transition items.
Read the guide →How we work
Numbers you can check. Words you can trust.
Read our editorial standards
01 / no invented data
We don’t make up numbers.
No made-up statistics, testimonials or “industry averages”. Where sourced data belongs but isn’t ready, we say so and leave a placeholder.
02 / show the math
Every formula is visible.
Each tool explains how it calculates, and the math is covered by automated tests. If we get something wrong, we fix it and note it.
03 / independent
Education first.
We are not a lender, broker or marketplace. Any future partner relationships will be clearly labelled and kept separate from editorial content.
The Bootstrapper Brief
One deal, taken apart, every week.
- A real-world deal structure walked through with the Deal Toolkit
- A template, checklist or calculator you can use the same day
- Plain-English notes on valuation, financing and diligence. No hype, no paid placements.
Educational content, not advice. Bootstrapper.com publishes general information for education. It is not legal, tax, accounting, lending or investment advice and does not consider your circumstances. Calculator outputs are illustrative estimates. Rules, rates and programs change; confirm details with qualified professionals before making decisions.