Become a Business Broker.
Most US states require no licence to broker a business sale. We provide the training, the marketplace, buyer access, and the deal tools. You source opportunities and earn when deals close.
No upfront cost · Remote · Refer your first deal in your first week
52%
of US business owners are 55 or older — about 3 million firms
6M
US businesses will change hands by 2035, worth $5 trillion
92%
of small-business exits are closures — only 5% are sales
20%
of business sales use a broker. The other 80% has no advisor
US Census Bureau, 2022 Annual Business Survey · McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, 2026 · Marketdata LLC, 2024
Choose your level
From first referral to full advisory practice.
Deal Referrer
Introduce a seller — our deal team runs the transaction, you earn when it closes.
- Introduce a seller — we handle the rest
- Share in our fee at close — terms agreed in writing upfront
- No prior M&A experience required
Business Broker
Train with us and source deals under Napkin's infrastructure. Application only — we take people through it personally.
- Hands-on M&A training, run by our deal team
- Deal tracking, NDA automation, and data rooms
- Introductions to buyers active on the platform
- No upfront cost — you earn on closed transactions
Senior Advisor
Already running your own mandates? List them on Napkin and keep your own process.
- Your listings, your client, your process
- Free partner portal — no listing fee, no subscription
- NDA-gated buyer inquiries routed to your firm
- Regulated transactions routed through licensed channels
The best business brokers come from everywhere.
You need access to business owners — we'll give you everything else.
Accountants & CPAs
When clients are ready to sell, you're the first call.
Lawyers & Legal Advisors
You already advise on transactions — add deal sourcing to the practice.
Real Estate Agents
Same skill set — valuation, negotiation, qualification. Bigger commissions.
Operators & Founders
You've built and sold businesses. That experience is your credential.
Networkers & Consultants
Knowing owners considering a sale is the most valuable asset in M&A.
Finance Professionals
Analysts, bankers, PE associates — a market that needs your skills.
Everything you need to close deals.
Training
Sourcing, valuation, buyer engagement and closing — taught by the people who run our deals.
A market to work
20,000+ live listings from 500+ sources, plus tools to source your own.
Buyer access
Strategic buyers, PE, family offices, search funds — all NDA-gated.
Legal Structure
Napkin's advisory infrastructure; regulated transactions via licensed partners.
Brand & materials
Work under the Napkin name with professional materials behind you.
Platform & Tools
Deal tracking, NDA automation, data rooms, structured LOIs, analytics.
One deal can change your year.
You earn a share of Napkin’s success fee on deals you source — agreed in writing before you start work.
Small Deals
$1M–$5M transaction
Fee scales with deal size
Mid-Market
$5M–$20M transaction
Where most of our volume sits
Large Deals
$20M+ transaction
Senior coordination, larger fee
Paid when the transaction closes. No upfront cost, no exclusivity. See the fee schedule the share is calculated from.
6 territories worldwide.
North America
SaaS, Services, Healthcare, and Financial verticals across the US and Canada.
UK & Europe
Cross-border deal flow spanning the UK, Western Europe, and emerging markets.
Asia-Pacific
High-growth opportunities across Australia, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
LATAM & Middle East
Expanding partner coverage in Latin America and the Middle East region.
Global Transactions ($100M+)
Large-scale transactions that span multiple geographies and require senior coordination.
Specialty Verticals
Real Estate, Energy, and Telecom — niche sectors with dedicated deal teams.
Backed by 21 human advisors.
Our advisory board includes professionals from Canaccord Genuity, RBC, Microsoft, and leading family offices. When you join Napkin, you're not alone — you're backed by institutional-grade expertise.
Tell us where you’re starting from
We take people through this program personally, in small numbers — so it starts with an application and a conversation, not a signup form.
Already running your own mandates? List them on Napkin instead.
Business brokerage ≠ securities brokerage
Business brokerage involves facilitating the sale of operating businesses and business assets. In roughly two-thirds of US states this requires no licensing whatsoever; in the rest, a real estate license is typically sufficient. Requirements change — check your own state before you start. Business brokerage is not the same as securities brokerage (broker-dealer activity regulated by FINRA/SEC).
Napkin's program focuses on asset-level business sales — not securities transactions. Our Deal Referrers make introductions. Our Business Brokers source and coordinate deals under Napkin's advisory infrastructure. All advisory and transaction activity is conducted through Napkin Inc. (Canada) and NPKNSPV1 Inc. (USA).
For regulated transactions — including any deal involving securities, equity placements, or capital raises — Napkin engages licensed partners through separately designated compliant channels.
Referral and brokerage fees are paid as consulting fees for sourcing and coordination services, not as securities commissions. This program does not constitute a broker-dealer arrangement. Participants do not handle client funds or facilitate securities transactions. Learn more: Business Broker Licensing by State