You already know who’s thinking about selling.
Introduce them to a deal team that runs the process properly — and share in the fee when it closes. Nobody gets contacted until you tell us to.
No license required for introductions · No upfront cost · Fees paid on closed deals
20,000+
Live listings
$50B+
Listed deal value
500+
Deal sources
Your client list is this list
52%
of US business owners are 55 or older
74%
plan to sell or transfer the business
53%
have no written transition plan
92%
of exits end in closure, not a sale
The businesses that did sell last year traded $7.95 billion between them — and roughly $5 trillion more is due to change hands by 2035.
US Census Bureau, 2022 Annual Business Survey · Gallup, 2025 · Exit Planning Institute, 2023 · McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, 2026 · BizBuySell 2025 Insight Report
Three steps to a referral fee
Introduce the deal
Know an owner considering a sale or recapitalization? Send us the basics below.
We run the process
Valuation, buyers, NDAs, close — our deal team runs it. You stay as involved as you like.
You earn when it closes
You share in our success fee — agreed in writing before we approach the owner, paid at close.
You usually see it before they say it
Owners mention it in passing, months before they do anything.
- An unsolicited approach from a competitor or a buyer
- A partner buyout, a divorce, or estate planning coming up
- A second year of “I'm tired of this”
- A key employee leaving, or a succession conversation with no successor
- Their kids clearly aren't taking it over
- They're 55+ and have no written exit plan
And it doesn’t need to be a big one. The median US small business sold last year went for $350,000, on about $703,000 of revenue — and the useful window is a year or two out, so the early, casual mention is the one worth passing on.
You’re handing us someone who trusts you
That’s the part worth protecting, so it’s the part we’ve built rules around.
We don't sell what you sell
Napkin runs M&A and nothing else — no tax, audit, legal or consulting work. There is nothing of yours for us to take.
Your client stays your client
We won't go around you, and we won't pitch them anything beyond the transaction you introduced.
Nobody gets approached until you say so
No contact until you tell us to go ahead — and you choose whether we mention you or keep you out of it.
Their listing stays anonymous
No company name, website or contact details on the listing, and no buyer messages before the NDA. The platform enforces both.
And you can see exactly who’ll be running it — meet the deal team.
Why there’s no flat rate on this page
Because it isn’t a flat rate. Your fee is a share of the success fee we earn on the sale — it moves with deal size and involvement. That success fee is published in full on our pricing page, so you can size the pool your share comes from before you ever speak to us.
For example
A $4 million sale sits in our 10% band — roughly $400,000 in fees. Your share is agreed out of that, never out of your client’s proceeds on top.
Agreed in writing
Before we contact anyone — not settled afterwards.
Paid at close
When the transaction completes and we’re paid.
Nothing if it doesn’t
No close, no fee, and no cost to you either way.
Tell us about the deal
Takes about a minute. Someone on the deal team reads every referral and comes back to you directly.
The questions people actually ask
Will I lose the client?
No — we run M&A and nothing else, so your tax, legal, advisory or planning work isn't something we're able to take. The client comes back to you after the sale.
Does my client have to know I'm being paid?
Your professional rules govern that, not us. CPAs providing attest services can't take a referral fee at all under AICPA rules; most other advisers can, but must disclose it in writing at the time of the referral. If a fee is awkward, we'll run it as a straight introduction instead.
What counts as a deal?
Any operating business whose owner is thinking about selling or taking money off the table — any sector, Main Street to mid-market.
What if they're only thinking about it?
That's the normal case. A free valuation often starts the conversation, and it commits them to nothing.
Do I need a license to refer someone?
Not for an introduction. Business brokerage isn't securities brokerage, and referral fees are paid as consulting fees for sourcing, not commissions on securities. Your own professional body may still have rules — see above.
Will you contact the owner directly?
Not until you say so. If you'd rather make the introduction yourself, we'll give you what you need.
What if the deal never closes?
Then there's no fee, for you or for them. Referral fees apply to closed transactions only.
They already have a broker — is it still worth it?
Yes — their broker can list the mandate on Napkin free, keeping their client and their fee. Everyone still gets paid.
Referring deals regularly?
List them yourself instead. A free partner portal, your firm's name on the listing, and NDA-signed buyer inquiries routed straight to you.
Referral fees apply to closed transactions only and are governed by a separate referral agreement. Napkin Deals is not a registered broker-dealer or investment advisor. Regulated activities are routed through licensed channels.