Gateway School Sales has negotiated a large number of transactions over the last 20 years. During that time we have gained a wide range of experiences and resources that have equipped us to handle virtually every type and size of school. With our extensive database of local, regional, national, and international buyers coupled with our buyer interview process that ensures we match appropriate buyers with the right school, Gateway School Sales can focus on the tasks of marketing and selling your school so that you can continue operations during this most important time.

Our representatives will assist you in every aspect of the selling process:

• Finding the right price
• Marketing your school
• Interviewing potential buyers
• Ensuring appropriate non-disclosure agreements are completed
• Setting up and faciliating buyer/seller meetings
• Educating the buyer on the buying process
• Initiating an offer from the buyer
• Negotiating terms and conditions
• Guiding both parties through the due dilligence process
• Assisting the buyer with the DFPS process and securing their licensing
• Negotiating transition and training plans
• Removing buyer contingencies
• Getting both parties to the closing table with the appropriate documentation to complete the transaction

Aside from guiding both parties through the process to ensure a smooth transition, we are a success based brokerage firm. We don’t get paid until we have sold your school to the new owner.

Unlike the sale of real estate or franchise, the sale of an ongoing business---childcare or otherwise is strictly confidential for both the seller and the buyer. This need for confidentiality is another reason to use Gateway School Sales, since it can be very difficult for a business owner to screen possible buyers without disclosing their own indentity or the identity of their business.

Because Gateway School Sales is well established in the industry, many buyers seek us out for our excellent reputation and proven track record. We also interview new buyers constantly to ensure an appropriate match for the schools we represent. We develop a marketing program specifically designed for your school. Using a blend of relationship-based inside sales, trade publications, buyer databases, internet sites, direct mail, email, and other methods, we create buyer demand for YOUR school. Any and all advertising or marketing is done in such a way to protect the confidentiality of you and your school.

Determining the value of your school is the first step in preparing the marketing plan, and one of the first steps in the selling process. Most buyers of small businesses are looking for an income stream to provide a living for them and their families, so accurately determining the value of your school based on the assets and discretionary earnings is vital to initiating a successful transaction. Allow us to assist you in determining an appropriate fair market price for your school or in coordinating an independent business valuation.

Unlike other kinds of sales where buyers have similar options to choose from, there is only one school like yours. Therefore, it will take time to sell your school to the right buyer. Industry averages state it is usually several months’ worth; the average time it takes Gateway School Sales to sell a school is currently 146 days.

There are many factors driving the process of finding the right buyer.

• Asking price
• Location
• Type of school
• Owner’s available compensation
• Down payment
• Financing
• Terms and conditions
• Availability of buyers

The answer depends on the profitability of your school, the current lending climate, the economy, and the transparency of your financial statements. If these four conditions are favorable to you, there may be no or very little seller financing. The majority of small to medium business transactions---over 90%---have some form of owner financing. This financing demonstrates that the seller has confidence in the ongoing success of the school, which can help convince a reluctant bank to finance the purchase. Let Gateway School Sales work with your CPA to find a lending partner(s) for the sale of your school.

All negotiations are handled at arm’s length through Gateway School Sales. The primary reasons for this are to maximize the price you can get for your school while maintaining confidentiality and to facilitate a smooth transition of the school under new ownership. These negotiations can be stressful; let Gateway School Sales buffer this possible stress so that you have a good working relationship with the new owner to begin the transition period.

The closing process can be tedious and time consuming, which is why Gateway School Sales recommends using a professional commerial escrow company to prepare necessary documents and facilitate the process. The advantages of using a commercial escrow company stem from the fact that they represent the transaction and the documents they prepare. While you are focused on running your school and preparing it for transition to new ownership, the commercial escrow company can coordinate the process facilitating:  

• Initial draft of the Asset Purchase Agreement and/or Contract of Sale
• Lien searches
• Property tax settlements
• Bill of sale
• Escrow and closing instructions
• Non-compete agreements
• Security agreements
• Abandonment of assumed names
• Documentation of incorporation
• Settlement statements
• And the wide variety of documents tailored to each specific transaction