SBA 7(a) acquisition search · data pulled Oct 10, 2026
Online businesses you could buy with an SBA loan
Every listing I could reach on the major marketplaces, run through the same SBA 7(a) math and a broker's checklist, then ranked for a buyer with a small down payment who wants steady monthly profit. Change the numbers below and the whole list re-ranks.
Your buying power
Under SBA's current rules you put in at least 10% of the total project. The seller can carry up to half of that on a note that is on full standby (no payments) for the life of the loan, so your cash can be as low as 5%.
Prime + up to 3%. Use your lender's quote.
10 is standard without real estate.
SBA guaranty fee, legal, quality-of-earnings.
Lenders measure coverage after you get paid.
Ranked listings
Score out of 100: budget fit 25, debt coverage 20, take-home vs your goal 15, durability 25 (model, age, verified financials, trend), price multiple 10, SBA signals 5, minus penalties for SBA red flags. Hand-written notes are marked Analyst note.
What a business broker checks before you buy
The ranking automates the first pass. These are the questions to answer before a letter of intent.
1 · Are the earnings real?
SDE (seller's discretionary earnings) matches 3 years of filed tax returns — SBA lenders lend on the returns, not the P&L.
Every add-back is documented; owner perks, one-time costs.
Trailing 12 months vs prior year; monthly, not just annual.
Seasonality: how much profit lands in Q4?
A quality-of-earnings (QoE) review for deals over ~$500K.
2 · Will it last?
Customer, channel and supplier concentration (no single source over ~30%).
AI exposure: will AI tools replace the product or the traffic?
Tariff exposure for imported inventory; where it's made.
Trademarks, licenses, patents, and domain/brand ownership.
3 · Can you run it?
Owner hours per week and which tasks only the seller does.
Team, contractors and documented processes that transfer.
Seller transition support (30–90 days) and a non-compete.
Your relevant experience — SBA lenders ask.
Working capital and inventory needed after closing.
4 · Will an SBA lender fund it?
US-based business, US-citizen or permanent-resident owners.
2–3 years of operating history and tax returns.
Debt coverage ≥1.25x after your salary (SBA floor 1.15x).
10% equity injection; seller standby note can be half.
Personal guarantee; your home may be taken as collateral if the loan is under-secured.
5 · Is the price right?
Small online businesses typically trade at 2–4x SDE; above 4x needs strong growth.
Very low multiples (<1.5x) usually mean declining or temporary earnings.
Asset purchase (usual) vs stock purchase and what liabilities come with it.
Inventory: included in price or extra?
Earn-outs or seller notes to share the risk on uncertain numbers.
6 · Red flags
Seller won't share tax returns or platform access for verification.
Profit spike in the last few months right before listing.
Unverified financials on open marketplaces.
Single-product or single-platform dependence with thin margins.
Non-US operations dressed up with a US company.
How this was built
Empire Flippers — every listing for sale via their public listings feed; vetted financials, trends, owner hours and stated risks.
Flippa — open listings earning $1K+/month profit; most figures are seller-reported unless marked "Data Verified".
Quiet Light and Website Closers — US brokers with many SBA pre-qualified deals; profit shown is the broker's SDE / cash flow.
Investors Club — a sample of owner-listed and brokered small deals.
Not included: BizBuySell (blocks automated access) and Acquire.com (requires an account). Both are worth searching by hand.
This is a screening tool, not financial or legal advice. Listing data comes from the marketplaces as published and can be wrong or out of date; numbers must be verified in due diligence. SBA rules summarized here follow SOP 50 10 8 (June 2025) and its 8.1 update as reported by lenders and attorneys — confirm the current version with your SBA lender. Opinions reflect the market as of October 2026.