Fee Structure: What It Costs to Work With Arx

Let’s talk about money.

You’ve probably heard the horror stories. Retainers that drain your bank account before anyone picks up a phone. Monthly charges that pile up while your business sits on the market. Commissions so complicated you need a lawyer to decode them. And after all that, you’re still not sure the broker is working for you or just collecting checks.

It doesn’t have to work that way.

Our fees pay for themselves. A good broker gets you a higher price, better terms, and a deal that actually closes. A bad process - or no process - costs you far more than any commission.

This page is the straight answer to the question most owners ask once they’re serious: “What do you charge?”

→ Jump to: Quick summary · How much you pay · Adjustments · Engagement terms · Not the right fit · FAQs

Quick Summary (If You Only Read One Section)

Here’s the deal:

• No upfront fees. No retainers. You pay nothing unless we deliver a closed deal - zero financial risk to you.
• Success fee only: Our fee is a percentage of the final sale price at closing. Our incentives are 100% aligned with yours.
• Typical effective range: 8-10% under $5M, and less over $5M. You know exactly what you’re paying before you sign.
• We share risk: If you’re taking real risk (earnouts / seller financing), we reduce our fee on that portion. You shouldn’t pay us like it’s all cash if you’re not getting all cash.
• Already have a buyer? We discount our commission when you introduce the buyer. You shouldn’t pay full freight if you did part of the sourcing.

If you want to talk through your specific situation, schedule a free evaluation. You’ll get an honest answer—even if that answer is “don’t hire us.”

How Much You Pay (Success Fee Only)

We work with businesses in the $1M–$25M revenue range. Our fee structure is simple:

Under $5M: Double Lehman Scale

If you want the full walk-through of how we run a process (and why that process matters), start here: our selling process.

When We Adjust Fees (We Share Risk)

Not every “$7M deal” is the same $7M. Terms matter.

If you’re taking meaningful risk as part of the structure, we often reduce or defer fees on the risky portion:

• Seller financing: if you’re carrying a note, you’re taking credit risk.
• Earnouts: if part of your “price” depends on future performance, it isn’t cash today.
• Retained equity: if you keep ownership, the economics change.

The principle is simple: we don’t want to get paid like it’s all cash if you’re not getting paid like it’s all cash.

Already Have a Buyer? (Discount)

If you introduce the buyer, we discount our commission.

We still do the work that protects you (positioning, negotiation, diligence coordination, attorney/CPA coordination, getting the deal to close). We still run a full process to ensure you get the best pricing. But you shouldn’t pay full freight if you did part of the sourcing.

How Our Fees Compare (Plain English)

There are two common models in this industry:

✗ Retainer + success fee: You pay $10K-$50K up front just to get started. Then monthly fees while your business sits on the market. Then a success fee at closing. If the deal falls through? You’ve already written checks you’ll never get back.

✓ Success fee only (Arx): We get paid when you get paid. Period. If we don’t close your deal, you owe us nothing.

The retainer model made sense when brokers had to fund expensive marketing campaigns. Today, that’s not where the work is. The work is in finding the right buyers, running a competitive process, and getting deals closed. We’d rather be paid for results than for effort.

If you’re comparing options, also compare how buyers are found. Most of the outcome lives there. Here’s our approach: how we find buyers.

Our Engagement Terms (No Fine-Print Traps)

Beyond fees, contract terms matter. Many sellers don’t realize what they’re signing until they’re locked in. Here’s exactly what our engagement looks like - no surprises.

Exclusivity: 6 Months

We ask for exclusive representation for 6 months. That’s shorter than the 12-24 months most brokers require.

Why do we need exclusivity at all? Because running a proper sale process requires real investment on our end - buyer research, targeted outreach, confidential marketing materials. We can’t do that work well if you’re simultaneously shopping the deal to other brokers. But we also don’t need two years to prove we can get the job done.

Tail Clause: 24 Months on Registered Buyers Only

If we introduce a buyer during the engagement and that buyer closes after the engagement ends - within 24 months - we earn our success fee.

Here’s what makes our tail different: it only applies to buyers we actually introduced and documented. We maintain a buyer log during the engagement. Every serious inquiry gets timestamped. You know exactly which buyers are “registered.”

If you sell to someone who’s NOT on that list, you don’t owe us anything. Most broker contracts have blanket tails that cover any buyer - even ones they never found or contacted. We think that’s unfair.

Early Termination: No Penalty Before LOI

You can terminate the engagement at any time before a Letter of Intent is signed. No penalty, no hard feelings.

If you terminate after we have a signed LOI - meaning a deal is actively in progress - a termination fee applies. That’s reasonable; we’ve invested significant time getting to that point, and terminating mid-deal isn’t a situation where anyone wins.

Currently, we don’t charge marketing cost recovery if you terminate early. We absorb those costs.

What If You Already Have a Buyer?

Before marketing starts: If you bring a buyer before we’ve begun outreach, you get a 20% commission discount. You did part of the sourcing - you shouldn’t pay full freight.

After marketing starts: If a buyer approaches you directly once we’re in market, refer them to us. No discount applies at that point - our marketing likely surfaced them, even if they found you through a different channel.

How Our Terms Compare

We publish these terms because most brokers don’t. If you’re comparing options, ask every broker these same questions. You’ll learn a lot about how they operate.

When We’re Not the Right Fit

We turn down about 85% of the businesses that approach us. Not because they’re bad businesses - because we’re not confident that we’ll earn our fee.

If we can’t improve your price, your terms, your certainty, or your time - we won’t take the project. Simple as that.

We’ll tell you upfront if we think you’d be better served going a different direction.

Other Costs to Expect

Our fee covers our work, but most deals also involve outside pros:

• M&A attorney (varies widely by complexity)
• Tax/CPA support (planning + deal structuring)
• Wealth planning (optional)
• Secure Data Room (optional)

Trying to save money by skipping legal and tax help is usually the most expensive “savings” you can make.

When We Get Paid

• At closing. Our success fee is paid from closing proceeds.
• If the deal doesn’t close: you don’t owe us a success fee.

There are a few specific situations where no fee is owed even after significant work: if the buyer fails to secure financing, if due diligence uncovers material issues that prevent closing, or if the deal falls through for reasons outside your control. We put this in writing in our engagement agreement.

FAQs

Can I negotiate your commission?

Sometimes. If you’ve got a special situation and fees are holding you back from a successful exit, let’s talk.

What if I think my business is worth $10M but you value it at $7M?

We’re in the business of helping you maximize your exit - not validating a number you have in your head. We’ll show you exactly how we got to our valuation, and we’ll be straight with you about what the market will bear. If we’re not confident we can help you exit at a price and terms you’ll be happy with, we won’t take the project.

Do you charge more for complex deals?

The base structure is the same, but we may adjust or defer fees when you are taking real structural risk (earnouts, seller financing, etc.).

What if I get multiple offers - do you charge more?

No. Multiple offers are the goal.

What happens if due diligence reveals issues and the price drops?

Our fee is based on the final closing price. If the price changes, the fee changes.

Next Step: Free Evaluation

If fees are your main question, start with a free evaluation. You’ll get a realistic value range, a likely timeline, and a direct answer on whether hiring us makes sense.