Business Broker

Business Broker in San Marino, CA

Martin Navarro is a San Marino business broker who works with owners along Huntington Drive and Mission Street, and with the many San Marino residents who own companies elsewhere in Los Angeles and beyond. Every engagement is confidential and handled personally, with no upfront fees.

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California DRE #02372118 CABB · IBBA · M&A Source Deals Up to $50M No Upfront Fees

Serving San Marino

Selling or Buying a Business in San Marino

San Marino is a small, almost entirely residential city with some of the highest household wealth in California. Its commercial activity sits in two short strips, Huntington Drive and the Mission Street village, home to professional offices, financial advisors, cafes, and neighborhood services. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens draw visitors from across the region.

The bigger story is who lives here. A large share of San Marino households own operating companies, often in manufacturing, import and distribution, real estate, healthcare, or professional services, located in the San Gabriel Valley, downtown Los Angeles, or overseas. Many of those owners are now thinking about succession, a sale to a strategic buyer, or passing the business to the next generation. Martin works with them wherever the business is located.

As your San Marino business broker, Martin handles businesses of every type and works with owners selling companies up to 50 million dollars. He handles every engagement himself and serves Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange County, and throughout Southern California.

Every Type of Business

San Marino Businesses Martin Sells

Martin is not limited to one niche. He represents owners across every sector, from main street to the lower middle market.

Family-Owned Operating Companies

Second-generation manufacturing, import, and distribution businesses owned by San Marino families and run across the region.

Professional and Financial Firms

Wealth management, accounting, law, and insurance practices along Huntington Drive and in nearby Pasadena.

Healthcare Practices

Dental, medical, and specialty practices serving San Marino and the western San Gabriel Valley.

Neighborhood Retail and Cafes

Boutiques, cafes, and services in the Mission Street village and along Huntington Drive.

Real Estate-Heavy Businesses

Companies that own their buildings, where the sale of the business and the property are planned together.

Education and Enrichment

Tutoring, test prep, music, and enrichment businesses serving families across the San Gabriel Valley.

What Your San Marino Business Is Worth

Most small and mid sized businesses are valued on Seller's Discretionary Earnings, or SDE, which is your net profit with the owner's salary, benefits, and one time or personal expenses added back. A market multiple, commonly 2x to 4x SDE for main street businesses, is adjusted for your lease, assets, growth, and how dependent the business is on you. Larger companies are valued on a multiple of EBITDA.

For San Marino owners, the valuation question is often bigger than a multiple. Family companies that own their real estate, carry related-party leases, or have family members on payroll need their financials recast before a buyer sees them. Clean, recast earnings, a management team that runs the business without the founder, and a clear plan for the real estate are what move a family company from a mid-range multiple to the top of the range.

Want a quick estimate first? Use the free business valuation tool, then read how to sell a business and the documents you need to sell a business.

Licenses and Permits When You Sell in San Marino

Businesses located in San Marino follow the City of San Marino's rules, while many residents' companies sit in other cities with their own requirements. Martin maps out the steps for wherever your business actually operates. Handling these steps early keeps the deal on schedule.

City business license. The buyer obtains a new business license from the city where the business operates, whether that is San Marino, Pasadena, Alhambra, or elsewhere.
Los Angeles County health permit. Food, beauty, and wellness businesses need their Los Angeles County Department of Public Health permit reissued to the new owner, usually after an inspection.
ABC alcohol license. Restaurants, bars, and markets transfer the state Alcoholic Beverage Control license through escrow, and the application is started early because ABC review can take weeks.
Owned real estate. If the family owns the building, the sale is structured as a sale of the business with a new lease, a separate sale of the property, or both. That decision affects price, taxes, and financing.
Lease assignment and bulk sale escrow. The landlord's consent to assign the lease is negotiated alongside a standard California bulk sale escrow with published notice to creditors.

Martin coordinates these steps with your escrow officer, your attorney, and the relevant agencies so nothing becomes a surprise at the closing table.

Example: a San Marino family that had owned a wholesale distribution company in the San Gabriel Valley for 30 years wanted liquidity without disrupting long-time employees. After recasting related-party rent and family salaries, the company was marketed confidentially to strategic and private equity buyers, with the family keeping the building under a new long-term lease. This example is anonymized and illustrative.

Working With Martin Navarro

Martin Navarro is a San Marino business broker and M&A advisor who handles the confidential sale and acquisition of businesses of every type, from main street through the lower middle market. He works every engagement personally.

Credentialed and accountable. California DRE salesperson license number 02372118, and a member of the California Association of Business Brokers, the International Business Brokers Association, M&A Source, and ACG Los Angeles.
Background that fits the work. U.S. Marine Corps veteran with dual California State University, Northridge degrees in Business Management and Accounting.
Aligned with you. No upfront fees. Martin is paid only when your business sells and the deal closes.
Regional coverage. Serving Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange County, and throughout Southern California.

FAQ

San Marino Business Broker, Common Questions

How much is my business worth if I live in San Marino but operate elsewhere?

Value depends on where and how the business operates, not where you live.

Most main street companies sell for about 2x to 4x Seller's Discretionary Earnings, and larger companies on a multiple of EBITDA. Family businesses that own real estate or have related-party expenses need their financials recast first, which often raises the value buyers will pay.

What does a San Marino business broker charge?

There are no upfront fees to work with Martin Navarro.

He is paid a success fee only when your San Marino business sells and the deal closes.

How long does it take to sell a business in San Marino?

Most sales take 6 to 12 months from engagement to closing.

Preparation runs 1 to 3 months, confidential marketing 3 to 6 months, and due diligence plus escrow another 60 to 90 days.

Can I sell my San Marino business confidentially?

Yes. Martin markets your business without naming it and screens every buyer under a nondisclosure agreement before sharing details.

That protects your staff, customers, and competitors from learning of the sale before it closes.

What licenses transfer when I sell a business in San Marino?

The buyer obtains a new City of San Marino business license, plus a reissued Los Angeles County health permit for food businesses and transfer of any ABC license.

If your company operates in another city, that city's rules apply instead. Martin coordinates each step with your escrow and attorney.

Do you sell all types of businesses in San Marino?

Yes. Martin handles businesses of every type, from main street shops to lower middle market companies.

That includes retail, services, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and franchises, with deals up to 50 million dollars.

What areas around San Marino do you cover?

Martin serves San Marino, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Arcadia, San Gabriel, and Alhambra.

He also covers Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange County, and throughout Southern California.

Thinking about selling your family business?

Get a confidential, no obligation consultation. Martin will tell you what your business is worth and what a sale could look like. The first conversation is always free.

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