Why so many sales?

For starters, many small businesses had a good year in 2016. The report found businesses that were sold had grown both their revenues (5.2 percent) and cash flow (5.4 percent) over the prior year. Good financials make a company more valuable and likely sparked an interest both from people looking for a good investment and those looking to get out.

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Existing owners are also getting older. Many baby boomers are looking to retire and more millennials are looking for opportunities. So more deals were struck. According to the report, 70 percent of the business brokers surveyed said that at least a quarter of their closed sales were related to baby boomers and 98 percent of those brokers expect this trend to continue throughout 2017.

Another factor is low interest rates and a favorable financing environment. Capital is cheaper and some buyers would rather control more of their fate than rely on the unpredictable stock market for returns or settle for low savings rates.

“After several years of strong business-for-sale activity, it is great to see even more growth in 2016,” Bob House, President of BizBuySell.com and BizQuest.com said in the company’s press release. “Not only are more small businesses changing hands, but healthier businesses put the new owners in a great position for continued success. This bodes well for the market, but also points to a bright future for small businesses overall.”