Business Acquisition
Finance
Dark Horse Financial arranges business acquisition finance for buyers purchasing an existing business or franchise, or buying out a business partner. As a credit-licensed broker working with a large panel of bank, non-bank and private lenders, we structure the funding around how the target business actually performs and not just your personal position, which is usually where a bank deal stalls and where we can get it moving again.
Quick Enquiry
Get a free, obligation-free assessment of your purchase. Usually responds within 2 hours.
How Business Acquisition Finance Works
Four steps from the first conversation to settlement on your purchase.
Talk to a Broker
Tell us about the business you're buying, the price and where the deal is up to, and we'll give you an early read on whether it looks financeable.
Contact Us →Share the Deal Details
Send through the target business's financials, the contract or heads of agreement and your own position so we can match the deal to a lender whose policy fits it.
Start Application →Review and Sign
Once the offer is in we go through how it's structured with you, then it's all signed electronically so there's no branch visit or paperwork to chase.
Sign Documents →Settle the Purchase
Funds are released at settlement, so the sale can complete on the day it's meant to and the handover isn't left waiting on finance.
Get Funded →Rated by Our Clients on Google
Business Acquisition Finance
Business acquisition finance, or a buy a business loan, funds the purchase of an existing business or franchise, a partner or co-owner buy-out, or a management buy-out. Unlike a standard loan, lenders weigh the target business's trading history, cash flow and goodwill (what the business is worth beyond its physical assets, like its customers and reputation) alongside your own financial position.
Not buying a business and just need funding for the one you already run? Take a look at our full range of business loan options.
What Business Acquisition Finance Can Cover
Most purchases fall into one of a handful of categories, and the right structure depends a lot on which one yours is.
Purchasing an existing, trading business
Buying into or fully acquiring a franchise
Buying out a co-owner or business partner
Funding a management buy-out
Covering the goodwill portion of the purchase price
Topping up working capital for the first few months after settlement
Depending on the deal, acquisition finance can combine asset-based lending secured against the target business's equipment or property, vendor finance where the seller agrees to be paid part of the price over time, and unsecured facilities for the goodwill or working capital portion, with the mix worked out deal by deal rather than off a fixed package.
Business Acquisition Finance Options
Most acquisitions are funded with one or more of these facilities, depending on what's included in the sale and how much of the price is goodwill.
Who Is Business Acquisition Finance Suitable For?
Business acquisition finance is generally a good fit for:
- Buyers acquiring an established, trading business
- New franchisees buying a territory or an existing outlet
- Partners buying out a co-owner who is exiting the business
- Management teams completing a management buy-out
- Staff or family members taking over as part of a succession plan, where the incoming owner needs purchase finance
- Buyers whose purchase includes the premises, funded alongside a commercial property loan
- Operators acquiring a competitor to consolidate in their trade or industry
Am I Eligible for a Buy a Business Loan?
Lenders look at both sides of the deal, so it pays to know what they'll weigh up before you get too far down the track with the vendor.
- The target business's trading history and cash flow
- Your own financial position and experience in the industry
- How the deal is structured, as an asset purchase and a share purchase are assessed differently
- Turnover, with our panel supporting businesses turning over roughly $250K to $150M
Check Where Your Deal Stands
A quick chat with a broker will tell you whether the purchase looks financeable before you commit to the vendor.
Quick Enquiry →Business Acquisition Finance Success Stories
A $1.3M Partner Buy-Out for a Labour Hire Business
Challenge: The two remaining directors of a profitable labour hire business needed to pay out an exiting partner and wanted an unsecured solution, but six months with their existing bank had produced nothing firm.
Solution: We matched the business to a major bank whose credit appetite suited labour hire, and within days had an indicative term sheet for the full $1.3M with no property security.
Outcome: The directors also came away with a $100K unsecured overdraft and a $200K equipment line, well beyond the portion of the buy-out they'd first hoped to fund.
Buying a Transport Business Without Touching Cash Reserves
Challenge: A transport operator wanted to buy a complementary business nearby without changing their existing property finance, but the valuation of the assets and equipment came in under what the purchase needed.
Solution: We added the accounts receivable ledger from an expanded invoice finance facility as security, along with a caveat over one director's investment property, securing an offer well above the asset values.
Outcome: The acquisition went ahead without the client using any of their cash reserves.
Why Choose Dark Horse Financial for Business Acquisition Finance?
We get business loans approved when banks say no, and acquisitions knocked back on goodwill or a limited trading history are a big part of that work.
A Large Lender Panel
Access to banks, non-bank lenders and private financiers, which matters when a mainstream bank is conservative on goodwill or wants years of trading history.
Matched to the Right Lender
We match your deal to the one lender whose policy fits it, rather than sending your file around the market and putting extra enquiries on your credit file.
Deals Built in Pieces
Asset finance, vendor finance and unsecured funding can be combined so the whole purchase price is covered, not just the part a bank is comfortable with.
Licensed and Accountable
Dark Horse is a Credit Representative (No. 465325) of Buyers Choice Licencing Pty Ltd (Australian Credit Licence 509484), part of the Money Quest Group, and a member of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA).
Established and Proven
More than 10 years in business and over 1,000 Australian businesses helped.
No-Obligation Assessment
A free first conversation about your purchase, with no obligation to proceed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about business acquisition finance, answered plainly.