Find the right successor.
In 5 minutes you know what your business is worth. With every step shown, free and anonymous.
Rather talk first? Arrange a first call
We check revenue and earnings against the financial statement before anything goes live. How we check
Bavaria
Carpentry & interior workshop
| Employees | 10–19 |
|---|---|
| In business | 30+ years |
| Owner earnings | €250,000 – €500,000 |
| Indicative value | €500,000 – €1M |
Name, city and documents only after mutual interest and an NDA.
- Free until the handover, then 2% (min. €6,500 plus VAT)
- Anonymous until both sides want to meet
- No tracking cookies
- Calculation published
The problem
Profitable businesses close because nobody takes over.
- German SMEs plan or consider closing by the end of 2029, more than aim for a succession (545,000)
- 569,0001
- planned closures a year, against about 109,000 planned successions
- 114,0001
Germany: closures now outnumber successions
SMEs whose owners plan to step back, by planned outcome
- Succession planned
- Closure planned or considered
Source: KfW Research, January 9, 2026.
Extrapolation to 3.87 million SMEs, assuming owners follow through on their plans.
The bottleneck is the match: 69% of German SMEs name finding a successor as an obstacle.2
How it works
Four steps, and at each one you decide whether to go on.
01
Value
A free valuation with every step shown, plus your handover readiness. No sign-up.
Time: about 5 minutes
02
Match your figures
You upload your latest financial statement. We match revenue and earnings and delete the document afterwards.
03
List anonymously
Successors see industry, state and ranges, never your name. Successors who fit introduce themselves.
04
Together to the contract
You decide whom to meet. A shared deal room then guides both of you to the contract in seven steps.
For successors: verified numbers instead of an owner's say-so, and a personal introduction instead of cold outreach. Find businesses
How it worksVerified, not just listed
Erbelo checks before two sides ever meet, then guides them all the way to closing.
What Erbelo does differently
Figures
Typical listing site: Owner's own numbers
Erbelo: Revenue and earnings matched to the financial statement before going live
Buyers
Typical listing site: Contact form
Erbelo: Personal introduction; financing and qualification documented on request
Value
Typical listing site: Asking price or "on request"
Erbelo: Explained valuation with every step shown
After first contact
Typical listing site: Email and phone from there
Erbelo: Handover room with 7 steps: NDA, documents, financing
Cost to owners
Typical listing site: Varies by site
Erbelo: Free until the handover; on success 2% of the price, at least €6,500 plus VAT
| Topic | Typical listing site | Erbelo |
|---|---|---|
| Figures | Owner's own numbers | Revenue and earnings matched to the financial statement before going live |
| Buyers | Contact form | Personal introduction; financing and qualification documented on request |
| Value | Asking price or "on request" | Explained valuation with every step shown |
| After first contact | Email and phone from there | Handover room with 7 steps: NDA, documents, financing |
| Cost to owners | Varies by site | Free until the handover; on success 2% of the price, at least €6,500 plus VAT |
Tools to get started
Free, no sign-up, with the calculation shown.
Business value calculator
Four answers give you a first value range for your business, with the calculation shown.
Open the calculatorSuccession readiness check
18 short questions in six areas. See where your business stands and what to do next.
Start the checkChecklist in 12 steps
The road to a handover at a glance, to tick off and print.
Open the checklist
Confidential by design
Information is disclosed in stages, only when both sides agree.
What is visible, and when
Industry, state, classes for size, revenue, earnings and value
- Public
- Visible
- Both want to meet
- Visible
- After NDA
- Visible
Exact figures and founding year
- Public
- Not visible
- Both want to meet
- Visible
- After NDA
- Visible
Buyer's name (to the owner)
- Public
- Not visible
- Both want to meet
- Visible
- After NDA
- Visible
Business name, city, owner's name
- Public
- Not visible
- Both want to meet
- Not visible
- After NDA
- Visible
Financial documents
- Public
- Not visible
- Both want to meet
- Not visible
- After NDA
- Visible
| Information | Public | Both want to meet | After NDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry, state, classes for size, revenue, earnings and value | Visible | Visible | Visible |
| Exact figures and founding year | Not visible | Visible | Visible |
| Buyer's name (to the owner) | Not visible | Visible | Visible |
| Business name, city, owner's name | Not visible | Not visible | Visible |
| Financial documents | Not visible | Not visible | Visible |
Common questions
What does Erbelo cost?
Nothing until the handover: valuation, checks, listing and deal room are free. Only if you hand over to a successor found through Erbelo do you pay 2% of the purchase price, at least €6,500 plus VAT. Successors pay nothing.
Will my employees, customers or competitors find out?
No. Your listing shows only industry, state and ranges for size, years in business, revenue, earnings and value. A successor sees exact figures only once you both want to meet; your business name, city, your own name and documents only after they accept the NDA.
Is the valuation binding?
No. It is an indicative estimate based on typical industry multiples, shown with every step of the calculation. For the actual sale we recommend a professional valuation, for example under IDW S1 or, for skilled crafts, the AWH standard offered through the chambers.
Do I still need a tax advisor, lawyer or notary?
Yes. Erbelo prepares and organizes the handover, but does not give tax or legal advice and does not negotiate on your behalf. In Germany, transferring shares in a GmbH must be notarized (§ 15 GmbHG).
What does "figures matched to accounts" mean?
Before a listing goes live, we match revenue and owner earnings to the latest financial statement or management accounts. Owners can also document ownership; successors their financing and qualification. This is not an audit and no guarantee that figures are correct; it does not replace your own due diligence. Only Erbelo sees the documents, and they are deleted right after the decision.
Your life's work deserves a next chapter.
A free, confidential valuation in about 5 minutes, no sign-up. Whether you publish is up to you afterwards.
Sources
Sources (2)
- 1By the end of 2029: 569,000 SMEs plan or consider closing, 545,000 aim for a succession; each year about 114,000 plan to close while about 109,000 seek a successor. For the first time, closures lead. KfW Research, “Nachfolge-Monitoring Mittelstand 2025: Pläne für Geschäftsaufgaben wachsen erneut – Kaufpreisvorstellungen deutlich gestiegen (Fokus Volkswirtschaft Nr. 526, Dr. Michael Schwartz)”, January 9, 2026. www.kfw.de/PDF/Download-Center/Konzernthemen/Research/PDF-Dokumente-Fo… ↩
- 269% of SMEs see finding a suitable successor as an obstacle. KfW Research, “Nachfolge-Monitoring Mittelstand 2025: Pläne für Geschäftsaufgaben wachsen erneut – Kaufpreisvorstellungen deutlich gestiegen (Fokus Volkswirtschaft Nr. 526, Dr. Michael Schwartz)”, January 9, 2026. www.kfw.de/PDF/Download-Center/Konzernthemen/Research/PDF-Dokumente-Fo… ↩