Professional Practice Acquisition Financing Nationwide, SBA 7(a) to Buy a Firm or Book of Business
🤝 Financing Built to Buy a PracticeI’m Kevin Kermeen, a nationwide commercial loan broker, not a bank. Professional practice acquisition financing has one problem that stops most deals at a conventional bank: a firm is goodwill, clients and reputation, not hard collateral, so the bank that loves your house won’t lend against the practice you’re buying. That’s exactly what SBA 7(a) financing is built for. It underwrites the target firm’s cash flow and client retention rather than demanding assets, with a low down payment, long repayment terms, and room to layer in a seller note. Buy a full practice, a book of business or client list, a competitor, or the firm you already work at from a retiring owner. Law, accounting, insurance, IT, advisory, an agency, the playbook is the same. I match you to lenders who fund firm acquisitions. Professional practice acquisition financing is what I do.
Professional Practice Acquisition Financing for Every Kind of Deal
Whether you’re buying a full practice, just the book of business, a competitor, or the firm you already work at, there’s a structure built for it… and almost all of it runs through SBA 7(a). Here’s what professional practice acquisition financing commonly covers.
Buy a Full Practice (SBA 7(a))
Acquire an entire firm, underwritten on the target’s cash flow and client retention rather than hard collateral, with a low down payment.
Buy a Book of Business
Purchase a client list or book of business from a retiring owner or a firm exiting a line, financed on the recurring revenue.
Merger or Competitor Buy
Combine with another firm or absorb a competitor to add clients, capacity and market share in one move.
Succession and Employee Buy-Out
Buy the firm you already work at from a retiring owner, the most common ownership transition in professional services.
Roll-Up and Multi-Office
Acquire several firms or add offices over time, structured for a buyer building scale across markets.
Seller-Note and Conventional Layering
Layer a seller note or conventional financing alongside SBA 7(a) to structure a larger acquisition.
An Established Firm Rolled Up Two Competitors and Added a Third Office With SBA 7(a)
An established firm wanted to acquire two smaller competitors and open a third office, more than doubling its client base. The deals were almost entirely goodwill and client relationships, so the firm’s bank capped what it would lend and the owner was about to walk away from a once-in-a-decade chance to consolidate the market.
They called me. I matched the owner to SBA 7(a) acquisition financing that underwrote the combined cash flow and client retention of the targets, with a low down payment, a long term, and a seller note layered into one of the deals. Both competitors were absorbed, the third office opened, and the added recurring revenue covered the payment from the start.
That’s what a well-structured roll-up looks like. Don’t Beg the Bank! Get funded instead.
Professional Practice Acquisition Financing, the Right Tool for Each Deal
Acquiring a practice isn’t one product. SBA 7(a) is the workhorse, but the structure depends on deal size and whether a seller note or conventional financing belongs in the stack. Here are the paths. I match you to the one that fits, tap any to explore it.
SBA 7(a) Acquisition
The core tool for buying a firm or book of business, underwritten on the target’s cash flow, with a low down payment.
See SBA 7(a)Working Capital for the Transition
Cover payroll, integration and operations while the acquired clients transfer and the combined firm settles in.
See working capitalSBA 504 and Real Estate
Own the office your firm operates in with long-term, low-down-payment SBA 504 financing.
See SBA 504Business Line of Credit
Revolving capital to smooth the billing-cycle gap after the acquisition, drawn as receivables lag.
See line of creditWorking Capital
If you want it, the lower-down-payment SBA 504 route for the owner-occupied office, separate from the practice purchase.
See working capitalLine of Credit
Revolving capital for seasonal swings and operations, draw only what you need.
See lines of creditQualifying for Professional Practice Acquisition Financing
Practice acquisition is the deal SBA 7(a) was designed for, which is why a goodwill-heavy purchase that a conventional bank rejects is very financeable here. Lenders underwrite the target firm’s cash flow and client retention, your experience in the field, and the structure of the deal, not just hard collateral. A profitable target and a credible buyer is a strong professional practice acquisition financing file even on a first deal. I qualify deals honestly.
✅ What helps you qualify
- ✔A practice, book of business or competitor under letter of intent, with verifiable revenue.
- ✔A solid cash flow and decent credit, the foundation an SBA acquisition lender wants.
- ✔A target firm with solid, documented cash flow and verifiable client retention.
- ✔A down payment or contribution, which a parent or family member can help with.
💡 Straight talk
- →SBA 7(a) underwrites the target’s cash flow and client retention, not just your collateral.
- →A seller note or conventional financing can be layered in to structure a larger deal.
- →Credit is flexible, there’s no single hard FICO floor; stronger credit means better terms.
- →A past bank rejection does not disqualify you; the deal and your credit matter more.
Get Your Practice Acquisition Options
A quick, no-pressure pre-qualification. I personally review every submission, no call center, no junior rep.
Got it. I’m on it.
Your practice acquisition request landed in my inbox. I personally review every submission and most responses go out within one business hour.
Watch for a call from me, Kevin Kermeen, I call directly, I don’t text.
Recent Professional Practice Acquisition Financing From My Desk
A snapshot of the professional practice acquisition financing I match to lenders nationwide, deal by deal. Every firm and deal is different, yours starts with a conversation.
Professional Practice Acquisition Financing · Roll-Up
An established firm acquired two competitors and opened a third office with SBA 7(a) and a layered seller note.
Book of Business
A buyer purchased a retiring owner’s client list, financed on the recurring revenue with a low down payment.
Succession Buy-Out
An employee bought the firm she worked at from a retiring owner with SBA 7(a) financing.
How I Match Professional Practice Acquisition Financing to the Right Lender
Acquisition lending is specialized, and SBA 7(a) lenders differ sharply on which professions and deal sizes they fund and how fast they close. I work with many, so I match your professional practice acquisition financing to a lender active in your field and comfortable with a goodwill-based deal, then structure any seller note or conventional layer around it, and I review the options with you before you commit.
Here’s the reality of buying a professional practice, and why so many good deals die at a conventional bank. A law firm, accounting practice, insurance agency or consulting shop is worth its clients, contracts, reputation and recurring revenue, not its furniture, and a traditional bank wants hard collateral it can repossess. So it caps the loan or passes outright, even when the target throws off strong, predictable cash flow. SBA 7(a) financing exists precisely for this: it underwrites the acquired firm’s cash flow and the likelihood its clients stay, not a pile of assets, and it comes with a low down payment and a long repayment term that keeps the deal affordable. The structures vary, a full practice purchase, a book-of-business or client-list buy, a merger, absorbing a competitor, or an employee buying the firm from a retiring owner in a succession, but the underwriting logic is the same across professions, which is why law, accounting, insurance, IT and managed services, financial advisory and agencies all acquire the same way. For a larger deal, a seller note (where the seller finances part of the price) or a conventional layer can sit alongside the SBA loan to complete the stack. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, its 7(a) program can be used to buy an existing business.
The right structure depends on the deal size and whether a seller note or conventional layer belongs in the structure.SBA 7(a) loan, and broader options live across the SBA loan programs. The acquisition itself runs on an SBA 7(a) loan, the transition and integration on working capital or a business line of credit, and if the deal includes the firm’s building, the owner-occupied real estate piece fits SBA 504. If you want to own the building, an SBA 504 loan or commercial real estate loan gives long-term, fixed-rate terms. A brand-mandated renovation points to professional services working capital, and the ramp-up months are covered by working capital loans or a business line of credit.
So tell me what you’re acquiring, a full practice, a book of business, a competitor, or the firm you work at, and what profession it’s in, from a law firm to an insurance agency, and I’ll tell you honestly how the SBA 7(a) deal structures, whether a seller note belongs in it, and match you to a lender active in your field. Growing organically instead of buying? See firm expansion financing. For your specific profession or other firm financing, see my professional services financing hub, or compare every option on my loan programs page. Don’t Beg the Bank! Get funded instead.
Sources: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program and 504 loan program.
Straight Answers Before You Apply
What is professional practice acquisition financing?
Why will an SBA 7(a) lender fund a deal my bank rejected?
How much do I need for a down payment to buy a practice?
Can I buy just a book of business instead of a whole firm?
Can I acquire the firm I already work at from a retiring owner?
What does it cost to work with you?
A Broker Who Gets Goodwill-Based Deals Funded
I’m Kevin Kermeen, the nationwide commercial loan broker behind 75BizLoans.com, not a bank and not a lead-selling portal. A conventional bank sees a practice with no hard collateral and stops reading. I work with the SBA 7(a) acquisition lenders who underwrite a firm’s cash flow and client retention instead, fund goodwill-based deals with a low down payment, and let a seller note round out the structure, and matching you to one active in your profession is the whole point of working with me. I personally review every application, I call you directly, and I never text. For program details, see the SBA’s 7(a) loan program.
Don’t Beg the Bank!
Get Funded Instead.
Banks hand out umbrellas when the sun is shining, not when you’re weathering the storm … and they’ll reject the practice acquisition that would change your career, just because it lacks hard collateral. I match you to professional practice acquisition financing built for goodwill-based deals … SBA 7(a) underwritten on the target’s cash flow and client retention, a low down payment, a long term, and a seller note or conventional layer when the deal is larger. Buy a practice, a book, a competitor, or the firm you work at. Get a same-day callback from a broker who reviews every deal himself.
Professional practice acquisition financing is most often arranged through SBA 7(a) loans, which are government-backed and generally capped at $5 million, with their own eligibility, terms and timelines set by the SBA, and may be paired with a seller note or conventional financing on larger deals. SBA 504 applies only to the owner-occupied real estate portion when an acquisition includes the firm’s building. Down payment, rates, terms and funding timelines vary by lender, profession, deal size, creditworthiness and the target firm’s cash flow and client retention; all figures are illustrative and not a commitment to lend. No upfront fees refers to fees payable to 75BizLoans.com; I am paid by the lender at closing. Some partner lenders may require a commitment deposit when you accept their term sheet.