Services / Sell Your Bookkeeping Firm
Sell your bookkeeping firm to a buyer who values a steady client base.
RockHaven Capital buys bookkeeping firms directly from their owners.
Monthly clients who stay for years are the whole story in this business, so that is what we examine.
Who We Buy From
The bookkeeping firms we buy
Bookkeeping revenue is some of the steadiest in any service business. Clients pay every month because the books have to close every month.
We buy firms built on bookkeeping work itself. That work needs no CPA credential, which keeps the door open for a new owner to step in.
Monthly bookkeeping practices
Firms that close the books for a set roster of businesses each month. A roster that has stayed for years is the strongest asset here.
Payroll services
Payroll runs on a fixed calendar for client employers. The work recurs because paydays do not move.
Bookkeeping with tax preparation
Practices that add seasonal tax work to a monthly base. Preparation needs a tax preparer identification number rather than a CPA license.
Cleanup practices with a monthly base
Catch-up work brings clients in the door at many firms. We value the share that converts into monthly clients who stay.
Controller services for small businesses
Firms that give owners monthly reporting and a finance review. This advisory layer sits on top of the bookkeeping base.
Take our free five-minute assessment to get an estimate of what your business could sell for.
What's My Business Worth? Book a CallWhat We Look At
Five things we check first
A bookkeeping firm proves its cash flow through its client roster and its monthly billing. These five checks show us whether that base holds after a sale.
-
Revenue of $1M to $10M a year
We buy firms in exactly that band. A firm in that range has a roster well beyond what one person can serve alone.
-
Cash flow of $300K and up
It has to show in the tax returns. Monthly billing records should tie back to those returns without a gap.
-
Clients who pay monthly and stay
Retention is the number that matters most in this business. A roster with low churn prices like the annuity it is.
-
Work that does not hinge on a CPA license
Bookkeeping itself needs no credential, so a qualified buyer can step in cleanly. If part of the firm rests on one credential, we talk through that part early.
-
Staff bookkeepers clients know by name
Clients should be served by your team and not by you alone. Documented workflows in your software make the handover simple.
What a RockHaven deal looks like
- Structure
- Majority buyouts
- Geography
- Anywhere in the continental United States
- Seller fees
- None. Sellers are charged no fees, ever, and the business is never listed.You keep the money a broker would take.
Take our free five-minute assessment to get an estimate of what your business could sell for.
What's My Business Worth? Book a CallThe Principals
A track record built in operating businesses
All three exits came from companies they co-founded from the idea up with a founding team, not from businesses they bought and flipped. One was acquired by a publicly traded company.
Companies founded or co-founded
Exits from companies we co-founded from the ground up
Sales driven by our teams
Capital raised for real estate and operating companies
Why Owners Talk To Us
A direct buyer changes the conversation
Bookkeeping firms rarely get listed well, because the value sits in trust built over years. Here is what changes in a direct sale.
-
We are the buyer, not a broker
You talk to the firm that would own your practice. Client names are not shared with shopping buyers during a long listing.
One conversation with the buyer, not a parade of strangers through your business. -
Your clients hear it from you
Business owners trust their bookkeeper with everything. They learn about a sale from you first, with a plan already in place.
Your staff, customers, and competitors never find out from a listing. -
Your staff keeps serving the roster
The bookkeepers your clients rely on are central to the value. In most cases they keep their roles after a sale.
In most cases, the people who helped you build it keep their jobs. -
Priced on the roster, honestly
We price retention and monthly revenue rather than a hoped-for growth story. You hear the reasoning and what would move the number.
A straight number early, with the reason behind it.
The listed route, by the numbers
A listed bookkeeping firm invites questions from clients who see the listing. These figures show what the listed route usually costs in time and money.
Median time to close for a business that sells through the market
Source: BizBuySell, 2025 Year in Review. Counts businesses that sold.
Of businesses that go to market ever sell at all
Source: Exit Planning Institute estimate. Based on owner readiness survey data, not a census of listings.
The broker success fee alone on a $1M sale, on the standard scale
Source: Double Lehman fee scale, published broker guides, 2026.
How It Works
Four steps from first call to close
Four steps, and you deal with us directly at each one.
A private conversation
We talk through your roster, your services, and your reasons for selling.
A straight valuation
We read your tax returns and your client billing history and come back with a value. If the number is not there, we will tell you that too.
A straight number early, with the reason behind it.A structure that fits
Cash is paid at close, and seller financing is used where it fits.
A clean close
The paperwork is short and written in plain language. Once terms are agreed, we aim to close in four to eight weeks.
A real close date in weeks, not a listing that sits while the market decides.Working with an advisor or broker? They hear back from us within two business days, and their fee is protected.
Contact
Start a conversation about your bookkeeping firm
Start with the free assessment. Or book a call and talk directly with a principal.