Acquisition Business Consulting

What Acquisition Business Consulting does

Acquisition Business Consulting (ABC) is a privately held boutique business brokerage and advisory firm specializing exclusively in the sale of established The UPS Store franchise locations. Founded by Jim McElroy, who has operated within the Mail Boxes Etc. / The UPS Store franchise system since 1994, the firm delivers two integrated service lines: Seller Services (business valuation, buyer matching, contract preparation, and closing navigation) and Buyer Services (fair-offer evaluation, financing assistance through pre-approved or buyer-preferred banks, and guidance through the SBA/bank, landlord, and attorney transfer process). Its core deliverable is human expertise rather than technology — there is no software platform, data product, or AI component, and the firm operates as a relationship-driven advisory practice built on the founder's 30 years of category-specific experience and over $80 million in completed transaction volume.

The business serves a narrow vertical: SMB franchise owners (predominantly retiring operators, with 84% of owners dependent on sale proceeds for retirement according to the firm's own framing) and prospective buyers of established The UPS Store locations. Customer mix is geographically distributed across at least the southeastern United States and nationally, with documented transactions in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina and per-transaction values between approximately $799,000 and $1,250,000. Revenue is generated through professional advisory and brokerage fees on a per-transaction basis (multi-year engagements with pricing not publicly disclosed). Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: testimonials, success stories, direct referrals, and the founder's repeat-customer network within the franchise community serve as the principal acquisition channels, supported by Multiple Award Winner status in Franchise Development and Support spanning more than two decades.

ABC is organized as an individual founder-owned enterprise with no disclosed institutional ownership, no funding rounds, no partnerships, no subsidiaries, and no public-market activity. Operations are conducted from a single Atlanta, Georgia headquarters (1050 Crown Pointe Parkway Suite 500). The firm competes against generic business brokers and franchise resale intermediaries by leveraging category-specific expertise that generalist brokers cannot replicate — a positioning that simultaneously defines its niche and caps its addressable market to the limited universe of The UPS Store franchise resales.

Name

Acquisition Business Consulting

Legal name

Acquisition Business Consulting

Website

https://acquisitionbusinessconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Acquisition Business Consulting is a private Atlanta-based boutique brokerage that exclusively matches The UPS Store franchise sellers with buyers, providing valuation, financing guidance, and closing support. Founded by Jim McElroy in 1994, it operates as a sole-principal advisory practice built on 30 years of category-specific franchise expertise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Franchise Business Brokerage & Advisory

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buy-Side Search & Acquisition Advisory (FSAEAIAD), Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA)

Keywords

• Franchise business brokerage
• Business valuation services
• Franchise resale advisory
• Business transfer consulting
• Franchise acquisitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Business Sales Advisory and Brokerage: Professional consulting and brokerage services for established The UPS Store acquisitions and sales. The company guides both sellers through valuation, marketing, and closing processes, and buyers through fair offer evaluation, financing, and transfer approval. Revenue is generated through fees for professional advisory services in business transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Acquisition Business Consulting is a boutique brokerage and advisory firm that matches established The UPS Store franchise sellers with qualified buyers, providing business valuation, buyer matching, financing facilitation, and full transaction closing support for both sides of the deal. The firm guides sellers through fair pricing, marketing, and the Bank/SBA, landlord, and attorney transfer processes, while guiding buyers through offer evaluation, financing, and approval workflows, all under the direct engagement of founder Jim McElroy.

Product overview

Acquisition Business Consulting (ABC) is a single-focus business brokerage firm offering two integrated service lines: Seller Services and Buyer Services. Seller Services provide store valuation, buyer matching, and closing support to help owners maximize their transaction. Buyer Services validate fair prices, assist with financing and offers, and guide purchasers through the complex approval and ownership transfer process involving banks/SBA, landlords, and attorneys. Both services are delivered by founder Jim McElroy, who brings over 30 years of experience matching UPS Store sellers and buyers, with over $80 million in completed business sales. The company operates as a unified consulting practice rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seller Services End-to-end advisory service for established The UPS Store owners seeking to sell. Includes business valuation, fair pricing strategy, buyer matching, contract preparation with clear closing points, and full navigation of the transfer process involving Bank/SBA, landlord, and attorneys. Designed for franchise owners (often planning retirement) who lack the time or expertise to market and sell their store while running daily operations.
• Buyer Services Advisory service for prospective buyers of established The UPS Store locations. Includes business valuation validation, fair offer preparation, financing facilitation through pre-approved banks or the buyer's bank of choice, and guidance through the approval and ownership transfer process (Bank/SBA, landlord, attorneys). Targeted at prospective franchise buyers who need third-party expert validation and a seamless purchase experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sellers consistently achieve near or above asking price (e.g., $799,000 at full asking price, $1,122,500 at 2.1% above asking, $1,250,000 at 96% of list)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• VR Business Brokers: A long-established business brokerage chain specializing in the sale of small main-street businesses and franchises. Provides the same M&A advisory, valuation, and deal-closing support as ABC for owner-operated businesses transferring ownership.
• Murphy Business & Financial Corporation: A national business brokerage and M&A advisory firm serving small to mid-market businesses including franchises. Comparable because they offer the same buy-side and sell-side advisory services, valuation, and closing support that ABC provides, but across a broader business universe.
• Transworld Business Advisors: A major business brokerage and M&A franchise with offices across the U.S. that advises buyers and sellers of small businesses and franchises. Directly comparable in service offering (business valuation, buyer matching, transaction advisory) to ABC, though operating across industries rather than a single franchise system.
• BizBuySell: The largest online marketplace for buying and selling small businesses, including franchise resales. Functions as an indirect competitor/brokerage channel for The UPS Store transactions that ABC handles off-market, with comparable buyer/seller matching intent though delivered through a marketplace model.
• Sunbelt Business Advisors: The largest business brokerage network in North America, brokering the sale of small and mid-sized businesses across all industries including franchises. Comparable because Sunbelt handles the same type of buy-side and sell-side advisory for owner-operators of small businesses, including franchise resales, that ABC offers exclusively for The UPS Store.

Emerging players

• BizQuest: An online business-for-sale marketplace and brokerage lead-generation platform that lists franchises among other small businesses. Comparable in servicing the same buy-side demand for franchise resales that ABC matches, but as a marketplace rather than bespoke advisory.

Others

• FranData: A franchise intelligence and research firm providing benchmarking, valuation data, and performance analytics on franchise systems including The UPS Store. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that informs franchise resale valuations and due diligence, though serving as a data/research supplier rather than direct transactional broker.
• Franchise Brokers Association / Franchise Brokers Network: A network of franchise consultation and brokerage professionals who advise buyers and sellers on franchise transactions. Adjacent to ABC's buyer advisory work in The UPS Store resale market, often serving as referral partners rather than direct competitors on the valuation-and-closing advisory.
• Edward Jones Franchise Finance / Small Business M&A Boutiques: Large retail wealth management and small-business advisory networks like Edward Jones engage with small business owners on succession, valuation, and sale-readiness — comparable as ecosystem participants addressing the same retirement-driven liquidity problem that ABC solves specifically for The UPS Store.

Regional players

• LINK Business Brokers / LINK Business: A business brokerage franchise with strong presence in Australia/New Zealand and select U.S. markets that handles franchise and small business sales including valuation, buyer matching, and closing — comparable in core service offering to ABC though focused outside the U.S. Southeast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acquisition-business-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acquisition Business Consulting