Briggs AnalyticsFree tool · Operating owners
Someone offered money for your company's records. Is it legit?
A lot of new firms started pitching business owners this fall. Most are real. Some are not. Answer eight questions about the pitch you got and see whether it looks normal, needs care, or is one to walk away from.
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How this works
Four steps, about as many minutes.
- Answer eight questions about the pitch you got.
- See a rating: looks normal, be careful, or walk away.
- Read exactly which answers set it off.
- Get the checklist of what a real offer always includes.
A busy market brings out every kind of pitch
Paying companies for records of how their work gets done is a real market. Buyers are spending real money, and plenty of new firms have started calling, emailing and advertising to owners. That is good news for owners, and it also means some pitches are careless and a few are not what they claim to be.
You do not need to know the industry to tell the difference. Real offers share a few habits, and bad ones share a few warning signs. This checker asks about those, and only those. It does not name or rate any company.
The three walk-away signs
Anyone who asks for your logins or passwords. Anyone who wants you to pay a fee up front. And anyone who wants your customer list. A real licensing deal never needs any of those.
The be-careful signs
Deadlines measured in days, asking for files before anything is signed, promising a guaranteed amount before looking at anything, and no real company or people you can look up. One of these on its own is not proof of anything. Two or more is a reason to slow down.
Questions about this tool.
Does this check a specific company?
No. It looks only at what the pitch asked for and how it was made. It never names or rates anyone.
Is a deadline always a bad sign?
Not always. Some buyers do fill a request and close it. But a deadline of a few days, with pressure to decide before you can check anything, is a reason to slow down.
They want a sample before signing. Is that normal?
A description of what you have is normal. Actual files before any agreement is signed is not. Ask for an NDA and a written description of what they need first.
What should a real offer include?
A written agreement, a clear price or range, when you get paid, what is excluded, what happens to your records at the end, and a real company you can look up. The checklist has the full list.
See what your company's records could be worth.
Costs you nothing · five quick questions · about a minute · no files
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