The answer to this question is very interesting, given that many business brokers or corporate finance advisers will see your competitors as the most obvious people to approach. However, in our experience, a direct competitor is seldom willing to pay a premium for your business. They will be very interested and will want to know absolutely everything there is to know about what you do and how you do it, but why would they pay a premium for what they believe they can do themselves? You need to look for complimentary products in an acquirer, not competing products. A key question you should ask yourself while considering who to approach is: Who sells non-competing products and services to my client base? This is where you are most likely to find the best acquirers.