Southern Country Business Advisors
Southern Country Business Advisors describes itself as a transactional broker representing both buyers and sellers, with services spanning valuation, marketing, negotiation, due diligence, and closing support.
What stands out about Southern Country Business Advisors
Southern Country Business Advisors publicly presents a Florida-focused brokerage model for small to mid-sized businesses. Its stated services include valuation, exit planning, buyer representation, confidential marketing, negotiation, due-diligence management, and transaction facilitation.[1][2][4][5][6]
What does Southern Country Business Advisors do?
Southern Country Business Advisors identifies itself as a business brokerage serving Fort Myers and Southwest Florida. Its services page identifies Southern Country Investments, Inc. as the company serving business owners seeking an exit and buyers seeking businesses.
The firm states that it assists owners and buyers from valuation through closing, maintains confidentiality, and specializes in small to mid-sized businesses, business valuations, exit planning, buyer-seller connections, and transaction structuring.[1][2]
Publicly stated services include business and asset evaluations, customized marketing strategies, targeted outreach, negotiation, due-diligence management, transaction facilitation, business consultation, exit planning, and succession strategies.
For buyers, the firm describes targeted acquisition searches, evaluation of potential acquisitions, negotiation of terms, and due diligence.[2][4]
Owners comparing intermediaries can also review Auxo’s business broker, M&A advisor and investment bank comparison, advisor-selection guide, and M&A advisor fee guide.
What should a business owner evaluate before hiring Southern Country Business Advisors?
An owner evaluating an engagement can compare the firm’s stated valuation, confidential marketing, buyer qualification, negotiation, due-diligence, and closing-support services with the proposed engagement terms. The firm reports commissions that vary by deal and an average commission rate of 10% per deal, so the proposed fee structure should be confirmed in writing.
Because the firm states that it represents both buyers and sellers, an owner may also wish to clarify representation arrangements and conflict procedures for any transaction. The homepage’s “JUST SOLD” section and the SCI Listings page do not identify transaction examples in their accessible page text, making a request for comparable completed transactions a specific diligence point.[1][2][4][5]
What exactly is included in the proposed commission, and are there minimum fees, retainers, marketing charges, or other adjustments
Will the firm represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction, and how are conflicts handled
What size transactions does Southern Country Business Advisors handle?
The firm states that most of its brokers are serial entrepreneurs or former business owners and that it has decades of combined experience in construction and home-service businesses. These statements describe the firm’s own account of its team background and sector experience.[6]
Southern Country Business Advisors describes itself as a transactional broker representing both buyers and sellers. Its published buyer-representation description covers acquisition searches, opportunity evaluation, negotiation, and due diligence.[4][5]
The firm’s fact sheet identifies manufacturing and distribution, construction, home services, restaurants, and lawn and landscaping as industries served, along with additional industries. Its Why SCBA page separately states that the firm has a strong background in construction and home-service businesses.
The fact sheet states that the service area is all of Florida and lists Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, and additional Florida counties. The homepage identifies Fort Myers and Southwest Florida as core markets.[5][6]
What does Southern Country Business Advisors publicly disclose about fees and engagement terms?
The official homepage contains a “JUST SOLD” section but does not identify the sold businesses in the accessible page text.
The official SCI Listings page describes buyer-representation services but does not publish identifiable current listings or transaction examples in the accessible page text.[1][4]
Florida Department of State records list Southern Country Investments, Inc. as an active Florida profit corporation, document number P22000086650, with a principal address at 5257 Western Drive, Saint James City, Florida.
Business Brokers of Florida lists Southern Country Business Advisors at that address and identifies Denise S. Houghtaling as the associated broker. The firm’s fact sheet states “Florida Real Estate Broker” under license information; that is a firm-reported statement rather than an independently established license-status finding in the sources cited for this profile.[3][5][7]
The firm states that its average time to sell a business is 8-10 months. Its fact sheet also states that it vets buyers, requires an NDA before releasing confidential information, requests proof of funds, and may request a call with prospective buyers before releasing confidential information.[5]
Questions to ask before hiring Southern Country Business Advisors
What exactly is included in the proposed commission, and are there minimum fees, retainers, marketing charges, or other adjustments?
Will the firm represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction, and how are conflicts handled?
Which valuation methods and financial information will be used to evaluate the business?
What buyer-vetting, NDA, proof-of-funds, and confidentiality procedures will apply?
Can the firm provide recent comparable transactions, including industry, size, and closing date?
Which team member will lead the engagement, and what directly relevant experience does that person have in the owner’s sector and geography?
Sources & research notes
- Official website / firm overview
- Official website / firm overview
- Structure / regulatory context
- Services / capabilities
- Industry / market focus
- Industry / market focus
- Structure / regulatory context
How this profile was researched
Auxo profiles are prepared from publicly available primary and authoritative sources and reviewed for entity identity, factual support and disclosure consistency. When a fact cannot be supported by the reviewed public record, the profile identifies it as something to confirm directly rather than inferring it.
Independent research profile
This profile was prepared by Auxo Capital Advisors from publicly available information believed to be reliable and is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not an endorsement, recommendation, ranking, solicitation, or representation regarding the profiled firm, its services, qualifications, transaction experience, regulatory status, financial condition, or suitability for any particular person, company, transaction, or investment.
Information obtained from third-party and public sources may be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or subject to change, and Auxo Capital Advisors makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Readers should conduct their own independent diligence and consult appropriate professional advisers before engaging any advisor, intermediary, investor, lender, acquirer, or other transaction counterparty.
Broker-dealer and securities disclosure
Auxo Capital Advisors is an affiliate of Weild & Co., Member FINRA | SIPC. Securities-related activities and securities transactions are conducted through Weild & Co.
Nothing contained on this page constitutes an offer to sell, an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security, investment product, or financial instrument. Nothing on this page constitutes investment advice, a recommendation regarding any security, or a recommendation to enter into any transaction with the profiled firm or any other party.
Any securities transaction, capital-raising engagement, investment-banking engagement, or other securities-related activity involving Auxo Capital Advisors or Weild & Co. is subject to applicable regulatory requirements, internal review and approval, suitability and other applicable diligence requirements, and the terms of a separate written engagement or transaction agreement, as applicable.
Inclusion of a third-party firm in this directory does not imply affiliation with, sponsorship by, endorsement by, or any other relationship with Auxo Capital Advisors or Weild & Co. unless expressly stated otherwise.