Certified Business Intermediary Expertise
Learn how the CBI designation supports experienced, ethical, and knowledgeable business transaction guidance.
The Value of the CBI Designation in Business Transitions
The Certified Business Intermediary designation (CBI) is awarded by the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) to members who have satisfied significant educational and experience requirements and conform to the ethical standards of IBBA.
Buying or selling a business is one of the most crucial financial transactions of your life. As a business owner, you deserve the most experienced professional representation available when the time comes to buy or sell a business.
In what can be a confusing and sometimes difficult process, it pays to leave as little to chance as you can. With the help of a professional, you can navigate unknown territory with confidence.
A CBI can help you optimize your transaction by identifying better prospects, clarifying investment potential, and creating a team approach by referring you to lawyers, accountants, and other professional advisors who will provide the necessary counsel to ensure a successful transition of ownership.
Every CBI has undergone a specialized course of detailed training, aimed at making the process of buying or selling a business as smooth and worry-free as possible.
A CBI brings special qualifications to meet your needs:
- IBBA Professional Network: The support of a network of IBBA professionals.
- Specialized Education: Successful completion of the courses leading to the Certified Business Intermediary designation, one of the most successful intermediary educational programs in the world. Every CBI is a professional with special expertise as a result of advanced study in leasing, selling, investment, valuation, and more.
- Current Industry Best Practices: CBIs have continuous access to current industry best practices to ensure they know the best, most powerful ways to sell your business in today's ever-changing marketplace.
- Transaction Experience: A CBI is an experienced professional who has invested in formal education to gain the skills necessary to handle the marketing, negotiations, and complex details involved in the purchase or sale of your business.
When you work with a CBI, you're working with someone who is ethical, knowledgeable, experienced, and committed to you.
A CBI has these distinctive credentials:
- A higher level of education and training.
- Professional affiliation with hundreds of other intermediaries on the local, national, and global levels.
- Access to the most current industry information with respect to investment, legislation, and other areas of critical importance.
- Local market knowledge.
A CBI must complete a minimum of 68 class hours of business brokerage courses, attend one IBBA Annual Conference, and pass at least 10 exams, including a comprehensive CBI exam; be an active IBBA member in good standing; complete a number of transactions indicating knowledge and expertise in the required areas; and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to professional development through continuing education and periodic recertification.
- Pricing Businesses
- Buyer Management
- Analyzing and Recasting Financial Statements
- Legal Aspects of Business Brokerage
- Financial Analysis
- Tax Issues of General Business Brokerage
A thorough knowledge of and loyalty to the association's Code of Ethics.