Central Texas · Texas
Cross Plains business brokers and M&A advisors
MDR & Associates represents Texas business owners in the sale of profitable companies, and anyone looking to sell a business in Cross Plains can call us for a confidential valuation and a properly marketed sale. Cross Plains sits where State Highways 36 and 206 meet in Callahan County, 45 miles southeast of Abilene, and we travel to you.
Oil boom, cotton gin and Conan's hometown
Cross Plains began as Turkey Creek, with a store, a cotton gin and a gristmill, and took its present name in 1878. Agriculture and oil drove its economy; an oil boom in 1925 lifted the population, and by 1940 it was over 1,200. The author Robert E. Howard, who created Conan, lived here from 1919 until his death in 1936.
The town had 899 residents in the 2020 census, down from 982 a decade earlier. Highway 36 connects it to Abilene to the northwest and to Comanche to the southeast.
Cross Plains at a glance
- CountyCallahan County
- RegionCentral Texas
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
A Callahan County company with reach beyond the city limits
If your company is based in a town of 899 people and earns $3 million or more a year, its customers are spread well beyond the city limits, and that reach is what a buyer is buying. The marketing has to show where the revenue comes from and why it will keep coming after you leave. A map of customers by county can say more than a page of description.
Energy-related companies, agricultural suppliers and trade contractors each attract a different buyer. Energy buyers will study how the company did in down cycles; agricultural buyers will look at seasons and customer loyalty; trade buyers will focus on crews and repeat work. We position the company for the buyers most likely to pay the most, and then let them compete.
The practical side of a Cross Plains sale
The first step is a free meeting where we go over three years of statements and give you a value range. If we take the engagement, every buyer who asks about your company must sign a nondisclosure agreement and show proof of funds before seeing any detail. A principal of the firm handles the negotiations, and every offer is presented to you in person. You can read the steps on our sell your business page and see how the success fee works; there is no charge if the company does not sell. Want a quick number first? Try the valuation snapshot.
What we sell in and around Cross Plains
Industry decides the buyer, the multiple and the diligence. These are the four sectors we work in most.
Manufacturing
Equipment, real estate, backlog and customer concentration decide what a manufacturer is worth.
How buyers value itHome Services
Plumbing, HVAC, roofing, landscaping and other home service companies — where repeat customers, crews and technicians decide the price.
How buyers value itDistribution & Wholesale
Inventory, working capital and supplier agreements decide what a distributor is worth.
How buyers value itBusiness Services
Recurring revenue and owner dependence separate a two-times business from a six-times business.
How buyers value itStraight answers
Questions Cross Plains owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Austin answer.
The process
How a Cross Plains sale runs
Ten steps in four stages, typically three to nine months. Click any step to see it in full.
- Prepare
- Go to market
- Negotiate
- Close
Questions owners in Cross Plains ask
My Cross Plains company did well in the last oil upswing. How will buyers read those years?
Buyers will want to know which years reflect normal business and which were lifted by a busy oil market. We recast the financials to show earnings across the full cycle. A company that stayed profitable in slower years usually earns a better multiple than one that only shines at the top.
How will a buyer who has never been to Callahan County judge my company?
Through the marketing package, the recast financials and an HD video of the operation, all prepared before any visit. Once a buyer is seriously interested and has signed a confidentiality agreement, they come to see it. That lets us market a small-town company to buyers across Texas and beyond without exposing it locally.
Talk to an advisor about your Cross Plains company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.