Central Texas · Texas
Lockhart business brokers and M&A advisors
MDR & Associates works as the sell-side M&A advisor for Lockhart owners, handling the sale of a company from first valuation to funds wired while keeping it confidential. Lockhart, the Caldwell County seat, is 30 miles south of downtown Austin on U.S. Highway 183, and our advisors come to you there.
Cattle, cotton, poultry and barbecue
The railroad set Lockhart's course. When the Missouri–Kansas–Texas line arrived in 1887, the town became a regional shipping center for cotton, and the production, processing and shipment of cattle, cotton, corn, wheat and poultry became the center of its economy. In 1999 the Texas Legislature named it the Barbecue Capital of Texas, and the town has hosted many film productions. It is also home to the Dr. Eugene Clark Library, described as the oldest operating public library in Texas. The 2020 census counted 14,379 residents, and the city sits within Greater Austin, 70 miles northeast of San Antonio.
Lockhart at a glance
- CountyCaldwell County
- Metro areaGreater Austin
- Companies we sell$3M–$100M
- Typical transaction3–9 months
- Fee if we do not closeNone
Selling a company in Lockhart: what buyers weigh
A business rooted in processing, hauling or supplying agricultural products is often a distribution business at heart: it buys, stores, moves and sells. Buyers of distribution and wholesale companies look at supplier relationships, inventory turns, routes and customer concentration. Restaurants and hospitality firms tied to the barbecue trade tell a different story, built on reputation and visitors. Either can sell well if the numbers are clean.
Before we go to market we restate three years of financials to show adjusted earnings, the figure buyers price. If you would rather have an independent opinion first, ask about a formal business valuation. Then buyers from our own database see a blind profile, sign an NDA and prove funding before learning your name.
Due diligence is where many sales stumble. A buyer's accountants will test your inventory counts, supplier terms and customer records; a buyer's lawyers will read your leases and permits. We help you gather those documents before an offer is signed, so the weeks after the letter of intent confirm the price rather than reopen it.
Close to Austin, but its own market
Lockhart is near enough to Austin that buyers there already know it, yet far enough that a Lockhart company keeps its own identity. Our Austin page explains our approach around the capital. The opening meeting costs you nothing, and the fee is due only when the sale closes.
What we sell in and around Lockhart
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 Lockhart owners ask before they sell
Answered in full by the advisors who run the sales. Every Austin answer.
The process
How a Lockhart 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
We also work with owners near Lockhart
Questions owners in Lockhart ask
Can a family-owned Lockhart business with a well-known name be sold without losing its reputation?
Yes. Buyers often pay for exactly that reputation, so they want to keep it. We screen buyers for fit as well as funding, negotiate how the name, methods and key staff carry forward, and can build in a transition period where you stay involved. You approve which buyers see details.
Do buyers see Lockhart companies as part of Austin or San Antonio?
Many see both. Lockhart is in the Greater Austin area and 70 miles from San Antonio, so a company here can interest buyers from either city and from outside Texas. We present your customer reach and delivery area clearly so buyers credit the full market you serve.
Talk to an advisor about your Lockhart company
Four fields, a reply the same business day, and nothing shared with anyone. If you would rather talk, call (855) 637-2776.