American Business Acquisitions (ABA) is a Chicago-based business brokerage and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm that handles transactions ranging from Main Street businesses to mid-market deals valued at $20 million or more.
Operating out of 77 W. Wacker Drive in the heart of Chicago's financial district, ABA serves business owners and buyers primarily across Illinois and Indiana, with some capacity to facilitate transactions in other states.
The firm focuses on confidential business sales, buyer representation, business valuation, and exit strategy consulting, positioning itself as a full-service intermediary for the complete lifecycle of a business transaction.
Key Takeaways
- ABA handles transactions from $500,000 to $20 million+, primarily across Illinois and Indiana.
- The firm represents both sellers and buyers, offering services from valuation through deal close.
- ABA brokers have personal experience as business owners, which shapes their advisory approach.
Company Overview
Company Name American Business Acquisitions, Inc. (ABA)
Location77 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 4500, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone312-360-1955
Emailinfo@abausa.com
Websiteabausa.com
Deal Range$500,000 – $20,000,000+
Primary MarketsIllinois and Indiana
SpecialtyConfidential business sales, M&A advisory, exit strategy
ABA describes its average transaction as falling in the mid to upper single-digit millions, though the firm handles deals across a wide range.
The company emphasizes confidentiality throughout the sales process, a priority that matters considerably to business owners who don't want employees, competitors, or vendors to learn about a potential sale before a deal closes.
ABA's client businesses tend to be established operations, often with long operating histories. Multi-generational family businesses represent a meaningful portion of their engagements, and the firm works with both owner-operated and absentee-owner situations.
Who ABA Works With
On the seller side, ABA works with business owners who are either ready to sell or planning ahead with exit strategy timelines that may stretch from six months to five or more years out.
The firm's process starts with a business valuation estimate, which helps sellers understand what their company is likely worth before settling on an asking price. From there, ABA prepares a Confidential Business Profile or Summary Profile to present to vetted buyers.
On the buyer side, ABA maintains an active database of potential buyers and buyer groups. Buyers can register through the firm's website, and ABA conducts what it describes as buyer-retained industry-focused acquisition searches, a process designed to find acquisition targets that match a buyer's specific criteria rather than simply circulating a listing and waiting.
The firm also represents the real property included in a business transaction when real estate is part of the deal, handling those components alongside the business sale itself rather than referring them out separately.
Industries Covered
ABA covers a notably wide range of sectors. The firm has documented successful transactions across many industry types, broken into several broad categories:
| Category | Example Business Types |
|---|---|
| B2B & B2C Services | Dental practices, medical spas, staffing agencies, security services, funeral homes, hotels |
| Manufacturing | Food and beverage manufacturing, CNC machining, metals, plastics, printing, publishing |
| Distribution | Wholesale, retail, food, beverage, construction equipment, home improvement supplies |
| Transportation & Storage | Trucking companies, logistics, warehousing, moving companies, freight lines |
| Food & Beverage Retail | Restaurants, breweries, bars, franchises, grocery stores, coffee shops, banquet halls |
| Amusement & Fitness | Golf courses, bowling alleys, fitness centers, sports complexes, water parks |
| Automotive & Dealerships | Auto dealerships, car washes, gas stations, auto body shops, RV and boat dealers |
Many brokerages specialize in one or two sectors. ABA's model is built on cross-industry versatility, which fits Chicago's highly diverse business landscape.
The Broker Services in Detail
ABA's service menu covers the transaction from start to finish. A seller engaging ABA can expect the following sequence:
- An initial phone consultation to discuss the business and gather baseline information
- A business valuation estimate outlining a range of potential value
- Preparation of a Confidential Business Profile for presentation to qualified buyers
- Marketing the business to ABA's buyer database and broader market channels
- Coordinating the negotiation, due diligence, and funding process
For buyers, the process is somewhat different. ABA can conduct a targeted acquisition search based on the buyer's criteria, manage introductions with sellers, and guide the buyer through due diligence. The firm also offers a business loan calculator on its website and resources around business plan development for buyers who need financing to complete a purchase.
The ABA Team
ABA emphasizes that its brokers are or have been business owners themselves, and many have sold their own companies using the same processes they apply to client engagements. That experience matters: brokers who have personally navigated a business sale bring context that a finance or legal background alone doesn't provide.
ABA says it only agrees to work with a client when it feels confident the transaction will succeed. That claim isn't independently verifiable, but the upfront valuation work before committing to a listing suggests a selective approach rather than a volume-driven one.
Geographic Reach
ABA's primary focus is the Chicago metro area and the broader states of Illinois and Indiana, including Chicago's major collar counties (Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, Will, and Kendall) and Indiana's Lake and Porter counties. The firm notes some capacity to work on transactions in other states, though Chicago and the surrounding region is clearly the core market. For buyers or sellers outside this geography, ABA may still be relevant in sectors like manufacturing or distribution where physical location matters less than operational footprint.
What Buyers Should Know
Buyers register through ABA's website and sign an NDA before receiving business details. Some listings never appear publicly because negotiations with pre-identified buyers begin before a public profile is completed, so early registration gives buyers access to those opportunities.
Sellers who work with ABA have typically completed a valuation process already, meaning buyers receive analyzed financials rather than raw numbers. That doesn't replace independent due diligence, but it speeds up early-stage evaluation.
What Sellers Should Know
ABA markets its approach to sellers around two core ideas: confidentiality and maximum value. Confidentiality matters because sellers generally do not want employees, suppliers, landlords, or competitors to know the business is for sale until a deal is signed. ABA handles buyer screenings and NDAs to manage that exposure. On the value side, ABA's business valuation process aims to establish a realistic asking price range before the business ever goes to market.
Exit strategy consulting is available for owners who aren't ready to sell immediately but want to plan ahead. ABA's stated timeline for these engagements ranges from six months for owners ready to move quickly, to five years or more for those who want to build value before going to market. This planning service is relevant for owners in their 50s or 60s who want to structure operations for a clean sale well in advance of actually listing.
One area worth flagging: ABA represents both buyers and sellers. When evaluating any brokerage, it's worth asking whether the firm is representing you exclusively or acting as a dual intermediary in a given transaction. That distinction has practical implications for how negotiations are managed and where the broker's primary loyalty lies at each stage of a deal.
Fees and Engagement Structure
ABA does not publish its commission rates publicly, consistent with most brokerages at this market level. Business brokerage fees generally run on a success-fee model, paid at closing, typically ranging from 8 to 12 percent for smaller deals down to 4 to 6 percent for larger mid-market transactions. Sellers should clarify ABA's specific fee structure, any upfront costs, and listing agreement terms before signing.
ABA's Market Position
Chicago has no shortage of business brokerages, including national franchise networks and independent M&A advisors.
ABA positions itself at the intersection of Main Street and mid-market: deals too large for solo brokers but not large enough for investment banks.
That tier ($500,000 to $20 million) represents a high volume of ownership transitions, particularly as baby boomer business owners continue to exit their companies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of businesses does sell?
ABA handles businesses across manufacturing, distribution, services, food and beverage, automotive, transportation, and dozens of other categories, primarily in Illinois and Indiana.
Does ABA work with buyers as well as sellers?
Yes, ABA represents both buyers and sellers, including conducting targeted acquisition searches for buyers looking for specific types of businesses.
What is typical deal size?
Transactions average in the mid to upper single-digit millions, with a range from $500,000 to over $20 million.
Conclusion
American Business Acquisitions offers a structured, full-service approach to buying and selling businesses in the Chicago metro area and across Illinois and Indiana, covering a wide range of industries and transaction sizes within the Main Street to mid-market range.
For business owners or buyers operating in that geography and that deal-size tier, ABA represents a credible option worth a direct consultation.