Corporate Investment Business Brokers (CIBB) has been brokering business sales in Southwest Florida since 1986.
Headquartered in Fort Myers with a second office in Lakewood Ranch (Sarasota area), the firm has handled over 3,000 transactions across a wide range of industries and crossed $1 billion in total sales volume.
The geography is specific: CIBB works primarily across Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Sarasota counties, connecting sellers and buyers in communities like Naples, Cape Coral, and Port Charlotte.
For anyone buying or selling a business in this region, CIBB is one of the most established names in the market.
Key Takeaways
- CIBB has closed over 3,000 business sales and $1 billion in total volume since 1986.
- The firm serves Southwest Florida exclusively, with deep regional knowledge across Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Sarasota counties.
- Services go beyond simple brokerage to include valuations, visa facilitation, M&A advisory, and succession planning.
Who CIBB Is Built For
The firm works with both buyers and sellers. On the sell side, business owners looking to exit get access to confidential marketing, deal structuring, contract preparation, and negotiation support.
On the buy side, CIBB helps qualified buyers find profitable, established businesses and assists with SBA lending qualifications and financing referrals.
What separates CIBB from a generic listing service is the combination of local market expertise and a structured transaction process.
Selling a business involves a lot of moving parts: valuation accuracy, keeping the sale confidential from employees and competitors, financing, legal documentation.
CIBB positions itself as a firm that handles all of those layers, not just the listing.
The buyer pool includes both domestic purchasers and international buyers.
CIBB explicitly offers visa facilitation services for foreign nationals looking to acquire a business in the U.S., which is a practical differentiator in a region like Southwest Florida that draws significant international investment.
Services at a Glance
Service | What It Covers |
|---|---|
Business Valuation | Free market value estimates; first step before listing |
Confidential Marketing | Local, regional, and global buyer outreach without exposing sensitive details |
Mergers & Acquisitions | Full M&A advisory including loan referrals and financier network access |
Visa Facilitation | Helps international buyers obtain credentials to do business in the U.S. |
Business & Succession Plans | Strategic planning for short and long-term business continuity |
SBA Pre-Qualification | Listings flagged as lender pre-qualified for faster buyer financing |
Contract Preparation | End-to-end documentation and deal structure support |
The Valuation Process
Before anything gets listed, CIBB does a market valuation.
This is offered free with no obligation, which makes sense from a business development standpoint: it gets sellers in the door and gives the brokerage team a chance to assess whether the business is a viable listing.
Getting the valuation right matters more than most sellers initially expect. Overpriced businesses sit. Underpriced businesses cost the seller real money.
CIBB's brokers draw on decades of regional sales data to set accurate expectations.
The valuation also feeds into succession planning. Some business owners aren't looking to sell right now.
They're thinking about what happens five years from now, or what happens if something unexpected comes up. CIBB works with clients in that phase too, building out transition strategies before a sale becomes urgent.
Listings: How Buyers Shop
The CIBB website organizes listings several useful ways. You can filter by county (Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota), by price range, or by whether a listing is SBA lender pre-qualified or visa-qualified.
There's also a curated "CIBB Exclusive Listings" section for high-profile opportunities.
Price tiers break down like this:
- Under $300,000 — smaller businesses, entry-level acquisitions
- $300,001 to $1,000,000 — mid-market, established operations
- $1,000,000 and above — larger regional businesses, franchise operations, and M&A-level deals
The industry range covered is wide. Restaurants, medical practices, automotive businesses, marine-related companies, distribution, manufacturing, and professional services all appear across CIBB's listings.
That breadth matters in a market like Southwest Florida, where the economy spans tourism, healthcare, construction, and maritime industries.
Confidentiality: A Real Priority
Confidentiality comes up repeatedly in how CIBB describes its process, and for good reason.
Most business owners cannot afford to have their employees, customers, or competitors know the business is for sale.
A premature leak can cause staff to leave, clients to look elsewhere, and suppliers to get nervous.
CIBB uses confidential marketing practices, which typically means potential buyers must sign NDAs and qualify before receiving detailed information about any listing.
This isn't a small operational detail. It's one of the core reasons sellers choose a professional broker over trying to sell independently through a public listing.
The reputational risk of handling it poorly is significant.
October 2025: CIBB Acquires CRE Consultants
In October 2025, CIBB made a notable move: acquiring CRE Consultants, a commercial real estate firm also based in Southwest Florida.
The acquisition expanded CIBB's service portfolio to include commercial real estate, which means clients now have access to both business brokerage and commercial property services under one roof.
That's a meaningful addition. Business acquisitions often involve real estate, whether that's a leased commercial space, a building purchase, or a property included in the sale.
Having in-house commercial real estate expertise removes a friction point that many business buyers and sellers run into when those two processes are handled by separate firms that aren't coordinating well.
What Clients Say
CIBB holds a 4.3-star Google rating across 16 reviews. A few patterns come through in the feedback:
- Brokers like Andy and Dan are mentioned by name, with reviewers noting quick response times and strong product knowledge.
- The process is described as smooth, particularly in complex deals like vacation property management acquisitions.
- Multiple reviewers mention returning or referring others as a direct result of their experience.
One reviewer who worked with broker Joe wrote that the experience made them a repeat customer and that they would recommend CIBB to anyone buying or selling in the Southwest Florida market.
That's the kind of feedback that points to competent execution, not just a polished website.
16 reviews is a relatively modest sample for a firm that's been operating since 1986. That said, business transactions are often confidential by nature.
Clients who close deals aren't always inclined to post publicly about them. The reviews that do exist trend positive and name specific brokers, which tends to signal authentic experiences.
Strengths and Limitations
Where CIBB does well:
- Four decades of market-specific experience in Southwest Florida
- Full-service offering that covers the entire transaction lifecycle
- Visa facilitation for international buyers, which is relatively uncommon among regional brokers
- SBA pre-qualified listings that reduce financing friction for buyers
- Post-2025 commercial real estate capabilities through the CRE Consultants acquisition
Where to be aware:
- Geographic scope is limited to Southwest Florida. If you're looking to buy or sell outside this region, CIBB is not the right fit.
- With 16 Google reviews, independent third-party verification of the firm's track record is thinner than you might expect for a firm of this age and volume.
- No publicly visible fee structure. Commission rates and engagement terms are not listed on the website, which is standard for brokerage but means sellers need to have that conversation directly before committing.
Conclusion
CIBB is a well-established regional brokerage with a documented track record in Southwest Florida, covering the full spectrum of business sales from small local operations to seven-figure acquisitions.
Buyers and sellers operating specifically in the Lee, Collier, Charlotte, or Sarasota county markets will find a firm with genuine regional depth, a structured process, and a service range that has expanded further with the 2025 addition of commercial real estate capabilities.