Frequently Asked Questions

Steward Market is a values-first marketplace for ethical business transitions. We connect mission-driven sellers with values-aligned buyers, intermediaries, and capital partners through shared context and mutual consent.

We do not broker deals, provide advice, or take commissions. Instead, we provide the environment, context, and shared language that make better outcomes possible. You remain in control before, during, and after every conversation.

BizBuySell is built for broad exposure. Steward Market is built for values-aligned discovery. It is not either/or. You can absolutely use both. Steward Market is not exclusive, and we never will be. It does not replace your broker, advisor, or broader listing strategy. We help sellers, buyers, and advisors connect around more than price, including employees, legacy, mission, community impact, ownership structure, and long-term stewardship.

No. Steward Market is a mission-driven for-profit business. We believe marketplace design is a powerful tool for social and economic change, and we’re building a sustainable model to support it for the long term.

Yes. We want you to be inspired by what you see so visibility is not gated. Anyone can browse published seller listings, buyer profiles, and partner profiles for free, without logging in. Messaging through the platform requires an active paid listing or profile and an accepted connection.

Start in your dashboard. Choose Create Listing, New Buyer Profile, or New Partner Profile to begin. Use My Listings and My Profiles to manage what you create. You can save listings and profiles, manage conversations in Messages, track Impact Exit participation, and invite collaborators through My Team. You can create multiple listings and profiles under one account to manage everything in one place. An account alone does not unlock connection requests or messaging; an active paid listing or profile does.

You need an active paid seller listing, buyer profile, or partner profile to request a connection. The other member must also have an active listing or profile. A conversation opens when they accept your request.

No. An active paid listing or profile lets you request connections and receive interest from other members. Each person decides whether to engage, and Steward Market does not arrange introductions or guarantee a transaction.

Yes. You can save your work as a draft and return to it from My Listings or My Profiles in your dashboard. Your draft is not visible to other members. When you’re ready, complete the steps to activate and publish it.

Yes. One account can hold multiple seller listings, buyer profiles, and partner profiles. Pricing applies to each listing or profile, not to the account: each seller listing has its own one-time fee, and each buyer or partner profile needs its own subscription.

If you close and delete your seller listing, the messaging access associated with it ends. If a buyer or partner subscription ends, that profile is removed and its messaging access ends. You can still browse published listings and profiles for free.

Yes. In your dashboard, select My Team to invite team members and assign permissions. Steward Market does not charge per user. Fees apply to each seller listing, buyer profile, or partner profile.

Steward Market welcomes business owners who care about what happens to their company next. You do not need a particular certification or ownership structure to create a listing.

No. You’re welcome here years before a sale, while you’re actively planning one, or while you’re still exploring your options. Steward Market is explicitly designed to help you explore potential ownership paths before you’re ready for a sale. Use your listing to share your goals, timing, and what matters to you in a future transition. You decide which connection requests to accept and when to have a conversation.

Listing your business on Steward Market costs a flat, one-time fee of $25. No commissions. No success fees. No pressure to transact.

Steward Market is designed for confidential, consent-based exploration, and seller listings must not include company names, founder names, URLs, customer names, or other details that could reasonably identify the business before a connection is mutually accepted. Users are responsible for the information they submit; while we review listings for obvious identifying details, we cannot guarantee every detail will be caught.

With an active paid listing or profile, you can express interest in a seller’s listing. The seller decides whether to accept your request. Messaging opens when they do.

Yes. If you’re open to investment, a partial sale, or another ownership arrangement, describe the opportunity and the kind of capital partner you hope to meet in your seller listing. Steward Market helps interested members discover each other; you and your advisors decide whether and how to pursue a transaction.

Yes. If your fund is considering an exit from a company it owns, a seller listing can help potential next owners discover the opportunity and understand what matters in the transition. You can also use the marketplace to connect with members interested in investment or other ownership paths. Make sure you’re authorized to represent the business and follow the listing’s confidentiality guidelines.

Individuals, search funds, investment firms, and organizations can create buyer profiles. You do not need a particular certification to participate. A strong profile explains your approach to ownership, what you’re looking for, and how you would care for the business after a transition.

Yes, and we encourage you to be clear about where you stand. Share your acquisition thesis and use the Capital Readiness field to explain whether your funding is committed or still being assembled. Sellers can assess your plans, while capital partners and lenders can see where they might be able to help.

Yes. Brokers can create and manage seller listings for businesses they represent. An import template helps you bring over information you already have in a spreadsheet. Each published seller listing has its own one-time fee. Make sure you have the owner’s authorization and follow Steward Market’s confidentiality guidelines. Work buy-side? Awesome. You can also create buyer profiles for clients you represent. Each buyer profile requires its own subscription.

Yes. You can create seller listings for businesses you represent and subscribe to create a partner profile for your services. Your fees and agreements with your clients remain between you and them. Steward Market does not charge a commission or success fee on transactions. Each seller listing has its own one-time fee, and a partner profile requires its own subscription.

It’s a voluntary way to pay stewardship forward. Sellers, buyers, and partners can choose to contribute to the fund, which supports the next generation of mission-driven founders through grants and aligned support.

Congratulations! That is so exciting! Select Impact Exit in your dashboard and follow the steps for making a voluntary contribution and to claim your updated Executed badge. Contributions are made directly to the Steward Impact Fund via Impact Charitable, outside Steward Market, and may be tax deductible if you’re an eligible U.S. taxpayer; please confirm with your tax professional.

Yes. The Steward Impact Fund is managed by Impact Charitable, an independent donor-advised fund. For U.S. taxpayers, contributions are generally tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Yes. Visit the Steward Market YouTube channel for tutorials and demos.