Murfreesboro, Tennessee Business Brokers

Murfreesboro reached a population of 168,382 in 2024 with a median household income of $84,457 — figures that reflect one of Tennessee's fastest-growing suburban markets, not a city still finding its footing. That consumer base, combined with four high-velocity industry clusters, creates consistent demand for small-business acquisitions across multiple sectors.

Healthcare leads by employment with 12,003 jobs, followed by retail trade at 10,392 and educational services at 9,239. Logistics and manufacturing round out the core clusters, each backed by major anchor employers. Together, these four sectors generate steady transaction activity — not just listings that sit. Recent deals confirm it: in 2024 and 2025 alone, buyers closed on US Machine & Tool, Cyber Sciences, Sherrod Computers, and Store Opening Solutions (SOS), spanning precision manufacturing, power-monitoring hardware, software development, and logistics.

The SOS deal is particularly telling. Koch Companies acquired SOS from Marmon Holdings in 2025, doubling its nationwide warehouse footprint — using Murfreesboro's operations as the foundation. That kind of strategic move reflects the city's geographic advantage: Rutherford County sits within 650 miles of 50% of the U.S. population, a supply-chain fact that directly inflates valuations for distribution-related businesses.

Nationally, small-business transactions grew 5% in 2024 to 9,546 closed deals per BizBuySell's Year-End Insight Report, with enterprise value up 15% over 2023. Tennessee's no-wage-income-tax climate and Sun Belt population inflows keep buyers active. Add Rutherford County's concentration of more than 500 healthcare companies along Medical Center Parkway, and the case for sustained deal flow is grounded in specifics, not optimism.

Healthcare & Social Assistance

Healthcare is the largest employment sector in Murfreesboro, with 12,003 jobs — and the business-sale market reflects that weight. Rutherford County is home to more than 500 healthcare companies, many clustered along Medical Center Parkway. National HealthCare Corporation (NHC), headquartered in Murfreesboro, anchors the senior care segment. Buyers targeting home health agencies, outpatient clinics, medical staffing firms, and healthcare IT companies find a deep local market here. Valuations tend to hold firm because recurring revenue and Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement streams reduce buyer risk perception.

Logistics & Distribution

Few mid-size cities can match Murfreesboro's geographic case for logistics investment. Rutherford County sits within 650 miles of 50% of the U.S. population — a hard supply-chain advantage that has attracted Amazon sort and delivery facilities as well as Koch Logistics. Koch's 2025 acquisition of Store Opening Solutions doubled its nationwide warehouse footprint using Murfreesboro as the operational base. For buyers evaluating distribution, fulfillment, or freight brokerage businesses, that infrastructure context matters when building a valuation argument.

Manufacturing

RutherfordWorks lists manufacturing as a county target industry, and the deal record backs that up. In 2024, Knoxville-based growth equity firm Sixeight acquired US Machine & Tool, a Murfreesboro precision CNC machining and fabrication company, to expand regional manufacturing capabilities. That same year, Trystar — backed by Goldner Hawn — acquired Cyber Sciences, a Murfreesboro maker of sequence-of-events recorders and GPS time-synchronization devices. General Mills operates a manufacturing facility here; McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing (an Oshkosh Corporation subsidiary) maintains a local presence as well. Private equity interest in sub-$10M manufacturing businesses is active and recent, not theoretical.

Educational Services & Retail Trade

Educational services employ 9,239 people in Murfreesboro, anchored by Middle Tennessee State University — one of Tennessee's largest universities. MTSU's Jennings A. Jones College of Business and one of the nation's top aviation programs generate demand for tutoring centers, workforce training firms, test-prep businesses, and aviation-adjacent services near Murfreesboro Municipal Airport. Buyers with an education or aerospace background find a built-in customer base here.

Retail trade at 10,392 jobs reflects real consumer spending power from a suburban population with an $84,457 median household income. Food and beverage, specialty retail, and service businesses along Old Fort Parkway and NW Broad Street draw buyers looking for established cash-flow operations in a growing market.

Selling a business in Tennessee carries a compliance requirement most sellers don't expect: under T.C.A. §62-13-102(16) and §62-13-301, only a Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TREC)-licensed real estate broker or affiliate broker may legally broker a business sale. Before you sign an engagement agreement with anyone, verify their TREC license. This isn't a formality — operating without one violates the Tennessee Real Estate Broker License Act of 1973.

The typical sale process runs six to twelve months. It starts with a formal business valuation, then moves to broker engagement, confidential marketing under a signed NDA, buyer vetting, a letter of intent (LOI), due diligence, and final closing documentation. Healthcare and manufacturing transactions in Murfreesboro often run toward the longer end of that range — healthcare deals involve HIPAA-compliant data rooms and potential licensing reviews, while manufacturing deals require equipment appraisals and environmental checks that extend due diligence.

On the closing side, Tennessee adds two steps that apply to every deal. The Tennessee Secretary of State – Business Services Division handles entity dissolution or transfer filings, and the Tennessee Department of Revenue must issue a tax clearance letter before the transaction closes. Budget time for both.

If your business holds a liquor license — relevant to Murfreesboro's growing restaurant and hospitality corridor — the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) must approve the new owner as a separate closing condition. That approval process runs on its own timeline and can't be rushed.

Nationally, retirement-driven sellers account for roughly 38% of listings, and seller financing has remained a common deal structure as SBA loan rates stayed elevated through 2023–2024. Structuring part of the purchase price as a seller note gives buyers an alternative to full bank financing and can help close valuation gaps — but it also means your net proceeds arrive over time, not all at closing. Plan accordingly.

Three buyer profiles drive most deal activity in Murfreesboro's market, and understanding each one helps sellers position their business — and price it — more effectively.

Nashville-market investors seeking suburban entry points. As acquisition multiples in Nashville proper have climbed, a growing segment of buyers has shifted attention to Murfreesboro, where businesses in healthcare services, logistics support, and professional services trade at more accessible valuations. These buyers know the Middle Tennessee market well and move quickly when financials are clean.

Private equity and growth equity acquirers. Murfreesboro has demonstrated clear PE interest across its core industries. In 2024, Knoxville-based growth equity firm Sixeight acquired Murfreesboro precision CNC machining company US Machine & Tool to expand regional manufacturing capabilities. That same year, Trystar — a Goldner Hawn portfolio company — acquired Murfreesboro-based Cyber Sciences, a maker of sequence-of-events recorders and GPS time-synchronization devices, to build out its power monitoring platform. National logistics operator Koch Companies acquired Murfreesboro-based Store Opening Solutions in 2025, citing the city's geographic centrality — Rutherford County sits within 650 miles of 50% of the U.S. population. These aren't outliers; they reflect active roll-up and platform-building strategies targeting Murfreesboro's manufacturing, tech, and logistics sectors.

MTSU-connected and SBA-backed first-time buyers. Middle Tennessee State University awarded nearly 5,000 degrees in 2023. That annual output feeds a steady pipeline of entrepreneurial buyers — alumni and faculty entrepreneurs — particularly interested in education-adjacent, technology, and professional services businesses. Many finance acquisitions through SBA 7(a) loans. With SBA rates elevated through 2023–2024, seller financing has remained a practical bridge, making sellers who offer a partial note more competitive in attracting this buyer segment.

VendEngine's all-cash acquisition of Murfreesboro software firm Sherrod Computers in 2024 also signals that strategic tech buyers from nearby Nashville are watching the market closely.

Start with the credential that Tennessee law requires. Under T.C.A. §62-13-102(16) and §62-13-301, only a TREC-licensed real estate broker or affiliate broker may legally represent you in a business sale. Confirm a broker's active license through the Tennessee Real Estate Commission before any other conversation. A broker without that license cannot legally close your deal.

Beyond the legal baseline, sector fit matters significantly in Murfreesboro's market. Healthcare transactions — the city's largest employment sector, with 12,003 workers — require a broker who understands HIPAA-compliant data room setup, provider licensing continuity, and the due diligence expectations of healthcare-focused buyers. Manufacturing deals, which have drawn active PE interest in Rutherford County, require familiarity with equipment appraisals and SBA collateral requirements. Ask any broker how many transactions they've closed in your specific industry, not just their total deal count.

Confidentiality handling deserves a direct question: how does the broker qualify buyers before sharing your financials? Murfreesboro's business community is tightly networked — a leak to a competitor, supplier, or key employee can destabilize a business before a deal closes. A strong broker uses tiered disclosure: teaser first, NDA second, financials only to pre-qualified buyers.

Also evaluate market reach. A broker who markets only to local buyers is leaving money on the table in a city that has attracted Nashville investors, regional PE firms, and national strategic acquirers. Ask whether their buyer outreach extends to the Nashville metro, regional growth equity firms, and industry-specific strategic buyers.

For referrals to brokers active in Rutherford County, the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and the TSBDC at MTSU are practical starting points.

Business broker fees in Murfreesboro follow national structures, but the numbers vary by deal size — and sellers should know the ranges before signing anything.

For smaller deals under $1 million, success fees typically run 8–12% of the final sale price, often subject to a minimum fee floor regardless of outcome. For mid-market deals in the $1 million–$5 million range — common for Murfreesboro's manufacturing and healthcare businesses — fees generally fall between 5–8%. Larger transactions may use the Lehman Formula or a modified Double Lehman scale, which applies a declining percentage to successive tranches of deal value. In practice, this means the effective rate drops as the deal size grows.

Some brokers charge an upfront retainer or valuation fee, while others work on a pure success-fee basis. Neither model is inherently better — a retainer signals commitment from both sides; a pure success fee aligns incentives toward closing. Clarify the structure before you sign an engagement letter, and confirm the exclusivity period (typically six to twelve months).

Total transaction costs extend beyond the broker's commission. Budget for attorney fees covering purchase agreement drafting and review, accountant costs for due diligence preparation and tax structuring, and Tennessee-specific closing costs: entity transfer or dissolution filings with the Tennessee Secretary of State and a tax clearance letter from the Tennessee Department of Revenue.

Seller financing — still common in the Nashville-Murfreesboro MSA given elevated SBA loan rates through 2023–2024 — affects your net proceeds timing. A seller note may close a deal that all-cash terms wouldn't, but it means a portion of your proceeds arrives over months or years. Factor that into your cost and liquidity planning from the start.

Several free and low-cost resources serve Murfreesboro business owners directly — no need to travel to Nashville to access meaningful support.

• [Tennessee Small Business Development Center at MTSU – Murfreesboro Center](https://tsbdc.org/center/murfreesboro/) — Hosted by the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and physically located in the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce building, this SBDC office offers free one-on-one advising on business valuation preparation, financial statement cleanup, and exit planning. It's the most accessible free resource for Murfreesboro owners getting ready to sell.

• [SCORE Nashville](https://nashville.score.org/) — SCORE's Nashville chapter serves Murfreesboro and the broader Middle Tennessee region, matching business owners with experienced executive mentors at no charge. Particularly useful for first-time sellers who need help organizing financials before approaching a broker.

• [Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce](https://www.rutherfordchamber.org/) — The primary business networking hub for Rutherford County. Useful for connecting with local attorneys, accountants, and brokers who are active in the market and familiar with Murfreesboro deal dynamics.

• [SBA Tennessee District Office](https://www.sba.gov/district/tennessee) — Located in Nashville at 2 International Plaza Dr., Suite 500 (615-736-5881), this office administers SBA 7(a) and 504 loan programs. Buyers financing an acquisition and sellers structuring a deal involving SBA lending should contact this office directly.

• [Rutherford Source](https://rutherfordsource.com/) — Local business news outlet covering Rutherford County. Useful for tracking M&A activity, new business entrants, and economic developments that affect market conditions in Murfreesboro.

Murfreesboro's commercial activity is distributed across distinct corridors, each attracting a different buyer profile. Medical Center Parkway is the healthcare business hub — where clinics, medical offices, and health services companies concentrate. Old Fort Parkway and NW Broad Street serve as the city's primary retail and service corridors, drawing buyers focused on consumer-facing businesses backed by strong suburban foot traffic.

The area near Murfreesboro Municipal Airport supports aviation-adjacent and light industrial deals, complemented by MTSU's nationally recognized aviation program. The MTSU campus district also generates consistent demand for student-facing food and beverage, tutoring, and education businesses.

Nashville sits roughly 35 miles northwest, and buyers from Franklin and Hendersonville routinely target Murfreesboro listings as lower-cost suburban alternatives to Nashville-market pricing. Smyrna and La Vergne form a northern industrial corridor that shares manufacturing and logistics buyer pools with Murfreesboro. Lebanon and Shelbyville bring adjacent rural-market sellers who typically transact through Murfreesboro-based brokers. Clarksville represents another Middle Tennessee market where buyers sometimes cross-shop listings depending on industry fit.