# Ask a Buyer · The Buyer’s Read on Worth Owning · Horizon

Canonical: https://withhorizon.co/what-a-buyer-hears

Confidential · The Buyer’s Read on [Worth Owning](/worth-owning)

# The question you’d never ask a buyer out loud.

Send it anonymously. Matt answers it on [_Worth Owning_](/worth-owning), the way a buyer would see it, so you can see your business the same way.

[![](/images/matt-headshot-card.png)Matt HarrisonCo-founder, Horizon · $100M+ in deals advised](/team#matt)

The kind of questions owners send

“One customer is 35% of our revenue. Does that kill my sale?”

Owner, industrial services, $6M revenue

It won't kill it, but it will cost you. Most buyers discount for anything over 20%, or shift part of the price into an earnout tied to that customer staying. Two years of signed contracts and a second relationship inside that account change the conversation.

“Should I tell my team I am thinking about selling?”

Owner, professional services, 40 staff

Not yet. Tell your one or two key leaders once you have a real offer, and put a retention bonus in place for them. Buyers want to see that those people are staying. Announcing too early mostly creates anxiety you then have to manage.

“What makes you walk away from a deal after the first call?”

Owner, home services, $3M revenue

When every answer is "I handle that." If the owner is the sales team, the operations lead and the only relationship with key customers, we're not buying a company, we're buying a job. We'd rather wait until that's fixed.