Buy the right business. Close it. Run it.
Deal to Keys will take you through all 12 steps of buying a small business, from first search to first payroll.
Email only. Used to tell you about launch. Never sold.
Screening
Analyze
Diligence
Closing
Product preview. Names and numbers are fictional examples.
Find & screen
Every listing, ranked against your buy box
Deal to Keys will pull listings from alerts, links and brokers, then score each one against what you said you want.
- Import from DealOrb, Clef, BizBuySell and CSV
- A fit score with the reasons behind it
- Multiple and DSCR estimate in a minute
Product preview
Analyze
Recast the seller's numbers yourself
Start from the tax return and add back only what a new owner will not pay. Every line shows its source.
- Add-back toggles with the document behind each
- DSCR recomputed after a replacement manager
- Gaps between P&L and bank deposits flagged
2025 tax return, line 31$121,000
W-2, 2025$48,000
Form 4562$9,500
Needs a document$18,000
Illustrative numbers. Lenders typically want 1.25 or more.
Product preview
Deal inbox
One deal inbox for every provider
Gmail, Outlook and other accounts will feed one inbox. Deal to Keys reads only mail that matches your deals.
- Threads summarized, to-dos pulled out
- Drafts in the tone you pick
- Nothing sends until you approve
Seller call Thursday + lease
Pre-qualification: what I need
Product preview
Call coach
Know what to ask during the call
Questions are built from gaps in the documents. During the call, the coach suggests follow-ups as the seller talks.
- Live transcript with suggested questions
- Notes update the model after the call
- Consent check before anything is recorded
Product preview
Diligence & closing
Close with nothing left open
A tracker mapped to the files that arrive by email and Drive. Findings update the model as they land.
- Missing items listed and requested for you
- Plain-English APA review with flags
- A closing checklist that follows the deal
Product preview
Own
Run the business after you buy it
Books, KPIs and a tax calendar in one owner dashboard, with an AI CFO that answers from your numbers.
- Monthly close and CPA packet
- Churn, revenue and cash flow on one page
- Tax dates before they are due
2 days left
Product preview
In the box
Tools that share one deal
Nothing is retyped and nothing is forgotten.
Deal inbox
Watches for deal-related emails only. Summarizes threads, pulls out to-dos, drafts replies in your tone.
Drive and Dropbox sync
Files are sorted into your diligence checklist and read for key facts. Missing items are listed.
Call coach
Prep questions from gaps, suggested follow-ups during the call, notes that update the model.
Deal memo
One document: thesis, financials, risks, open questions, recommendation. Always current.
Scripts and templates
Call scripts, broker emails, seller questions, LOI language.
SDE, valuation and DSCR models
Tested calculators with every number traced to a source page.
LOI and APA review
Terms explained, unusual clauses flagged, handoff packets for your attorney.
Diligence tracker
Requests, receipts, findings and a running list of what is still missing.
Dashboards and learnings
Pipeline view, plus what your killed deals taught the scout.
Learn
Short lessons tied to the step you are on, with a quiz.
Advisor network
Invite your own CPA, attorney or lender.
Owner mode
Books, KPIs, tax calendar and an AI CFO after you close.
How it works
The whole journey in one place
Twelve steps in five stages. Each step has one job on screen, and Deal to Keys will know where you are.
Find
Say what you want once: industry, place, money, your time. It becomes the filter for everything.
Imports listings from alerts, links, brokers and other tools, and ranks them against your buy box.
Multiple, DSCR estimate, red flags and questions in a minute.
Analyze
Drafts broker and owner messages in your tone. You tap send.
Recast the seller's earnings from the tax return, line by line, with add-back toggles.
Questions built from gaps in the documents. Live prompts during the call.
Negotiate
Valuation ranges, debt capacity and structures side by side.
Every term explained. A draft for your attorney to finalize.
Close
A tracker mapped to files that arrive by email and Drive. Findings update the model.
Plain-English clause review, a flags list and the closing checklist.
Own
A dated plan for staff, customers, vendors and systems.
Books, KPIs, tax calendar and an AI CFO.
Meet Ellis, your deal agent
An agent that works while you sleep
Ellis does the legwork around the clock, but nothing is sent, signed or paid without your approval. Every action is logged with a 30-second undo window.
Ellis is a working nameProduct preview
Email draft
Email draft to seller
Default
Only rules you set
Drafts only
Why Deal to Keys
Why not just use ChatGPT?
ChatGPT helps you look at a deal. Deal to Keys helps you close one, and run it.
Great for a first look
- Chat arithmetic that can drift
- Forgets the deal between chats
- Stops at the first look
- No checkpoints before you sign
Built to close the deal and run it
- Tested SDE and DSCR math
- One model fed by emails, files and calls
- All 12 steps, then Owner mode
- Checkpoints to bring in a pro before the LOI, APA and closing
A connector for ChatGPT and Claude is planned, so you can use Deal to Keys from there too.
Deals die in diligence
Many signed LOIs never close, and findings during diligence are a leading reason. The risk is not in the first look. It is in month two.
It challenges the seller's numbers
Tested math, not chat arithmetic, with every number traced to the source page. A replacement manager's salary is never forgotten, and unsupported add-backs get asked about.
It remembers the whole deal
Months of emails, files and calls feed one model. A fact from a call in week three still shows up when you review the APA.
It stops you before you sign
Bring-in-a-pro checkpoints before the LOI, the APA and closing. Your tax returns can stay on your phone in on-device mode.
| ChatGPT | Listing sites and sourcing tools | Courses | Human advisors | Deal to Keys (planned) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covers all 12 steps | No | Steps 1-5 | Teaching only | Per task | Yes |
| Remembers the deal across emails, files, calls | Per chat | Partly | No | Yes, billed hourly | Yes |
| Tested SDE and DSCR math | Drifts | Some | Spreadsheets | Yes | Yes |
| Runs the business afterward | No | No | No | Extra | Yes |
| Documents stay on your phone | No | No | n/a | n/a | On-device mode |
Try the idea
Screen a listing
Paste a listing. You get the multiple, a lender-style DSCR estimate, red flags and questions to ask. Computed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Estimate for illustration, not advice.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is my data private?
Yes. Your deal is your business, and the seller's numbers are confidential. We protect both.
- We never sell or share your data, and we never use it for advertising.
- Your documents never train AI models, ours or anyone else's. Our AI provider processes them under commercial terms that forbid training on them.
- Your files stay on your device. When you analyze a CIM or tax return, the file is read in your browser. Only the text needed for the analysis is sent, encrypted, for the AI to read.
- Your deals are walled off. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. No other user can ever see your deals. Our team doesn't open them unless you invite us to help. Before launch we are adding an access log, so any support access will be recorded.
- You're in control. Export everything or delete it permanently, any time, from Settings.
- No ad trackers. Our site analytics use no cookies.
- Want nothing to leave your phone? On-device mode is coming with our iPhone and Android apps.
Today, for the waitlist, we hold only your email and, if you share it, where you are in the process. To have it deleted, email [email protected].
Can I trust the numbers?
Yes. That trust is built into how it works. Every figure shows the document and page it came from. SDE, DSCR, loan payments and valuations run on tested formulas, not AI guesswork. When the AI reads a document, you approve each number and add-back before it counts. When something is uncertain, Deal to Keys says so.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No, and we're upfront about it. Deal to Keys does the heavy lifting: it reads the documents, runs the numbers, flags what looks wrong and drafts what you need. At the moments that matter (before you sign an LOI or a purchase agreement, on tax structure, on financing), it tells you when to bring in your attorney, CPA or lender, and hands them an organized packet so their time costs you less. It's software, not a broker, attorney or CPA.
Who is it for?
Anyone buying or running a small business. If it's your first deal, Deal to Keys walks you through every step in plain English, with short lessons along the way. If you've bought before, skip the basics and move faster with the models, checklists and drafts ready to go. If you already own a business, Owner mode helps you run it, even if you never buy another.
Why not just use ChatGPT?
ChatGPT answers the questions you know to ask. Deal to Keys runs your deal. It remembers every document, email and call. It knows what to ask the seller next. It challenges the seller's numbers. It stops you before you sign something you'll regret. See the full comparison.
Does it send emails for me?
Never without your OK. By default you approve every message. You can choose to let it send routine follow-ups you've approved in advance. Anything involving a price, a signature or money always waits for you. Every message is logged and has a 30-second undo.
Which email providers will it work with?
Gmail, Outlook and Microsoft 365, Yahoo, iCloud and any IMAP account, or simply forward deal emails to your Deal to Keys address. Either way, it reads only the threads tied to your deals and never the rest of your inbox.
Do you record calls?
Only with everyone's consent. Some states, including Washington and California, require all parties to agree. The call coach confirms consent before it starts. You can also skip recording and type notes, or bring in a recording from Otter, Fireflies, Fathom or Zoom.
Can I use it from ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes, that's on our roadmap. A Deal to Keys connector will let you ask about your deals from ChatGPT or Claude. Sending, signing and anything binding will still need your approval inside Deal to Keys.
What will it cost?
You'll be able to start free. Paid plans match what you're doing: searching, closing one deal, or running your business. Each costs a fraction of a course or an advisor.
When can I start?
Early access opens to the waitlist first, in small groups, so we can work closely with every early member. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when your spot opens.
Find out if your next deal holds up
Join the waitlist and we will email you when early access opens.