The Empire Flippers Migration Process: Transferring the Business and Completing the Deal
Updated on April 11, 2025
Congratulations, you’ve just closed on your business!
After all the time spent preparing or reviewing the business and negotiating the deal, you’ve arrived at the final phase, also known as the “migration process.”
As the buyer, you’re ready to begin working on the business and growing your asset. As the seller, you’re ready to get paid!
Understandably, this can also be the greatest source of pressure for both sides, and it’s incredibly important that the migration is done properly. If it doesn’t go right, no one wins.
The migration process is considered one of Empire Flippers’ core strengths and is part of what makes us unique as a brokerage. Transferring the assets of an entire business from a seller to a buyer is often far more complex than just changing the account credentials and calling it a day. Each asset may have specific steps, terms of service, or security systems that, if moved incorrectly, could cause accounts to be temporarily locked and entire business deals to fall through.
We’ve received feedback from clients that given the complexities involved in transferring assets, our migration process has helped them, as buyers and sellers, feel far more secure in the process.
For this reason, it’s surprising that most brokerages don’t have a migration department, leaving buyers and sellers to navigate the post-sale transition process on their own.
After migrating over 2,000 businesses, we’ve learned a thing or two about how to do it successfully, and we want to share how it works.
Some of the most common questions we receive about the transition process include the following:
- How long will the process take?
- How do we handle profits and expenses during the migration?
- When do I get paid?
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Empire Flippers migration process and addresses some of the most common questions along the way, including important aspects of our terms. Most importantly, we’re going to show you how we ensure that this process goes smoothly so you can move on to the next stage of your entrepreneurial journey.
An Overview of the Process: The Two Phases of a Migration
A business is officially considered “sold” when Empire Flippers receives the buyer’s payment for the business. Only once a business officially has that “sold” status will it enter migration, at which point the buyer and seller will be assigned a migration advisor to guide them through the process.
The payout to the seller can only be released once the actual migration is successfully completed.
For a migration to be finalized, the following two phases must be completed:
- The post-sale transfer phase
- The payout phase
We’ll cover each phase and what buyers and sellers can do to complete each phase smoothly and efficiently.
Phase 1—The Post-Sale Transfer Phase: Sending All Assets
Once a business enters migration, a migration advisor is assigned to facilitate the process. They will create a customized migration checklist detailing the business’s assets and the necessary action steps for the transfer.
This phase involves transferring all assets to the buyer, which may include website domains, content, ad accounts, social media accounts, trademarks, email lists, supplier relationships, and any other business-critical assets. The migration advisor ensures each asset is transferred correctly and that the business is fully operational under the new owner’s control.
Handling Profits and Expenses During Migration
Prior to changing out payment details during a migration, a seller may have received revenue or may have paid for business expenses. All revenue generated during the migration will be owed back to the buyer, and the seller will be reimbursed for any operating expenses.
Once all assets are transferred, the buyer must confirm receipt of all necessary items and approve the migration completion before we proceed to the payout phase.
Phase 2—The Payout Phase
Upon entering the payout phase, the migration advisor will calculate the payout details, including any reconciliation amounts.
At this point, we will also send information about the payment methods we offer and how to connect with our finance department to receive funds.
What About Earnout Payments?
A deal with an earnout means that a portion of the funds are paid upfront (at the end of the migration), and the remaining amount is paid over a period of time. The earnout terms are agreed upon in the sales stage prior to entering migration.
Once the migration is complete, your migration advisor will continue to help manage the earnout payments and ensure they happen according to the agreed-upon timeline or conditions.
The Migration Timeline
So, how long is all of this expected to take?
Depending on the type of business, a migration generally takes anywhere from four to six weeks. It can be shorter or longer depending on a business’s complexity and transfer requirements. For example, an affiliate site migration that only requires swapping out Amazon Associates’ tracking IDs may take two to four weeks, whereas an FBA business selling in the UK and Europe that requires VAT numbers for each country may take significantly longer.
While we can estimate a migration timeline based on previous migrations with similar business models, we cannot guarantee an exact completion date.
How to Speed Up the Process
Migrations almost always rely on third parties (for example, an ad network or Amazon support) to successfully transfer certain assets, and at times, there can be delays with these transfers. Additionally, each type of asset has its own migration process, which often requires much more than simply changing login credentials.
That said, our goal as migration advisors is to complete migrations as quickly and safely as possible while ensuring adherence to the migration terms.
The best thing that a buyer and seller can do to minimize the migration time is to come prepared with the information necessary to perform the transfer.
As a buyer, this means understanding the requirements for operating a particular business model, such as:
- Creating a new legal entity and bank account
- Applying for a VAT number when acquiring an international business
As a seller, this means having all credentials and assets ready to share with the migration advisor and buyer. This can also mean having invoices ready to provide during expense reconciliation and ensuring any debts or liabilities are settled before migration begins.
It All Comes Down to a Successful Migration
We know—there is a lot to remember for this crucial last phase. As a buyer or seller, you just want to make sure the transaction completes as quickly and painlessly as possible.
For a seller who has come this far in a potentially life-changing exit or a buyer who is this close to acquiring an income-replacing asset, this is an important process. The migration advisor will help guide both sides to make it to the finish line.
You can register a free marketplace account here to start looking at profitable digital assets. Or, if you are ready to make a life-changing exit, you can start the process of selling your business here.
