Business Brokerage Essentials (BBE) — the 12-hour, BCREA-accredited program that's been running as live online cohorts — was always meant to be a starting point, not the whole plan. It's Stage 1 of a four-stage education pathway ProBX is building. Here's the vision for what comes next, and an honest note on what's locked in versus what's still being designed.
Stage 1: BBE (available now)
Foundational education in business brokerage — how businesses are prepared, valued, marketed, sold, and transitioned. Live online, accredited for 12 PDP hours through BCREA. If you haven't taken it yet, course details and sessions are here.
Stage 2: Advanced (in planning)
The next stage is meant to go deeper — more academic, self-paced study for advisors who want a fuller command of valuation, deal structuring, the legal and regulatory landscape, and how to build AI-assisted tools into an actual practice. Nothing about format, length, or accreditation has been finalized yet.
Stage 3: Specialization (in planning)
Business brokerage isn't one industry — selling a restaurant, a franchise, or a professional practice each come with their own valuation norms, regulatory quirks, and typical buyers. The plan is industry-specific modules a broker can pick up individually, on their own schedule, rather than one generic curriculum. Which industries come first, and when, hasn't been decided.
Stage 4: Certificate Programs (in planning)
The long-term goal here is real: a way to publicly recognize business brokers who've actually done the work — "ProBX Verified" — alongside recognition for related professional designations already held by advisors in our network. What that recognition requires, and exactly how it's earned, is still being worked out.
What's decided, and what isn't
To be straightforward about it: right now, BBE is the only stage that's live, dated, and priced. Stages 2 through 4 are a real direction, not yet a real program — no curriculum, dates, fees, or requirements have been set for any of them, and nothing above should be read as a commitment. We'd rather say that plainly than let a "coming soon" page imply more certainty than exists.
Why this matters if you're deciding whether to start with BBE
Because BBE isn't meant to be a dead end. If the idea of a fuller pathway — from foundational training through to public recognition as a verified business broker — is part of why you'd take BBE in the first place, that's exactly the plan. We'll publish real detail on each stage here as it firms up.
Explore BBE, or check back on Insights for updates as Stages 2-4 take shape.