Taught by Active M&A Advisors. Not Influencers.
Byron and Ian Folau — the Broker Brothers — are co-founders of Torchline Advisors (formerly Baton Strategies), a nationwide business brokerage firm that has closed nearly $100M in business sale transactions. Beyond advising clients, Byron and Ian have personally bought and sold companies of their own. They teach from the operator's seat, not the sidelines.
Before launching Torchline Advisors, we personally invested $125,000 into training with an established brokerage firm. Under seasoned professionals, we learned how to scout deals, work with business owners ready to sell, create listings, find qualified buyers, and close transactions. Today we're passing that same expertise on to our members — supported by modern AI tools and automation — without the six-figure price tag or commission splits.
Ian Folau
Ian co-founded Torchline Advisors and leads deal operations. As both a broker and an operator who has bought and sold his own businesses, he brings a systems-first approach — teaching members how to use AI and automation to build a real deal-flow machine.
Byron Folau
Byron co-founded Torchline Advisors and has helped build it into a nationwide M&A advisory firm working with business owners across 48 states. He has personally bought and sold his own companies and coaches every Inner Circle member directly, hosting weekly live calls inside the Circle.
Why we built Business Broker Circle
Most business brokerage training is sold by people who have never closed a deal. They teach theory, recycle generic sales content, and disappear once the course is purchased.
We came at it from the opposite direction. We paid $125,000 to learn this business the hard way, then spent years applying it in the field at Torchline Advisors — sourcing owners, valuing companies, writing Confidential Information Memorandums (CIMs), screening buyers, and negotiating Letters of Intent (LOIs) through to close.
Business Broker Circle is the compressed version of that education, taught by two people who are still actively brokering deals today.
What makes our approach different
Brokerage is a systems business, not a hustle business. The brokers who build durable practices are the ones with a repeatable pipeline: a defined target market, consistent owner outreach, a valuation process they trust, professional deal materials, and a buyer list they nurture over time. Inside the Circle we teach that system module by module, and we pair it with AI tools that collapse the busywork — automated valuation estimates, CIM and deal memo generation, outreach drafting, and buyer screening. The goal is not to make you faster at paperwork. It is to give you more hours for the two activities that actually produce commissions: talking to owners and talking to buyers.
Who the Circle is for
Our members come from sales, finance, operations, real estate, and ownership backgrounds. Some are launching a brokerage practice from scratch. Some are licensed real estate agents adding business sales to their offering without splitting commissions. Some are searchers and acquisition entrepreneurs who want to understand the sell-side of the table before they buy.
What they share is a willingness to learn a real profession rather than chase a shortcut.
If you want a step-by-step path with live access to advisors who do this every week, you're in the right place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who built Business Broker Circle?
Business Broker Circle was built by Byron and Ian Folau — the Broker Brothers — co-founders of Torchline Advisors (formerly Baton Strategies), a nationwide business brokerage firm that has closed nearly $100M in business sale transactions. They are active M&A advisors who teach from real deal experience, not theory.
Is Business Broker Circle taught by active brokers?
Yes. Byron and Ian Folau are active M&A advisors who close business sale transactions every week at Torchline Advisors. They built Business Broker Circle to pass on the exact system they use in the field — not recycled theory or generic sales content.
Who is Business Broker Circle for?
Business Broker Circle is for aspiring brokers starting from scratch, licensed real estate agents adding business sales to their practice, searchers and acquisition entrepreneurs who want to understand the sell-side before they buy, and active brokers looking for better tools, scripts, and a community behind them.
What is Torchline Advisors?
Torchline Advisors (formerly Baton Strategies) is a nationwide business brokerage firm co-founded by Byron and Ian Folau. The firm specializes in sell-side M&A advisory for business owners with revenues between $1M and $50M and has closed nearly $100M in business sale transactions.
Learn more
- How to become a business broker
- What is a business broker?
- Business broker salary guide
- How Business Broker Circle works
- Membership pricing
Start Free Today
Business Broker Circle is free to join. Create your Explorer account, access the intro modules, and see if this is the right path for you — no credit card required.