---
title: "Business age not stated"
url: https://firstpassmemo.com/flags/business-age-not-stated/
updated: 2026-10-07
publisher: FirstPass Memo (hello@firstpassmemo.com)
---

Red flag explained · Verification, age and operations

# Business age not stated

Short answer: A listing that does not say how old the business is hides how many seasons, platform changes and Google updates its numbers have survived. A one-year-old business and a five-year-old one can show the same profit today. Ask when it first made revenue and for every month since.

Updated 7 October 2026 · Checker rule NO_AGE

## When the checker raises it

Raised as medium severity when no founding date, launch date or business age is found.

## Why it matters

History length is one of the few signals of durability a listing can give. Older businesses have shown their revenue can last; younger ones have not had the chance yet.

Some sellers leave age out because the business is very young. Others simply skip the field.

## How often we see it

In our October 2026 benchmark data (https://firstpassmemo.com/data/), 5 of the 36 listings did not state a business age. That data covers 36 listings priced $10k–150k from the WebsitesForSaleOnline public API, Empire Flippers excluded, using the figures each listing states.

## A worked example

Composite example, not a real listing

Online store selling climbing chalk bags Asking price: $22,000 Average monthly revenue: $3,200 Average monthly profit: $900 Owner hours: 6 hours per week

Traffic or revenue sources typed in: Paid 40%, Organic search 30%, Direct 30%.

What the red-flag checker (https://firstpassmemo.com/checker/) returns: payback of 24.4 months on average monthly profit, and this flag:

Medium Business age not stated

History length tells you how many seasons and platform changes the numbers have survived.

Ask: When did the business first make revenue, and can you show every month since?

The same example also raises: No connected data source mentioned (https://firstpassmemo.com/flags/no-connected-data-source/), Concentration not disclosed (https://firstpassmemo.com/flags/concentration-not-disclosed/).

## What to check

- Ask when the business first made revenue.

- Ask for monthly revenue since that date.

- Check the domain's registration date and archive history yourself.

## Questions to send the seller

- When did the business first make revenue, and can you show every month since?

- Has the business changed its model, niche or pricing since it started? When?

## Related flags

- Under 6 months old (https://firstpassmemo.com/flags/under-6-months-of-history/)

- Under 12 months old (https://firstpassmemo.com/flags/under-12-months-of-history/)

- All red flags explained (https://firstpassmemo.com/flags/)

## Useful next

- Listing benchmarks, October 2026 (https://firstpassmemo.com/data/)

- Free red-flag checker (https://firstpassmemo.com/checker/): paste a listing and see which flags it raises.

The checker is a set of plain rules, not an AI model, and its flags are prompts for questions, not verdicts. Composite examples are invented. Informational screening only, not investment, legal or tax advice.

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FirstPass Memo is informational screening, not investment, legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and not an audit. Seller figures are not independently verified. HTML version: https://firstpassmemo.com/flags/business-age-not-stated/