What can stop a potential buyer from just taking my customer list and walking away?

The main protection is a properly drafted confidentiality agreement, signed before you share the customer list at all, that does two separate things: prohibits the buyer from disclosing what they've seen, and prohibits them from using it for any purpose other than evaluating your business — a "non-use" obligation that's just as important as the non-disclosure promise most people think of first. Without that second piece, a narrowly worded agreement might only stop a buyer from telling others, not from quietly using the list themselves.

Beyond the contract, staged disclosure matters just as much in practice. Consider withholding the full, identifiable customer list until a buyer has shown real seriousness — a signed agreement, proof of funds, and genuine progress toward an offer — and providing a redacted or summarized version earlier on. Once information is shared, a lawsuit for breach can seek damages or a court order stopping further use, but it's a remedy after the fact, not a guarantee nothing happens. A Treadstone business lawyer can draft an agreement with the right non-use language and help you plan what to share at each stage.