Own the process.

Own the deal.

01 Preparation.

Position your company to achieve maximum value in a sale by planning ahead. Optimize your marketing, sales, production, people, space, and metrics so that you put your best foot forward for buyers.

02 Request a valuation.

Find out what your business is worth. You don’t want to leave money on the table, but you also don’t want to price yourself out of the market. We prepare cost-efficient valuations, whether you want a broker opinion of value / most probable selling price (MPSP), a certified summary valuation report, or a certified detailed valuation report. Learn more.

03 Valuation.

After an NDA is in place ensuring the confidentiality of your information, use our portal to send us your tax returns and most recent financial statements, as well as other information needed to value your business. Because buyers will require granular details once they’re under NDA, we need them, too.

04 Sales / M&A strategy meeting.

We will review our valuation with you, as well as provide an overview of our services. If it’s a good fit, we will sign an engagement agreement that sets forth the details of our arrangement. If your business sells, we will be paid a success fee that is a percentage of the purchase price. We don’t get paid if you don’t get paid. If we don’t move forward together, we’ll destroy your confidential information.

A note on attorneys: Some brokers don’t like attorneys. We don’t like those brokers. Our founder is an M&A attorney, and we encourage you to run every agreement and everything else, too, by yours.

05 Kickoff meeting + underwriting.

After the engagement agreement is signed, we will begin the sales process with a Kickoff Meeting where we go over the entire process and what to expect. We will also begin the underwriting or inside diligence process, where we assemble the information a buyer would want. We will also conduct “red team” diligence to spot and address any issues that would concern buyers before they do. We will place appropriate information in a secure virtual data room (“VDR”) so that it’s ready for qualified buyers under NDA. We will also begin gathering information to create your marketing materials.

06 Marketing materials.

We use our inside diligence to prepare marketing materials to showcase your business. These include a one-page summary masking your business’s identity (a “teaser”), as well as a comprehensive offering memorandum or prospectus. High-quality purchasers demand high-quality information, and we provide the best for your business while complying with the law.

07 Bank prequalification.

If applicable, we prequalify your business for an SBA loan, making it more attractive to potential purchasers.

08 Sourcing your buyer.

We take your business to market and begin sourcing and screening buyers. Unlike traditional brokers, for larger transactions, we don’t just list your business for sale. Based on our research, we develop a potential buyers list that we proactively reach out to, generating interest in the opportunity. Only serious buyers who have signed an NDA and demonstrated their financial ability to purchase will be invited to meet you to discuss the business. You don’t just need buyers, you need the perfect buyer for your business.

09 Accepted LOI.

Qualified buyers interested in the business submit a letter of intent (“LOI”) to buy your company. Generally, if you accept the LOI, it will obligate the purchaser to buy your business upon the satisfactory conclusion of due diligence. We will help your review and assess submitted LOIs based on price, terms, and buyer fit. We will also negotiate with buyers until you get a deal that allows you to exit on your terms. For Main Street transactions, the process often skips straight to a purchase agreement with a diligence condition.

10 Diligence.

Once an LOI is signed by both parties, the buyer will have a period to confirm the information provided about your business, as well as learn additional details. This builds upon any diligence provided prior to the LOI / purchase agreement. Usually, as a show of good faith to the buyer for its time and the expenses incurred during this process, you agree to an exclusivity period (a “no-shop”) where you take the business off the market.

11 Definitive transaction documents.

The buyer will enter into a definitive purchase agreement to buy your business. These documents can be on standard forms or developed by experienced deal attorneys. Either way, we encourage your attorney’s active involvement in this process. Most agreements have a period between signing and closing (a “deferred closing”) for certain tasks to be accomplished, such as obtaining lease assignments, contract consents, and things of that nature.

12 Closing.

When the deal is ready to close, an escrow service handles the actual disbursement of funds and related matters. When funds are released to you, escrow also releases our fee.

13 Transition.

Depending on the transaction, the owner may stay on for a time to assist in the transition. These details will be agreed upon in the definitive transaction documents.

14 Congratulations!

With the transaction and transition complete, you are free to explore other opportunities and interests (or just relax for a bit).