Insights

What every seller should know
before going to market.

Two decades of hard-won lessons on valuation, deal dynamics, and exit planning — everything we wish every owner knew before selling the business of their life.

01

Exit Planning

8 articles
01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

The Costs of Neglecting Exit Planning

As an entrepreneur, you've invested countless hours, resources, and passion into building your business. But have you given the same level of…

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01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

Why 2025 May Be the Perfect Time for Family-Owned Businesses to Exit

If you are considering selling your lower-middle market business (revenues between $10M and $100M), now may be the perfect time to start…

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01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

A Cautionary Tale – Why Exit Planning is Essential

Last week, I read about the unexpected passing of the late-30’s CEO of a rapidly growing consumer products company. The CEO’s tragic…

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01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

Why More Business Owners Are Seeking to Sell (and How to Prepare for an Optimal Sale Process)

The number of business owners seeking to sell their businesses has surged to a ten-year high, indicating a notable shift in the…

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01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

What is Exit Planning and Why Is It Important?

Baby Boomers own two-thirds of U.S. businesses. Over the next decade, these owners will transition out of their businesses—whether they are prepared…

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01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

Thinking of Selling Your Business in 2021? Ask Yourself These 4 Essential Questions First

For business owners that have successfully navigated through COVID thus far and a tumultuous 2020, 2021 may be an ideal time to sell. …

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01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

THE Next Step for Business Owners Contemplating Selling in 2018

For business owners, the new year is an ideal time to reflect on both long-term goals for your organization and potential exit…

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01 · Exit Planning
Exit Planning

Selling Your Business? 5 Key Questions to Ask Yourself to Sell Quickly and at the Highest Price

As an M&A Advisor, I speak daily with business owners contemplating selling their businesses.  I am constantly asked why some businesses sell (relatively)…

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02

Business Valuation

3 articles
03

Selling Your Business

4 articles
04

Deal Dynamics

8 articles
04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

The Long Game – Seven Lessons from a Three-Year M&A Deal

After three years of starts, stops, busted deals, re-trades, industry strikes, wildfires, and more plot twists than HBO's Succession — we closed.…

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04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

How Great Exits Happen – Ten Lessons Learned from a Recent Utility-Services Transaction

Our recent sale of a respected utility-services and construction-management firm was a powerful reminder of what truly drives premium outcomes in today's…

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04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

The Private Equity Playbook – How Private Equity Creates Value

In our most recent sell-side engagements, three of our clients sold their businesses to private equity (PE) buyers. While PE often gets…

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04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

Why Do Some M&A Deals Die?

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals can fail due to various reasons. Trust between the parties involved is the key factor that determines…

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04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

Ins and Outs of Earn-Outs

Previously we reviewed the leading killer of M&A transactions—poor financials.  Today, we’ll shift gears and talk about earn-outs, a M&A concept that…

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04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

M&A Due Diligence – Your Business Colonoscopy

Buyer due diligence is arguably the most critical step in the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) process.  Before a buyer writes you a…

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04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

Top 5 Deal Killers

Are you aware that only an estimated 20–30% of companies brought to market actually sell? To increase your odds of success, it…

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04 · Deal Dynamics
Deal Dynamics

Poor Financials Are the Unrivaled #1 Deal Killer

Last month, I shared the top five seller mistakes that kill M&A transactions. Today we’ll dive deeper into the #1 deal killer—poor…

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05

Financing & Special Situations

2 articles
Deal Stories

Selected transactions, in their own words.

Case Study
20%

Above what the owners thought was their ceiling — closed in six months.

Case Study: Power Plumbing

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Case Study
85

NDAs in three weeks — 11 full-price offers, closed in under five months.

Case Study: Precision Metal Fabrication

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Case Study
209

Buyers approached — closed with CIO Solutions at a premium multiple.

Case Study: IT Managed Services

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Case Study

How We Sold a Global Lifestyle Brand in the Midst of the Pandemic – Three Keys To Success

As an M&A Advisor, I am most fulfilled when I help clients exit their businesses on their terms…

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Case Study
120%

Above the seller’s expectations — a nine-figure, cross-border exit.

Case Study: E-Commerce Lifestyle Business

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Case Study

Case Study: Clements Environmental

https://youtu.be/Re45kTviue0 Background Clements Environmental Corporation is an environmental engineering and consulting firm located in Los Angeles, California. The…

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Case Study

Case Study: Alros Label Co.

https://youtu.be/Ga6JYkwXOOo Background Founded in 1979, Alros Label Company (now rebranded as Cover Label) is a Los Angeles-based manufacturer…

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