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Exit planning and M&A support for business owners

Selling a business, or buying one, is the biggest financial decision most owners ever make, and most make it only once. I help you get the numbers ready, understand what the business is worth, and decide with the downside in view.

Who this is for

• Owner-operators who expect to sell someday, or to hand the business to a partner or family member
• Owners thinking about buying a competitor, another company, or the building they work out of
• Partners planning a buyout in either direction
• Buyers and sellers who want someone to check the numbers behind a deal

Exit planning

The best time to prepare for a sale is years before you want to sell. Buyers pay for earnings they can trust, and they pay less when the owner is the whole business. Together we work on:

• Clean, consistent monthly financials that a buyer or lender can rely on
• Adjusted earnings: separating owner pay, one-time items, and personal expenses from what the business really earns
• A realistic view of what the business is worth and what moves that number
• What you need to keep after taxes and debt for the sale to get you where you want to go, coordinated with your CPA
• A short list of fixes to make before the business goes to market

M&A support

• A close look at a seller's financials to see whether the earnings are real
• A model of the purchase: price, financing, cash needed after closing, and the downside case
• Help organizing the information lenders, buyers, and their advisors ask for during due diligence
• A plan for the first months after closing: cash, systems, and reporting

How I work with your team

I do not replace your attorney, your CPA, or a business broker or M&A advisor. Legal documents, tax structuring, and marketing a business for sale are their work. I handle the financial analysis and make sure the numbers hold up, so the rest of your team can do their jobs. If a deal needs one of them, I will tell you.

Why work with me

I am an owner too. I co-own and help run companies in construction, tree service, and waste consulting, and I spent seven years at Republic Services. I know what it feels like when a decision this size rests on a spreadsheet.

I work with clients across Minnesota, on site and remotely. Conversations about a possible sale stay between us. New to the idea? Start with what a fractional CFO is.

Related reading

• What is a fractional CFO?
• Cash flow forecasting
• Fractional CFO for contractors