Consulting
Beyond transactions
Not every firm is ready to sell. Not every firm should. Iron River offers consulting engagements for wealth management founders who want strategic clarity without committing to a transaction.
Market Perspective
We see more of this market than most founders realize exists.
Every engagement gives us a deeper view of how buyers are operating, what terms are shifting, and where the market is headed. That perspective is available to you whether or not you’re selling.
Where buyers are focused
Which firm profiles are attracting the most aggressive offers. What buyer categories are expanding. Where competition is heating up and where it's cooling down. This changes quarter to quarter, and the difference matters for your timing.
How deals are getting structured
Earnout terms are shifting. Equity rollovers are becoming standard at certain size thresholds. Non-compete windows are lengthening. Understanding what's normal in today's market is the difference between accepting terms and negotiating them.
What's driving valuations
Multiples tell you what happened. We can tell you why. Organic growth is carrying more weight than it did two years ago. Key person risk is being priced more aggressively. Technology infrastructure is becoming a real factor in diligence, not just a checkbox.
How We Work
Strategic clarity, no commitment required.
Transaction readiness assessment
Find out where your firm stands before you talk to any buyer. A structured review of the factors that drive valuation, risk, and buyer interest. You walk away knowing exactly what the market would see and what to do about it.
LOI review
Already have a letter of intent? We review it line by line. Earnout terms, non-competes, post-close obligations, and the provisions most founders don’t know are negotiable. One conversation can change the trajectory of your deal.
Buyer evaluation
You’ve been talking to a buyer. We tell you what you’re not seeing. Their acquisition track record, how past deals have performed post-close, and whether their structure aligns with your goals. Clarity before commitment.
Strategic planning
Map the next three to five years with a transaction in mind. Every decision you make from here, hiring, client structure, technology, fee models, shapes your outcome when the time comes. We help you make those decisions deliberately.
Acquisition consulting
For firms looking to grow through acquisition. We help evaluate targets, structure offers, and navigate the complexities of buying a practice. The same rigor and market knowledge we bring to the sell side, applied to your growth strategy.
The Advantage
The firms that start the conversation early get the best outcomes.
Most founders engage an advisor when they’re ready to sell. The ones who get the strongest results started the relationship two or three years before that. Not because the process takes that long. Because the decisions you make now compound into the outcome you get later.
Client concentration doesn’t fix itself in six months. Key person risk doesn’t resolve in a quarter. The narrative of your firm takes time to shape. A consulting engagement is how you start that work without the pressure of a live transaction.
Think of it as building leverage before you need it.
Consulting engagements are scoped on a case-by-case basis. Some are a single conversation. Others are ongoing. There’s no standard package because no two firms are in the same position.
“Tyson’s expertise provided a clear process that drove measurable results. His approach gave us the ability to scale efficiently while staying true to who we are as a firm.”
Nick Asmus
CEO, Berger Financial Group
Not sure where to start?
That’s what the first conversation is for. No commitment, no agenda. Just clarity on where things stand.
Start a Conversation