For Sellers
You will make this decision once. Most founders are not ready when the call comes.
Before You Engage
The buyer calling you is not your advisor.
They have done dozens of these transactions. You have done zero. That gap shapes every conversation, whether you see it or not.
They control the pace, the framing, and the anchoring. The questions you don’t think to ask are the ones that cost the most.
They are your counterparty, not your partner. If you are reacting to their timeline, you are negotiating on their terms.
You wouldn’t advise your own clients to make their biggest financial decision without guidance.
The same logic applies here.
What You May Not Know
The deal is more complex than the number.
$40M
offered
$28M
guaranteed
Earnouts, retention terms, employment requirements, and equity rollover close the gap between the headline and what hits your account.
Your growth trajectory matters more than your size.
Your clients are aging with you. Buyers model the expected life of your revenue.
If the firm can’t run without you, that gets priced in.
Every deal must get three things right.
Lean too far toward any one and the other two suffer. Most founders optimize for one. The ones who are satisfied got all three in balance.
Clients
Continuity. Not disruption.
Team
Certainty. Not ambiguity.
You
Confidence in what you were told.
What You Gain
The biggest transaction of your career deserves someone entirely on your side.
Clarity
Know what your firm is worth, why, and to whom.
Certainty
See every credible option, compared side by side, with nothing hidden in the structure.
Confidence
Sign knowing you have overturned every rock and that the decision is right for you.
Focus
Stay focused on your clients and your team. Someone else manages the complexity.