M&A
5 M&A Stakeholders and The Roles They Play
Similar to any major production, the M&A process requires that the right people are in the right places, and at the right time. Veteran deal makers understand that…
June 22, 2025Insights
M&A insights & market research
Perspective on valuation, deal structure, and sector dynamics across the middle market — written for founders, owners, and investors.
M&A
5 Documents You Must Know Before Selling Your Business
When selling a business the owner will be inundated with multiple tasks. Working through due diligence, managing employee questions, and still running the business…
June 22, 2025M&A
2019 JPM Healthcare Conference Recap � Deals, ACA, Outlook, & More!
The 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference kicked-off on Jan. 7 with a bang as Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) announced that it would acquire Loxo Oncology…
June 22, 2025M&A
1031 Tax-Deferred Real Estate Exchange
Section 1031 of the United States Internal Revenue Code (IRC) allows for capital gains tax liability to be deferred when a taxpayer exchanges real property of a…
June 22, 2025M&A
10 Ways to Exit Your Business
A liquidity event is a merger, purchase or sale of a business. In other words, this is called your exit strategy, and typically converts the equity held by the…
June 22, 2025M&A
Unrealistic Business Valuation Expectations
I love the following quote by Warren Buffett as it sums up my feelings on business value in a nutshell: Price is what you pay, value is what you get. One of the…
November 2, 2020M&A
Self-Storage: Industry Leaders, Consolidation & Acquisition Activity
This article is one in a series covering the self-storage industry, a sub-sector of the commercial real estate investment banking market . The article will present…
June 24, 2020M&A
Fintech and the 4th Industrial Revolution
Software and computer engineering are creating a groundswell for what many have deemed the fourth industrial revolution . This next wave in the way companies,…
January 1, 2018M&A
Three Types of Auctions for Sell-Side Mergers & Acquisitions
Unless a seller opts ( foolishly ) to negotiate a sale with a single buyer, some form of auction is the most likely scenario. There are generally three distinct…
November 11, 2017M&A
The Case for M&A in "Dirty Jobs"
It is both counter-intuitive and unfortunate that society often marginalizes dirty, blue collar careers. I also find it ironic that some of the most successful and…
November 30, 2016M&A
Buy-Side M&A: Pitfalls & Opportunities of a Successful Acquisition Strategy
The ethereal concept of �synergy� and �value add� are certainly less prevalent in mergers and acquisitions than many deal peddlers would have us believe. Creating…
November 27, 2016M&A
Disintermediation: Digitizing the DealMaker
If Elon Musk is correct, robots, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will replace most jobs within our lifetime . The social and economic impact of this…
November 7, 2016M&A
Merge or Die: How Competitors Become Allies and How Recessions Consolidate Industry Power
No industry continues into infinity without major aberrations, especially those involved in technology or growth. When consolidation follows growth, enemies become…
November 2, 2016M&A
Planning Your Liquidity Event: Four Groups to Consult with Prior to Selling Your Business
Getting the advice of an expert is always good form, especially if you're about to chart into unfamiliar territory. If your business or asset sale occurs concurrent…
October 18, 2016M&A
What are the Different Types of Corporate Mergers?
Merger is a common business exit strategy as well as a critical growth tool . �But what exactly do you envision when you hear the term "merger?" Just as there are a…
October 4, 2016M&A
Reasons Not to Use Dropbox or [Fill in the Blank] for Your Virtual Data Room
The common argument against paying for a virtual data room (VDR) is that Dropbox, Google Drive, Box.com or [fill in the blank] are all free. There certainly are…
October 3, 2016M&A
Capital Returns vs. Capital Appreciation
Seemingly conflicted investment philosophies abound. The goals of the individual and institutional investor alike will drive the way we see stocks�and their…
September 11, 2016M&A
When (and How) to Walk Away from a Deal
Deal-making is as much art as it is science . The science is generally performed on the front-end of the deal by equity analysts and expert researchers providing…
September 5, 2016M&A
Corporate Governance for Estate Taxes of the Deceased
Will the amount paid under the agreement to heirs of a deceased shareholder govern for estate tax purposes? Not necessarily. It is possible that the internal…
August 28, 2016M&A
The Real Problem With Most Companies: They're Not Built to Sell
There is a real sickness in most lower middle-market businesses: they're not built to sell. They're built to operate, make money and provide a living, but they're…
August 27, 2016M&A
#EquityCrowdfunding for Mergers & Acquisitions: Liquidity for Business Owners?
The hype over the JOBS Act was certainly warranted. For over 70 years, the ability for private companies to have access to capital has been limited--and for good…
August 22, 2016M&A
Proactive Acquisitions: Facilitating Deals with Quality, Passive Owners
By successfully uncovering passive sellers at rather reasonable valuations � while working cohesively with more traditional sourcing channels � proactive…
August 17, 2016M&A
Why You Need a Private Placement Memorandum (PPM)
The antifraud securities laws state that it is against the law for an issuer to sell any securities by means of any oral or written communications that falsely…
July 18, 2016M&A
How to Break out of the Middle Market
Unfortunately, there is something very illusive about taking your company from good to great. It's not just about the "Level 5 Leaders" spoken of in Jim Collins'…
July 17, 2016