M&A support and exit planning
M&A support and exit planning for owner-led businesses
Whether you are preparing to sell or buying to grow, we do the financial work that decides the outcome: readiness, quality of earnings, due diligence and deal structure.
Built for$1M–$40M revenue companies
Sell sideExit readiness and value
Buy sideDiligence, QoE and structuring
Reviewed by Calvin Wu, CPA (inactive) · Updated October 2026
In short
We prepare owners to sell for top value, and help buyers acquire with confidence.
Ideal lead time18–36 months before a sale
Sell sideReadiness, QoE, positioning, structuring
Buy sideDiligence, QoE, valuation
ExperienceFounder-side exit in 2018
Experience from the founder’s seat
We’ve been on your side of the table
In 2018, Calvin Wu guided a consumer e-commerce company through a successful exit. He has since advised owners on both sides of transactions, combining a KPMG audit background with a decade of finance leadership inside companies like Hulu and Beats Music.
That mix matters in a deal. Buyers scrutinize numbers the way auditors do, and owners need someone who understands what it feels like to sell the company they built.
He helped lead my brand’s exit strategy every step of the way, from intelligently preparing the numbers, to leading the discovery process in finding the right partner for acquisition, to closing the deal and helping us walk away with a lucrative and successful outcome.
Selling your business
Exit planning that builds value before you go to market
The best exits are prepared 18–36 months in advance. We work backward from your target timeline to fix what buyers would discount.
01
Exit readiness assessment
A review across eight dimensions (financials, operations, legal, customers, people, systems, narrative and timing) that shows where value is leaking.
02
Financial clean-up
Accrual-basis, auditable books and normalized earnings, so diligence confirms your story instead of rewriting it.
03
Sell-side quality of earnings
Find and fix earnings issues before a buyer’s diligence team finds them and uses them to cut the price.
04
Value-driver roadmap
Margin improvement, customer concentration and owner-dependency fixes timed to your exit window.
05
Buyer positioning
Buyer persona analysis and a financial narrative that supports your asking price.
06
Deal structuring support
Model earnouts, rollover equity, working capital pegs and escrows so you understand what you actually take home.
Buying a business
Acquire with a clear view of what you’re paying for
Venturing into M&A as a small or mid-sized business can feel overwhelming. We provide the diligence and modeling discipline larger acquirers take for granted.
Due diligence support
Financial and operational diligence tailored to the deal, for a well-prepared and smooth transaction.
- Revenue and margin validation
- Customer and contract concentration
- Working capital and liability review
Quality of earnings
We scrutinize the target’s financial statements to show the true quality of its earnings, so you can negotiate from facts.
- EBITDA normalization and add-backs
- Cash proof and revenue testing
- Run-rate and trend analysis
Growth by acquisition
Strategic plans that use acquisitions to accelerate growth and broaden revenue streams.
- Acquisition thesis and criteria
- Valuation and deal structure models
- Hand-off to post-close integration
How we work
A disciplined path from first look to close
Free consultation
We discuss your goals, timeline and where the business stands today.
Assessment
A readiness or target review that ranks issues by impact on value.
Preparation and diligence
We fix, model and document, then support you through buyer or seller diligence.
Close and beyond
Structuring support through close, then integration or CFO support if you need it.
One partner, the whole lifecycle
Before, during and after the deal
| Stage | How we help | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 18–36 months out | Exit readiness, financial clean-up, value-driver roadmap | Strategic advisory |
| Ongoing | Monthly close, forecasting and investor-grade reporting | Fractional CFO |
| Deal in motion | Due diligence, quality of earnings, structuring | M&A support (this page) |
| After close | Day 1 plan, consolidated reporting, synergy tracking | M&A integration |
FAQ
M&A and exit planning questions
How far in advance should I start exit planning?
Ideally 18 to 36 months before you go to market. That runway lets you clean up financials, reduce customer concentration and owner dependency, and improve margins in time for buyers to see a track record, which is what drives valuation.
What is a quality of earnings (QoE) analysis?
A QoE analysis tests whether a company’s reported earnings are accurate and sustainable. It normalizes for one-time items and owner expenses, reviews revenue and margin quality, and examines working capital. Sellers use it to find issues before buyers do; buyers use it to confirm what they are paying for.
Do you represent buyers or sellers?
Both. We help owners prepare for and navigate a sale, and we support buyers with acquisition due diligence, quality of earnings and deal structuring. After a deal closes, our M&A integration service helps make the combined business work.
What size of transactions do you support?
We focus on businesses with $1M to $40M in revenue. Our frameworks are built for owner-operated companies at that scale, not adapted down from large-enterprise deals.
How is this different from a business broker or investment banker?
Brokers and bankers run the sale process and find buyers. We focus on the financial work that determines the outcome: readiness, earnings quality, diligence support, modeling and structuring. We often work alongside your broker or banker.
Next step
Thinking about selling, or buying, in the next three years?
Book a free consultation. We’ll talk through your timeline and the steps that would have the biggest impact on value.
