The success of selling your life’s work hinges on who you decide to lead the case. Founders and entrepreneurs are excellent at selling a product, service or both. We are excellent at selling assets like yours. An acquirer is excellent at generating significant returns for their client’s while minimizing every risk in acquiring similar assets. Strategic and financial buyers are at a significant advantage, because they know you have little or no experience in selling an asset. They’re not in the business to help you sell the asset. That’s what we do!
Over 80% of mergers and acquisition cases fail to deliver the owners’ expected results, according to Harvard Business School.
Why? Ego, like speed kills and if your country club cohorts were dead-bone honest vs. having a dick measuring contest regarding exiting their business, they would tell you, “I didn’t listen to my advisor when I should have.” Lacking humility in selling a transferable asset results in a less effective, less efficient and less prosperous financial result. That failure often comes down to poor preparation, weak advisory support, or both.
As the quarterback of your Deal Team, we often work on more complex transactions. For us, the sweet spot of the lower-middle market (LMM) rests under $150MM. Main street businesses are less than $5MM and the floor in the LMM is $10MM. Advisors like us provide market valuations, buyer outreach, negotiation strategy, and deal structuring tailored to the lower-middle market.
Too many business owners wait too long to bring in the Quarterback as their advisor, and it costs them hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Remember the HBS stat from earlier? Timing is the differentiator between a smooth exit and a stalled, undervalued one, or no deal at all. If you’re considering selling your business, understanding, identifying and securing someone who’s helping you get it ready is vital in generating the exit you must have.
Advisors bring value when a business sale involves multiple stakeholders, industry-specific risks, or institutional and strategic buyers. They often guide sellers through detailed financial analysis, tax planning, and legal reviews to ensure the business is positioned for maximum value.
When Do You Call an Advisor?
The best time to plan your exit is the second day into your business. Chances are you didn’t and your next best step is to plan the exit as least five years before putting your life’s work on the market. Why? Experienced M&A advisors start by improving your business’s readiness financially, operationally, and strategically, long before any buyer sees it. In our shop, the quarterback guides you in growing smart to sell smart. There’s a specific process to reach financial readiness, and we pride ourselves on being M&A readiness experts from pulling levers of value to uncovering, resolving and minimizing any risks.
How prepared are you for the realities of today filled with the uncertainty of tomorrow?
Where are you looking to anticipate the next change?
How courageous are you to pivot from the past results for a direction that may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable?
Forecasting the uncertainty of tomorrow can be difficult if you’re not prepared for most contingencies. While no one can prepare for global crisis experienced a few years ago, being prepared for market shifts and customer preferences is expected if you truly want a premium exit. Anticipating the next change is very difficult if you’re determined to work IN your business versus ON it, and doing the same thing monthly and expecting different results is an exercise in futility. It’s your life’s work and it’s your decision to be fully- or partially-prepared.
The quarterback enters the game strengthening the asset strategically, financially and operationally closing value gaps and building a deal structure that attracts serious offers. Early preparation allows for wealth and tax planning – what the financial windfall plays in the owner’s future, and how to minimize tax liabilities post sale. Identifying the right buyer, whether you’re targeting strategic acquirers, private equity firms, or individual investors becomes an easier path once we know what the asset provides each. Rushed deals leave value on the table, and unprepared sellers may walk away with no deal at all.
“But I got a buyer already! They’ll close in 45 days!” Uhh huh, sure. The faster you take the bait, the faster you lose. Ignorance is bliss isn’t it?
Every business case is different, and every end goal is different. While the principles and process disciplines are the same, how and when they’re implemented are as various as the owners in the market. You will walk away with generational wealth provided your asset is effectively prepared. Once the deal is done, you will join hundreds of our other sellers after closing and say, “I had no idea there would be this much fucking work every fucking day.” Bringing in an advisor early has nothing to do with costs, because you must operate your business effectively, efficiently and profitably while prospective buyers sit in the stands watching every single play! Thinking that thousands of components in a sales process are side tasks and can be executed ‘when you have time,’ is a surefire way to have an unsuccessful deal.
Burning Millions
Sellers who delay advisory engagement face limited options and compressed timelines while leading your business daily. Typical delays lead to lower offers, rushed negotiations, and avoidable deal fatigue. Advisors are experts in managing business sales from the inside out with your end in mind. We improve business performance, identify value drivers, minimize risk metrics and conduct market analysis to shape a stronger position. If you’re only thinking about advisory help when you’re ready to list, you’re already behind.
There is a specific plan you can implement and execute without an advisor in your underwear. However, you need to get on the same page sooner rather than later. Have a conversation, have several conversations and find someone who you believe in, trust and respect. Listen to their insights, craft a co-authored plan of action and get to work. They will gladly coach you through the blueprint on a timely basis to keep you on track and accountable to your plans!
“Why someone would choose a generalist over a firm with industry experience is no different than having a heart surgeon perform a hip replacement.” – David Reed
Sector Specific or Not
There are thousands of bankers who are generalists guiding business sellers to their exit. We don’t subscribe to that line of thinking. While one process is extremely similar to any other process, bankers who stay in their lanes or industry sectors can streamline and accelerate the timeframe over generalists. Specializing in your industry or business model, in our opinion, is far more advisable AND financially favorable than not. Advisory firms that understand your market offer better buyer targeting, pricing strategy, process management and faster certainty to close.
We only engage in sectors where we have expertise and long-lasting relationships, and we don’t have to hustle deals to pay the mortgage. At JSP, we don’t compromise our process principles. You’re working with Senior Executives and not passed along from principal to analyst to partner so clarity and communication begins and ends with us. We also provide valuations by our certified analysts, sell-side due diligence prep and deal structure input based on the desired results our clients say they must have. We will gladly have a no obligation confidential conversation answering any of your questions and be an impartial sounding board whether you invite us to help you or not.
How Much?
Last time we checked, no one publishes their fees. We do! Before you hire an advisor, make sure you understand exactly how they’re paid, what services they deliver, and what contractual terms you’re agreeing to. These details impact not only your total cost, but also your outcome.
Expect to sign an exclusive engagement agreement of usually 12 months. The contract clearly outlines services provided, fees, timelines, inclusions, exclusions and termination clauses. Avoid firms that can’t define scope or rely on vague promises instead of a structured process. We lead everyone involved in the case and manage every step of a process from outreach to diligence, so exclusivity ensures consistency in strategy.
Paying more for the right advisor is often the best investment you’ll make. A dedicated quarterback helps secure a stronger valuation, negotiate better terms, and keep the transaction on track yields a significantly higher outcome. You get what you pay for whether that’s us or someone else.
What to Expect from the Engagement
Most advisory services begin with valuation and readiness prep. A good quarterback will assess your financials, identify risks, and clarify what drives your business’s performance. This step sets the tone for pricing, buyer interest, and deal confidence. We want to know where you are today and where you must go to achieve the results you must have.
From there, the advisor manages marketing, buyer screening, negotiation, due diligence, and closing. A full transaction typically takes 6 to 12 months, depending on deal size and complexity. Some are longer and some are shorter. Throughout the engagement, the advisor’s role is to keep the process moving, avoid missteps, and align all parties around the transaction timeline. There will be mistakes made by everyone and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t transparent. You’re dealing with dozens of people who love email and fear phone conversations. We will call you out, buyers out and ourselves out when it’s wrong.
“Damnit son, you can’t cram on the farm! It’s gonna grow when it’s goddamn good and ready!” – Grandpa Franklin
Your quarterback leads the engagement, but your input is essential. You’ll need to supply documentation, respond to (repetitive) diligence questions, and make decisions as offers progress. Delays often come from the seller’s side, not the buyers, and that’s why we want you as prepared as humanly possible years not months ahead of a process. The other lead role we fulfill at JSP is keeping the Deal Team aligned.
If you’re looking to maximize the relationship, then it’s up to you to act like it. We are the Quarterback and you are the General Manager. Your role is to begin by aligning expectations: set your communication rhythm – how the communication cadence flows, define reporting timelines – we’ll share what we typically deliver and if you need it modified, then say so, and clarify success metrics – what does success ‘on the field’ look and feel like to you. We provide progress metrics and what it takes to stay on time and on-task. Here’s what you cannot do:
Trying to control every detail, OR
Disappearing after kickoff.
Both slow down the transaction. Advisors work best when treated as collaborative partners. We are not an outside resource of yours, nor are we order takers. After closing, we stay engaged, ‘Why would you do that? You’ve already been paid.’ We support transition planning, navigate final tax, legal issues, and monitor post-closing obligations like earnouts as well as deal therapist when you need to blow off steam! Our insights still matter after the deal closes if the transition matters to you.
Your Exit Deserves the Right Partner
Choosing the right M&A advisor is one of the most important steps in a successful exit. The right quarterback of the deal team sharpens your strategy, manages the pressure, ensures certainty to close and helps you close with confidence even when you’re pulling your hair out. If you’re preparing for your own sale, it pays to prep early and bring in someone who understands what’s really at stake. A well-structured M&A process protects your valuation, reduces risk, and keeps your options open.
About JSP
Every business owner needs an exit strategy, but not all exit strategies are right for everyone. The best exit strategy is having a profitable company. We curated a sell-side playbook over three decades through every economic condition and market shift. We know what financial and strategic buyers want and need. We’re here to guide and support you with the critical components the universe of buyers are seeking from a business like yours. Investors are attracted because we’re creating the foundation they don’t have to. Grow Smart to Sell Smart!
We are experts at developing strategic growth and value creation plans for privately held companies in lower-middle market. By offering solutions to accelerate your growth, increase your value, and prepare you for an eventual successful exit, we ensure your results don’t become a negative statistic.
Our clients enjoy the personalized attention of a full-service organization with access to broad intellectual capital, extensive relationships and leading class solutions to drive growth strategies that fit buy-side M&A needs.
We are one of the only major professional consulting organizations offering fully dedicated multidisciplinary advisory capabilities. From strategy to execution, our services are underpinned by extensive sell-side diligence, commercial, operational, financial and tax experience.
We seek to advise well-positioned companies with strategic improvement potential and partner with management teams to create greater value by driving revenue and earnings growth. Our comprehensive proven process accelerates your revenue growth to exit the business for maximum value. We are your stake in the ground partner regardless of where you are on your journey.
We have a relentless focus on value creation. We prepare our seller clients with a Grow Smart to Sell Smart strategy, and we know the critical components our PE partner’s demand. We identify actions and emphasize operational and top-line improvement to expand and improve EBITDA margins and growth rates. The sellers who allow us to pull the levers of cash, cost, talent and technology benefit the most, being the attractive opportunity for buyers seeking them.
Before moving to this side of the table, we were operators! From a start-up in a crowded space to turning a pig into a prince, we built, failed, built again, failed again and sold several businesses. We did well AND we made many mistakes! We know how important ‘your baby’ is and have lived through the ups and downs over the past 25+ years. We’ve adapted to how investors, strategics and PE firms have evolved over that period. If you’re looking for real world experience in your space.
The conversation continues…
