Category: M&A Strategy and Planning
-
Leveraging Forecasting to Support Your Exit Narrative
•
When it comes time to sell your company, buyers don’t just care about what you’ve done — they care about what’s next. They’re asking: “Can this company perform in the future the way it says it can?” And the only way to answer that question credibly is with a well-built…
-
How to Strategically Reduce Business Risk Over Time
•
In M&A, every buyer is asking the same question: “How risky is this business after I buy it?” No matter how exciting your growth story or how strong your EBITDA, risk shows up as discounts, delays, or deal-killers in the eyes of a buyer. At Legacy Advisors, we help founders…
-
Creating a Budget With Exit Planning in Mind
•
When founders think about budgeting, it’s usually about next month’s payroll, next quarter’s marketing spend, or getting through year-end. But when you’re preparing to sell your business — whether that’s in 1 year or 5 — your budget needs to tell a different story. An exit-ready budget doesn’t just keep…
-
Planning Your Capital Structure to Maximize Exit Outcomes
•
You’ve probably heard this line before: “It’s not what you sell your company for — it’s what you keep.” And it’s absolutely true. At Legacy Advisors, we’ve helped dozens of founders navigate exit planning, and one of the most overlooked — but incredibly impactful — aspects of a successful deal…
-
The Role of Deferred Revenue and Accruals in Exit Strategy
•
In every M&A deal — especially founder-led exits — there’s always one moment where things start to feel a little… tense. The deal team starts digging into the revenue recognition, deferred revenue balances, and accrual accounting. If you’re not prepared, this is where seemingly small accounting issues can knock millions…
-
KPIs That Signal You’re Ready to Exit
•
One of the biggest mistakes founders make when thinking about selling their company is assuming exit timing is purely emotional or market-driven. “We’ve grown a lot, I think we’re ready.”“The market is hot, maybe now’s the time.”“I’m getting tired, maybe I should sell.” Emotion plays a role — but smart…
-
Preparing for Quality of Earnings (QoE) Long Before the Deal
•
If you talk to founders who’ve been through M&A — or listen to almost any episode of the Legacy Advisors Podcast — one phrase comes up more and more often during diligence discussions: Quality of Earnings (QoE). QoE has become a standard component of professional diligence. And while most founders…
-
Building a Financial Story Buyers Trust in M&A
•
When you get deep into an M&A deal, there’s a universal truth that becomes crystal clear: Deals don’t fall apart because buyers can’t read spreadsheets. They fall apart because they don’t trust the financial story. As I’ve shared repeatedly with founders at Legacy Advisors — and on multiple episodes of…
-
Building Ecosystem Value: More Than Just Profitability
•
In the world of M&A, most founders obsess over EBITDA, revenue growth, and margin expansion. And they should — those financial metrics absolutely matter. But the founders who consistently command premium exit multiples — the ones who attract buyer competition and drive superior deal structures — focus on something many…
-
Preparing for ESG Due Diligence: A Strategic Imperative
•
If you’re a founder thinking about your exit — especially in today’s evolving M&A market — there’s one phrase that’s showing up in diligence conversations more often than ever: ESG. For years, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors were viewed as something public companies worried about. But increasingly, ESG due…