Sell-side M&A advisory
An M&A Advisor on the Seller's Side
We represent owners selling all or part of a private company, from the first conversation through closing.
What a sell-side M&A advisor does
Most owners sell a company once. The buyers across the table, whether a larger competitor or a private equity firm, may buy several companies a year. A sell-side M&A advisor works for the owner and closes that gap: we prepare the business for buyers, find and approach the right ones, and manage the process so the owner can keep running the company while it is for sale.
The core of the job is competition. One interested buyer sets the terms. Several qualified buyers, approached at the same time under confidentiality agreements, give the owner choices on price, on structure, and on who takes care of the employees and customers afterward.
We stay on the deal after the letter of intent is signed. Diligence, the purchase agreement, and the working capital negotiation are where many terms change, and where an owner most needs someone on their side who has done it before.
What we do on a sale
A sale runs on a handful of jobs that happen in order. We do each of them with you.
Preparation
We recast your financials to show the earnings a buyer will rely on, find the issues diligence would surface, and fix what can be fixed before anyone outside the company sees a number.
Positioning
We write the teaser and the confidential information memorandum: what the company does, why customers stay, where it can grow, and how it runs without you.
A buyer list built for your company
Strategic acquirers in your industry and neighboring ones, private equity firms with a reason to own a company like yours, and family offices. Each is screened before it hears your name.
Confidentiality
Buyers sign a confidentiality agreement before they learn who you are. We decide with you when and how employees, customers, and lenders hear about the sale.
Negotiation
We compare offers on more than price: cash at closing, earnouts, seller notes, rollover equity, the working capital peg, and what the buyer plans for your team.
Diligence and closing
We run the data room, keep buyer requests organized, and work with your attorney and CPA on the purchase agreement through closing.
Who buys companies like yours
Most buyers of private companies fall into two groups, and each reads the same company differently.
Strategic buyers
Companies in your industry or a neighboring one. They may value your customers, crews, equipment, or territory because it fits what they already run, and they often plan to combine operations.
Financial buyers
Private equity firms and family offices. They buy for the cash flow and the growth plan, often keep management in place, and may offer a partial sale with rollover equity so you keep a stake.
How a sale runs
How long a sale takes depends on how ready the company is, the market for its industry, and how diligence goes. Preparation comes first, and it is where an owner's time does the most good.
Prepare
A financial recast, a value range you can plan around, and the documents buyers will ask for.
Position
The teaser, the confidential information memorandum, and the buyer list, reviewed with you line by line.
Go to buyers
Confidential outreach to the buyers on the list. Interested parties sign an NDA before they see the memorandum.
Offers and the LOI
Indications of interest, management meetings, then letters of intent. We help you choose the one to sign and negotiate its terms first.
Diligence
The buyer checks financials, contracts, operations, and legal matters. We run the data room and keep the deal moving.
Close
The final purchase agreement, the funds flow, and closing, with your attorney and CPA.
Where we work
We are based in Oklahoma City and work with owners anywhere in the United States, and we have done work in Canada.
Across the country
Buyers for industrial and blue-collar companies are national, and so is our outreach. Where the company sits matters less than how it runs.
Who we work with
Owners of established private companies, most of them founder-owned or family-owned, in industrial and blue-collar fields: aggregates, construction, paving, steel, oilfield services, manufacturing, and the trades.
Some owners want to sell the whole company and step away. Others want a partial sale, a partner with capital, or a way to hand the company to the next generation of management. If a sale is a few years off, our succession and exit planning work starts earlier.
Industries we serve
Each industry page covers what buyers in that field look for and how they weigh a company.
Aggregates & Quarries
Sell-side M&A advisory for owners of crushed stone quarries, sand and gravel pits, and construction aggregates operations.
Aggregates & Quarries M&A
Steel Fabrication & Erection
Sell-side M&A advisory for owners of structural steel fabricators, miscellaneous metals shops, steel erectors, and bridge fabricators.
Steel Fabrication & Erection M&A
Paving & Asphalt
Sell-side M&A advisory for owners of asphalt paving contractors, hot mix asphalt plants, and highway and street construction companies.
Paving & Asphalt M&A
Construction
Sell-side M&A advisory for owners of general contracting, heavy civil, and specialty trade contracting companies.
Construction M&A
Oilfield Services
Sell-side M&A advisory for owners of oilfield services and energy services companies, including well services, water, rental tools, and production services.
Oilfield Services M&A
Manufacturing
Sell-side M&A advisory for owners of manufacturing companies, including machine shops, metal fabrication, machinery, and other industrial producers.
Manufacturing M&A
Reading for owners thinking about a sale
- What good sell-side representation looks like
What to expect from an advisor at each stage of a sale.
- How to choose an M&A advisor
Questions to ask before you sign an engagement letter.
- How long it takes to sell a business
The stages of a sale and what moves the timeline.
- What buyers look for in due diligence
The records and questions to have ready.
- How to evaluate a letter of intent
The terms that matter beyond the headline price.
- Selling to private equity
How rollover equity and a second sale work.
Questions owners ask about selling
How long does it take to sell a company?
It depends on how ready the company is and how active buyers in its industry are. Preparation comes first, then buyer outreach and management meetings, then the letter of intent, diligence, and closing. A company with clean financials and a management team that runs without the owner usually moves faster at every stage. Our timeline article walks through each stage.
How do you keep a sale confidential?
Buyers first see a short teaser that does not name the company. Only buyers who sign a confidentiality agreement receive the full memorandum, and we screen each one before it hears your name. Site visits and management meetings are scheduled to avoid notice, and we agree with you in advance on when employees, customers, and lenders are told.
When should I tell my employees?
Most owners tell a small group of key managers during the process, because buyers will want to meet them, and tell everyone else near or at closing. Who to tell, when, and with what reason to stay is a decision we plan with you early, since losing a key person midway can change a buyer's view.
What do buyers look at in due diligence?
Buyers check the quality of earnings, customer contracts and concentration, equipment and facilities, employees and benefits, taxes, insurance, permits, and any legal claims. Most of what slows a deal could have been found and fixed before the sale started, which is why preparation comes first in our process.
Do you work outside Oklahoma and Texas?
Yes. We work with owners anywhere in the United States, and we have done work in Canada. Buyers for industrial and blue-collar companies are national, so our outreach is too. Our team is based in Oklahoma City and travels to meet owners and buyers wherever the company is.
How are your fees structured?
Our fees depend on the engagement, and we walk through them in the first conversation.