by Marne Smiley | May 8, 2026 | News & Insights
The Program Is Over. The Workout Is Not. When we first wrote about the Main Street Lending Program, the issue was straightforward: borrowers were approaching a five-year maturity wall and needed to prepare. That phase has now passed. The program stopped purchasing...
by Marne Smiley | May 7, 2026 | News & Insights
When business owners think about sale terms, attention usually goes first to valuation. That is understandable. But price is only part of the story. The more important question is often when and under what conditions that value actually gets paid. This is where...
by Marne Smiley | Apr 8, 2026 | News & Insights
Middle market M&A activity rarely slows because companies stop performing. More often, it slows or accelerates because buyers change their risk assessment. Economic cycles influence not just whether deals happen, but how they are structured, how they are valued,...
by Marne Smiley | Apr 1, 2026 | News & Insights
Not Every Private Company Is a Middle-Market Business Why understanding where your company fits is one of the most important decisions in any sale process When business owners begin thinking about a sale, the conversation usually starts with valuation. What is the...
by Marne Smiley | Mar 25, 2026 | News & Insights
Sellers often view LOI as the finish line in an M&A process. In reality, it marks the beginning of the most execution-intensive phase of the transaction. The period between LOI and closing is where outcomes are ultimately determined. Buyers are validating...
by Marne Smiley | Mar 18, 2026 | News & Insights
Many business owners assume increasing the value of their company before a sale simply means growing revenue or improving EBITDA. Growth certainly helps. But in middle-market transactions, valuation is rarely determined by size alone. Two companies with similar...
by Marne Smiley | Mar 11, 2026 | News & Insights
When preparing a business for sale, most owners focus on growth, profitability, and valuation multiples. Sophisticated buyers start somewhere else entirely: risk. Specifically, they ask a simple question that sits at the center of every transaction analysis: How...
by Brian Berglund | Feb 24, 2026 | News & Insights
In any M&A transaction, the identity of the buyer matters as much as the price. Strategic buyers, in particular, influence how a process unfolds, how a deal is structured, and the likelihood of a successful close. Unlike financial acquirers, strategic buyers...
by Marne Smiley | Jan 29, 2026 | News & Insights
In mergers and acquisitions, it is not uncommon for two companies with similar revenue, EBITDA, or growth profiles to command materially different valuations. While these disparities are often attributed to market timing or deal-specific dynamics, the more fundamental...
by Brian Berglund | Jan 27, 2026 | News & Insights
Industry transitions tend to reveal which businesses are prepared for an exit and which are merely keeping pace. The automotive sector is firmly in such a moment. Electrification, supply-chain recalibration, and evolving customer demand have reshaped how buyers assess...
