Our Process
A 5-phase, 67-step process. No black boxes. No surprises.
From the first conversation to the wire hitting your account, every step is documented, sequenced, and explained. This is what a preparation-first M&A process looks like.
Why We Charge a Retainer
"If your advisor doesn't charge a retainer, ask yourself: what are they actually doing for 6–18 months before you go to market?"
Most M&A advisors charge a success fee only. That means they're not paid until the deal closes — which means they're incentivized to rush you to market, not prepare you. Our retainer funds the preparation work that creates the value. It's not a cost; it's an investment in your outcome. And we've never had an engagement not close.
Phase 1
Exit Readiness Assessment
We start where most advisors never go — with a rigorous, honest assessment of your business from a buyer's perspective.
Outcome
A clear picture of where you stand, what buyers will find, and exactly what to fix before you go to market.
Phase 2
Preparation & Value Engineering
This is where most advisors don't go — and where most of the value is created. We work alongside you to systematically eliminate every condition buyers use to justify lower valuations and earnouts.
Outcome
A business that buyers can't find fault with — and can't use to justify an earnout.
Phase 3
Market Positioning & Packaging
We craft the narrative that positions your business for maximum value. Not just a CIM — a complete buyer thesis that makes the case for why your business is worth a premium.
Outcome
A complete, professional package that tells your story the way buyers need to hear it.
Phase 4
Buyer Identification & Competitive Process
We run a structured, competitive process that creates leverage. Not a shotgun blast to every buyer in our database — a curated, strategic outreach to the buyers most likely to pay a premium for your specific business.
Outcome
Multiple qualified offers. Competitive tension. Maximum leverage for you.
Phase 5
Due Diligence, Negotiation & Close
We stay at the table until the wire hits. No hand-offs to junior associates. No disappearing after LOI. We manage every aspect of due diligence, negotiate every point, and protect your interests through close.
Outcome
A clean close. Full price. No surprises. The wire hits your account.
Fee Structure
Transparent. Aligned. No surprises.
Monthly Retainer
Funds the preparation work — the 6–18 months of value engineering, documentation, and positioning that determines your outcome. This is where the work happens.
Success Fee
Paid at close. Aligned with your outcome — we only win when you win. The success fee is structured to incentivize maximum value, not just a closed deal.
Specific fee structures are discussed during your initial confidential consultation. We don't publish rates because every engagement is scoped based on your business's complexity and timeline.
We Put Our Fee On the Line. Literally.
Before we start, we give you a documented valuation range built from real transaction data and your actual financials. That range is our stake in the ground — not a number designed to get you excited, not a vague estimate. It is the number we are willing to be held accountable to.
"If we cannot produce a written LOI from a verified buyer at or above the floor of our documented valuation range within 12 months of going to market, we refund your full preparation retainer. No conditions. No fine print."
— Pete Martin, Founder, Vestara Advisors
The range is ours, not yours
We derive the valuation range from market data and your financials — not from what you tell us you want. That removes any incentive to inflate it to win your business.
12 months from go-to-market
The clock starts when we formally begin buyer outreach — not from day one of preparation. A well-run process reaches qualified buyers within that window. If it doesn't, you get your retainer back.
A qualified offer is a written LOI
Not a verbal indication. Not a term sheet. A written Letter of Intent from a buyer we have verified as financially capable of closing, at or above the floor of the range.
Why we can offer this: We only take clients whose businesses we believe are genuinely sellable at the range we document. We turn down engagements. We do not promise outcomes we cannot deliver. This guarantee is not a marketing gimmick — it is the logical result of doing honest work before we ever ask for your business.
Questions founders ask about the guarantee
Ready to see if you're ready?
Start with the Exit Readiness Assessment. 25 questions, 12 minutes, one clear picture of where you stand.