Recent Posts
Leadership Teams: Who Stays, Who Goes, and How Do We Handle It with Grace?
One of the hardest responsibilities a CEO faces isn't hiring a leadership team. It's knowing when that team needs to evolve. In the early stages of a business, leaders often surround themselves with people who are willing to take risks, wear multiple hats, and help...
Preparation Is Key: Maximizing Value Before a Business Sale
For a CFO, few moments carry more weight than the months leading up to a company sale. Whether your organization is preparing for a strategic acquisition, a private equity recapitalization, or a full exit to a financial buyer, the work you do before the first buyer...
We Got to Close! Wait…There’s Still More to Do?
For many business owners, closing day feels like the finish line. Years of building the company culminate in a signed purchase agreement, funds are transferred and everyone celebrates. It's understandable to think the hard part is over. But in many transactions,...
Earnouts: What They Are, Whether You Want One, and Where They Go Wrong
Earnouts are one of the most common, and most misunderstood structures in M&A. They’re typically positioned to “align interests” between buyer and seller. In reality, they often do something very different: they shift execution risk back to the seller after the...
Audit or Review: What Founders Need to Know Before It Matters
I hear this question from business owners all the time: “Do we actually need an audit, or can we just do a review?” It usually comes up for a reason and underneath the question is always the same concern: Is this really necessary, or just expensive accounting noise?...
The CFO’s Guide to Letters of Intent (LOIs): Negotiation, Traps, and Exclusivity
In middle-market M&A transactions, the Letter of Intent (LOI) is often treated as a preliminary document, something to move the process forward before the “real” legal agreement is negotiated. That thinking is a mistake. For CFOs and financial leaders involved in...
The Role of the CFO in Due Diligence: From Scorekeeper to Deal Architect
When most people think about due diligence, they picture endless document requests, spreadsheets and late-night emails from advisors. While that's certainly part of the process, it misses what is actually happening behind the scenes. Due diligence is not simply an...
Sell-Side Quality of Earnings: The CFO’s Opportunity to Control the Narrative
A Quality of Earnings (QoE) report is often viewed as a diligence requirement. In reality, it’s one of the most strategic tools a company can leverage during a sale process. Because buyers are not simply evaluating EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes,...
When Should I Implement a New System?
Many businesses wait far too long to implement new systems. At first, existing processes seem manageable. Teams create temporary fixes, build additional spreadsheets, and rely on manual workarounds to keep things moving. Spreadsheets multiply. Manual work increases....
Virtual Data Rooms Done Right: Best Practices for Transactions and Capital Raises
Management teams often turn to the CFO to collect and manage the business information shared with prospective investors, lenders, or buyers. As a fractional CFO, I have built and managed many transaction data rooms and have seen how strongly this step influences...