EBITDA remains one of the most widely used metrics in M&A despite frequent criticism. This article explores why EBITDA still matters, where it falls short, and why strategic value—not EBITDA precision—is often the real driver of acquisition outcomes.
Bravery Group introduces the Sell-Side Decision Frontier™ (SDF), a framework designed to help founders and operators determine when to sell, improve valuation readiness, and identify strategic gaps before entering an M&A process.
A 20% valuation bump sounds tempting, until you factor in the long-tail risks. From market shifts to earnout pressure, delaying your exit might cost more than it’s worth.
Choosing the right M&A advisory model isn’t just tactical—it determines if your exit unlocks strategic value or defaults to a standard multiple. This article explores how advisory model alignment drives premium outcomes.
The allure of “one more year” before exiting a business often masks significant risks, including market shifts, valuation uncertainties, and compounded growth expectations. Explore how immediate exits can mitigate hidden pitfalls and secure optimal value.
Gross Margin (GM) is often viewed as a simple/quick way to ascertain a company’s profitability. Our view is that it in its common form ( x% ), it is largely meaningless – but viewed through the right lens, it is an extremely useful measure.
When it comes to selling a small business (which we define here as less than $30M/yr in Revenues), there is often a temptation to go-it-alone, rather than engage M&A advisors. It may be that the confidence, intelligence and aptitude that were valuable in growing the business are assumed to apply to the sale of the business, or it may be that the expense of Advisors fees is considered to be “too much”, but for one reason or another many small owners at this size feel they can sell their business themselves
The decision to seek a strategic Buyer for a company that you’ve founded or that you lead on behalf of shareholders represents a critical inflection point in the lifecycle of a business. As part of the comprehensive series Navigating Sell-Side M&A we explore various elements that comprise a successful M&A outcome for small- to medium- sized businesses, beginning with the first in the series:
The world of digital marketing has reached a critical decision point. For years, digital agencies have espoused their data-driven / innovative / tech-savvy credentials, while behind the curtain the work is done by people. An agencies’ DNA is that of a services business with every strategic plan, compensation model and sales channel geared toward services – thus they have little incentive to become efficient if it means reducing services revenues.
We often see smaller businesses receiving weekly outreach from interested buyers. This Buyer interest tends to come from financial, rather than strategic, buyers and is driven by “getting a bargain from an unsophisticated seller” – and interest quickly fades when the likelihood of a bargain disappears. In Myth #1, we introduced information asymmetry, and it’s most visible in these “interested Buyer” calls.
