Lay the Groundwork: Professionalize Your Acquisition Search Process
If you're serious about buying a business and are ready to go from dreaming to doing, start here. This coaching package is designed to help you build a solid foundation before you spend months searching for deals. Over four weeks, we'll work together to clarify what you should buy, determine what you can realistically afford, develop a financing strategy, learn how to evaluate opportunities, and position you as a credible buyer in the eyes of sellers and brokers. Every session includes practical coaching tailored to your background, hands-on exercises, and actionable takeaways you can immediately apply to your search. This isn't a generic online course or a collection of prerecorded videos. It's personalized guidance from experienced acquisition entrepreneurs who have evaluated hundreds of deals and participated in more than 40 business acquisitions. We'll answer your questions, challenge your assumptions, and help you avoid many of the mistakes first-time buyers make. By the end of the program, you'll have the clarity, confidence, and practical tools needed to begin your acquisition journey with a realistic plan instead of guesswork.
What's included
We'll meet weekly at a designated time, focusing on one module per week. I'll move at your preferred pace, diving deeper into areas where you have more questions and moving more swiftly through topics you are familiar with. This isn't a canned course with pre-scripted content. It will be structured and tailored to what you know, what you need to learn, and where you are in your search.
- A personalized acquisition target profile so you know exactly which businesses fit your experience, lifestyle, and financial goals and which ones to ignore.
- A realistic financing roadmap outlining your purchasing power, likely funding sources, and a practical strategy for getting your first deal financed.
- A business search framework including proven sourcing methods, quick-screening techniques, and the evaluation tools we use to identify promising opportunities.
- A buyer positioning statement you can confidently use with brokers and sellers to communicate your experience, credibility, and acquisition criteria from your very first conversation.
- Realistic expectations for the acquisition process, including typical timelines, common obstacles, and what successful buyers do differently.
- Hands-on experience evaluating live opportunities, so you leave knowing not just what to look for, but how experienced buyers think through real listings.
- A discounted professional review of your first deal, giving you experienced feedback before you invest significant time or money into an opportunity.
Meet your expert
Mark F.
100+ Deals In: Navigating Seller Fraud, Buried Cash, & Real Successes
Hi, I'm Mark. I'm a business owner, investor, and acquisition entrepreneur who has participated in more than 40 successful small business acquisitions across a wide range of industries. Since acquiring my first business a decade ago (a residential cleaning company, which I have since exited), I have co-acquired and evaluated thousands of opportunities, navigating everything from seller fraud and hidden liabilities to complex deal structures and successful post-acquisition growth. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in finance and investing, I specialize in business valuation, deal structuring, SBA financing, due diligence, and acquisition strategy. My coaching combines the analytical rigor that comes with being a chartered financial analyst (CFA) and financial risk manager (FRM) with practical, real-world lessons from transactions that have ranged from exceptional to extremely challenging. Whether you're refining your buy box, evaluating your first acquisition, or working through a live deal, my goal is to help you think like an experienced buyer and make better decisions with greater confidence.
