The New SBA Quality of Earnings Requirement: What Buyers, Lenders, and Brokers Need to Know
SBA now requires a QoE on 7(a) acquisitions of $3M+. Learn what the report must include, who engages it, and what buyers and brokers should do.
Buying a Business
New Customers Grow a Business. So Do the Ones You Already Have.
David Lertola, who bought REK Marketing and Design with his partner Tom, on growing a business two ways at once: winning new customers and listening to the ones you already have.
New Customers Grow a Business. So Do the Ones You Already Have. Read More »
How to Find a Business to Buy: A Practical Playbook for Searchers
How to find a business to buy in 2026: define your buy box, work brokers, run off-market outreach, screen deals before LOI, and plan for the new SBA QoE rule.
How to Find a Business to Buy: A Practical Playbook for Searchers Read More »
How to Read a CIM: A Business Buyer’s Guide to the Confidential Information Memorandum
Learn how to read a CIM like a pro: what each section should tell you, how to pressure-test add-backs, and what to ask the broker before an LOI.
How to Read a CIM: A Business Buyer’s Guide to the Confidential Information Memorandum Read More »
The Risk Most SBA Buyers Don’t Put in the Model
SBA 7(a) financing has made business ownership accessible to thousands of acquisition entrepreneurs. It can provide meaningful leverage, long amortization, and a capital structure that would be difficult to replicate with conventional financing.
That can create extraordinary upside for the right operator buying the right business.
But the same structure comes with an important tradeoff: the personal guarantee.
Buyers often spend weeks diligencing normalized earnings, customer concentration, working
capital, margins, capex, and debt service coverage. They should put the same rigor into
understanding what a failed deal could mean for their personal balance sheet.
A good acquisition model should show both sides of the distribution: what success could create
and what failure could cost.
The Risk Most SBA Buyers Don’t Put in the Model Read More »
Using an SBA Loan to Buy a Business? You Need Due Diligence!
In a recent episode of the EntreLeadership podcast with Dave Ramsey, a caller shared a cautionary story that every aspiring business buyer needs to hear. The caller had taken out an SBA loan to expand their daycare business and open a second location. But what seemed like a smart move quickly turned disastrous.
Using an SBA Loan to Buy a Business? You Need Due Diligence! Read More »
First Year Business Owner Tax Tip: Convert Your 401(k)
Here’s something most young entrepreneurs don’t realize:
The year you buy a business is often one of your lowest taxable income years, which creates a rare tax planning opportunity.
Instead of just surviving year one, you can use it strategically, potentially reducing your lifetime tax liability by making one smart move: a Roth conversion.
Let’s break it down.
First Year Business Owner Tax Tip: Convert Your 401(k) Read More »
Understanding Commissions in Your New Small Business
When you’re buying or starting a small business, there’s a lot to think about! From staffing and systems to customer relationships and finances, many things will need your attention. One area that’s often overlooked but can have a significant impact on your bottom line is commissions. Understanding how small business commissions work is essential to ensure you’re not caught off guard by unexpected expenses or unbalanced compensation structures.
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Post-Acquisition Integration: Your 100 Day Plan
Acquiring a business is just the beginning. The real challenge starts the moment the deal closes.
Without a strategic plan, new owners often hit what’s known as the J-curve: a dip in performance, cash flow, and operational stability before things start to improve. This period is critical, and how you handle it can define the long-term success of your new venture.
To thrive through this transition, you need to focus on three pillars: cash flow management, risk mitigation, and accounting system upgrades.
Post-Acquisition Integration: Your 100 Day Plan Read More »
Major Grocery Store Acquisition: Schnucks Expands in Wisconsin
In a move that’s shaking up the Midwest grocery landscape, Schnuck Markets has officially completed a significant grocery store acquisition by purchasing Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers. The deal brings 51 stores into Schnucks’ network, marking its most aggressive expansion into the Wisconsin market to date. This strategic merger is set to redefine grocery shopping in Wisconsin and signals a powerful play by Schnucks to strengthen its regional presence. With many customers wondering “why?”, here’s the Midwest CPA breakdown of what could be behind this strategic decision, and what it could mean for customers.
Major Grocery Store Acquisition: Schnucks Expands in Wisconsin Read More »