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Business acquisition · Before the deal

You are buying the numbers. Are you buying the customers?

An accountant checks the books, a lawyer checks the contract. Nobody checks where the customers come from. Yet that is the only thing that decides whether the revenue still exists a year from now.

Book a 30-min callSee what we check
questions before signing
9
questions before signing
assets the books miss
5
assets the books miss
first days steered
100
first days steered
brands served
80+
brands served

What a balance sheet will never tell you

  • The address book leaves with the seller
    Many small businesses run on the owner's personal relationships. They leave, and part of the revenue leaves with them.
  • One client is half the revenue
    Concentration does not show in a revenue total. It shows when you open the billing client by client.
  • The brand is not yours
    Domain registered to a former employee, Facebook page administered by a cousin, Google listing nobody controls. It happens more than people think.
  • Traffic comes from one fragile source
    One ad account, one referral, one partner. If that source dries up after the sale, there is nothing to replace it.

What we check before you sign

  • 01
    Where customers come from, in real proportions
    Word of mouth, search, advertising, referral, existing base. We put a percentage on each source instead of an impression.
  • 02
    Customer concentration
    What share of revenue depends on the top three, five and ten clients, and how long they have been there.
  • 03
    The assets that are not on the balance sheet
    Domain, site, email list, Google listing, ad accounts, reviews, social accounts. Who actually owns them, and whether they transfer.
  • 04
    What depends on the seller personally
    We separate what the business generates from what the owner generates. The most expensive distinction to discover afterwards.
  • 05
    The state of measurement
    Whether you can tell what works, or will have to rebuild visibility from zero after the deal.
  • 06
    A written report before closing
    What holds, what leaves with the seller, and what replacing it would cost. Enough to negotiate the price or walk away.
We work well together if…

We work with you if…

We turn down ~60% of requests, because we want to deliver real results and that requires the right fundamentals on your end.

Qualify my project
  • You are negotiating or in due diligence on an existing business
  • The seller is still personally involved in day-to-day sales
  • You want to know what you are buying before signing, not after
  • You prefer an unpleasant answer now to a surprise in six months

Frequently asked

The questions we get most before kicking off.

What is marketing due diligence?
It is the examination of everything that brings customers into the business: customer sources, their concentration, the digital assets and who really owns them, and the share of revenue tied to the seller personally. The accountant looks at what came in, we look at whether it will keep coming in.
When should you be involved in the deal?
During due diligence, before signing, while the price can still be negotiated or the deal dropped. Calling us after closing is possible, but the report becomes a recovery plan instead of a negotiating tool.
Do you replace an accountant or a lawyer?
No, and you need both. We look at what they do not. The three reviews are complementary and none covers the others' work.
Do you stay on after the purchase?
Yes. It is often the logical next step: we have the map of customer sources, so we know what to protect first in the opening hundred days. Our business acquisition page covers that engagement.
What if the seller will not grant access?
That is information in itself. We can work with what is public, but a seller who refuses to show where their customers come from during due diligence deserves one more question, not one fewer.

Ready to talk growth?

Book 30 minutes with us, or send a message if you'd rather walk us through your project in writing.

Book a 30-min call

A 30-minute strategy call - we'll tell you honestly if we can help.

Send a detailed message

We read every message and personally respond within 24h.

We turn down about 60% of requests. If we take you on, it's because we can deliver.