Operational DD

Most small businesses don't sell — not because they aren't worth it, but because they aren't ready when it counts. Buyers find problems. I find them first. I work with $1M–$5M founder-led businesses preparing to sell in the next few years. I go inside and do the actual work — getting knowledge out of the owner's head and into systems a buyer can evaluate, reducing owner dependency, cleaning up financials, documenting SOPs, and making sure contracts, vendor relationships, and key-person risk won't kill a deal at the table. The result: a business that holds up under due diligence and sells at a number that reflects what was actually built. Stella and Main works with a maximum of two clients at a time — intentionally. This is hands-on, inside work. Not a program. Not a course. Not coaching. Rachel is in it with you. If you've been told your business isn't ready, if you suspect it won't hold up once a buyer starts digging, or if you just want to know where you actually stand — that's exactly where we start. stellaandmain.com | rachel@stellaandmain.com | 253.314.4335

LIMESTONE Strategic Partners is an Indiana-rooted firm that provides quality of earnings (QoE) analysis and other due diligence for owner-led businesses, and says its focus is businesses with roughly $500,000 to $5 million of EBITDA. Its services include buy-side and sell-side quality of earnings, buy-side operational due diligence, exit readiness reviews, and packages that prepare a business for lender or investor review, along with embedded CFO and operating partner engagements. The firm was founded by Jared Luegers, CFA, and says it serves buyers and owners nationwide. For its diligence work, the firm states that it quotes a fixed fee, takes no success fee, and does not work both sides of a transaction.

SectorPoint Advisors provides operator search and placement for lower middle market private equity acquisitions. The firm sources COOs, Presidents, and General Managers for founder-built service businesses undergoing ownership transitions, often starting during diligence so the leadership question is answered before close. SectorPoint also provides commercial diligence and thesis development advisory.