M&A Blog — Exit Strategy, Valuation & SaaS

Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) is the single most important number in a small business sale. Here is exactly how to calculate it, what counts as a legitimate addback, and how buyers use it to set your purchase price.

Same revenue, same profit. The prep work decides whether you exit at 2.5x or 6.5x earnings. Here is the complete checklist of what a buyer will want to see before they pay top of the range for a digital marketing agency.

SaaS acquisition multiples in 2026 range from 1.6x to 9.3x EBITDA for lower-middle-market deals. Here is what the comp data from 190 closed transactions says about where your business falls.

Affiliate marketing businesses sell for a median 3.0x EBITDA based on 129 closed transactions. The range runs 1.0x to over 7x. Here is what determines where you land and how to get to the high end.

Most SaaS founders exit too late or for the wrong reasons. Here's how to read the four readiness signals, understand what PE buyers want versus strategic acquirers, and what six months out looks like in practice.

Content sites are the most distressed business model in lower middle market M&A right now. Here is what the calculator is measuring, who is still buying, and whether selling makes sense for your specific situation.

Most founders pick their M&A advisor the way they pick a plumber — whoever calls back first. Here's the framework I'd use to evaluate advisors if I were selling a $3M–$30M online business today.

Most ecommerce businesses that go to market never sell. Here are 8 specific patterns I've seen kill deals — and what to do about each one before you list.

A step-by-step exit playbook for ecommerce founders. What buyers pay for, what kills the deal, and the prep moves that put real money in your account.

The 3 exit paths SaaS founders use: strategic acquisition, PE buyout, and operator acquisition. What each pays, who it fits, and how to prepare 12 months out.

Most founders think the hard part is finding a buyer. It isn't. The hard part is having financials that make a buyer say yes. Here's exactly what buyers see when they open your books.

There are specific things you can do right now that directly increase what a buyer will pay for your business. This is the list. Every one of them is actionable before you go to market.

I've valued and sold 75+ online businesses totaling $123M+. Here's how buyers really determine what your business is worth. and the 27 factors that move your number up or down.

I've sold dozens of SaaS companies. Here's the complete playbook: how to value your SaaS, find the right buyers, run a competitive process, and close. No fluff. Just what works.

Agencies are the hardest digital businesses to sell. Not because buyers don't want them. Because most agency owners don't know how to make their agency look like something a buyer can run without them. Here's how to fix that.

Most business owners wait too long to sell. M&A advisor Nate Lind explains how to identify the right window, what happens when you miss it, and what to do today.

After 75+ transactions, M&A advisor Nate Lind breaks down the 9 things every serious buyer evaluates and what you can do today to score higher on each one.

If you're 6 to 18 months from going to market, this is the due diligence checklist to run now. What buyers ask for, what kills deals in diligence, and how to have it clean before they ask.

Most agency owners dramatically underestimate what their business is worth. Here is how services deals actually get valued, where most sellers go wrong, and what moves the number in your favor.

An ecommerce valuation calculator gives you a range. Here is what moves that range and why the same revenue can produce wildly different sale prices depending on a handful of specific variables.

A SaaS valuation calculator gives you a number. This post tells you what changes it; which variables actually move the needle when a real buyer is writing a check.

How SaaS businesses are actually valued before a sale — the metrics buyers use, the math behind the multiple, and where founders consistently leave money on the table.

Here's how to find and work with a business broker to sell your company — what the process looks like, what to look for, and what most founders get wrong.

75+ transactions, $123M+ closed. Here's the exact process for selling a SaaS company — from valuation to wire, without leaving money on the table.

I've handled 75+ business transactions and $123M+ in closed deals. Here's exactly how agency founders maximize their exit — from valuation to wired funds.

Not all business brokers are the same. Here's exactly what to look for, what questions to ask, and what separates a broker who lists your business from an advisor who actually sells it.

The best M&A advisor for your SaaS company is not the biggest firm. It's the one who's sat on your side of the table and understands exactly how much a SaaS founder can lose when they negotiate blind.

Fewer than 8% of businesses listed for sale ever close. Here's exactly why the other 92% fail. And what the successful 8% do differently.

Where to list your business for sale: an honest comparison of BizBuySell, Flippa, Empire Flippers, and working with a direct-network M&A advisor.

What buyers are paying for SaaS businesses in Q2 2026. Real multiples by tier, the 5 factors that drive your number, and why multiples-only thinking leaves money on the table.

How to sell a marketing agency: the valuation multiples, buyer types, and deal factors that determine what your agency is worth in 2026.

How long does it take to sell a business? Based on 75+ transactions: roughly 5 months to LOI and 3–4 months from LOI to close.

What financial statements do you need to sell a business? Learn what buyers require, how addbacks work, and when to get a quality of earnings review.