Clearly Acquired Blog

Expert insights, funding strategies, and practical guidance for securing capital, financing growth, and navigating business acquisitions. Whether you're raising capital for expansion, restructuring debt, or exploring your first acquisition, our blog provides the knowledge and resources to help you succeed.

Growth
September 15, 2025

How Search Funds Build Winning Teams

Search funds win by buying a single, stable business and immediately upgrading the team—because execution risks, not spreadsheets, make or break returns. The best operators tap into investor/advisor networks, as well as alumni circles, to recruit pre-vetted leaders quickly, then utilize integrated platforms (e.g., data rooms, NDAs, onboarding playbooks) to align incentives and accelerate the first 100 days. Mentorship and structured hiring beat job boards every time—faster, cheaper, and far higher signal.

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Growth
September 15, 2025

Deal Structure Comparison Tool

A Deal Structure Comparison Tool helps entrepreneurs and investors evaluate offers beyond headline numbers by factoring in timelines, risks, and payout structures. It enables side-by-side analysis of cash deals, stock swaps, and earn-outs, while adjusting for risk to show the true value of each option. With this clarity, you can negotiate smarter, avoid pitfalls, and choose the structure that best aligns with your goals.

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Growth
September 15, 2025

Bank Loan Terms for Small Businesses

Bank loan terms for small businesses shape both affordability and risk. Repayment periods, interest rates, and collateral requirements determine your monthly obligations and the total cost of borrowing, while eligibility depends on credit, revenue, and financial history. By understanding these terms and matching loan types—like SBA, term, or equipment financing—to your goals, you can secure funding that supports growth without overextending your business.

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Growth
September 13, 2025

Top 5 Industries to Buy in 2025: Market Data & Strategy

In 2025, five industries are emerging as top acquisition targets: home services, construction, HVAC, manufacturing, and retail. Each sector offers unique advantages—home services for steady demand, construction for scalability, HVAC for high margins, manufacturing for institutional appeal, and retail for activity despite risks. With valuations rising and competition fierce, buyers who align with growth sectors like HVAC and manufacturing while preparing a strong acquisition profile will be best positioned to succeed.

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Growth
September 12, 2025

How to Assess Competitors for SMB Acquisitions

Assessing competitors in an SMB acquisition protects you from overpaying and reveals where the target can win post-close. Map direct, indirect, and potential entrants, then collect concrete data (products, pricing, reviews, headcount) and compare with a simple SWOT and competitor matrix. Those insights sharpen valuation, strengthen negotiations, and focus your first 90-day growth plan.

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Growth
September 12, 2025

Business Exit Strategy Planner

A Business Exit Strategy Planner helps entrepreneurs map out how to leave their company—whether by sale, merger, or succession—while protecting both legacy and financial outcomes. By planning early, owners can maximize business value, anticipate challenges, and transition smoothly on their own terms. This tool simplifies the process by offering a clear, customizable roadmap tailored to your goals and business structure.

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Growth
September 11, 2025

How to Align KPIs with Partners After an Acquisition

Post-acquisition, align KPIs by agreeing on a single set of shared goals, then picking 5–8 metrics that balance revenue growth, customer outcomes, operational efficiency, and talent retention. Stand up a common dashboard, assign clear owners for each KPI, and run tight reviews (weekly/bi-weekly in the first 100 days) to reset targets as reality unfolds. This creates accountability, de-risks integration, and keeps both sides rowing in the same direction.

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Growth
September 11, 2025

How Long Does Selling a Business Take?

Selling a business typically takes 6 to 12 months, though timing depends heavily on preparation, pricing, buyer demand, and industry specifics. The process generally moves through three stages—valuation and preparation, marketing and buyer search, and due diligence and closing—each of which can add weeks or months. Owners who prepare early, set realistic expectations, and work with experienced advisors often close faster and achieve stronger outcomes.

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Growth
September 10, 2025

Revenue-Based Financing vs SBA Loans

Revenue-based financing trades a slice of future revenue for fast, collateral-light capital with payments that rise and fall with sales—great for uneven cash flow but usually pricier and smaller in size. SBA loans deliver larger checks, lower rates, and long terms with fixed payments—ideal for acquisitions or real estate—but demand strong credit, documentation, and patience. Pick RBF for speed and flexibility; pick SBA for lowest cost of capital and scale.

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Growth
September 10, 2025

Ultimate Guide to Friends and Family Financing for Business Acquisitions

Friends and family financing is a common way to fund business acquisitions because it offers flexible terms, faster access to capital, and fewer qualification hurdles compared to banks or investors. However, it comes with risks like strained relationships, tax implications, and legal complications if not structured properly. To succeed, treat the arrangement like a formal deal by using written agreements, clear repayment plans, and regular communication to protect both your business and personal relationships.

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Growth
September 9, 2025

How to Build Wealth Through Small‑Business Acquisition

Building wealth through small-business acquisition offers a faster, more reliable path to financial freedom than starting from scratch. Elliot Holland emphasizes speed, decisiveness, and mentorship as keys to success, helping buyers avoid common pitfalls like analysis paralysis, overpaying, and lifestyle-driven financial traps. By acquiring profitable, cash-flowing businesses instead of launching risky startups, entrepreneurs can leverage proven systems and position themselves for long-term growth and autonomy.

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Growth
September 9, 2025

Guide to the M&A Sale Process and Deal Structures

The M&A sale process is a multi-stage journey designed to maximize value and align buyer-seller objectives. It includes preparation, marketing, buyer engagement, due diligence, negotiations, and post-closing integration, requiring strategic planning and expert guidance at every step. Understanding deal structures—like earnouts, platforms, add-ons, and tuck-ins—helps entrepreneurs and investors position their businesses effectively and achieve successful outcomes.

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Acquire Quality. Fund Growth. Close with Confidence.

As an AI-driven Business Acquisition Marketplace and Financing Platform, we are on a mission to simplify and accelerate the MainStreet to MidStreet lending and acquisition ecosystem.

We specialize in technology that supports price discovery, identity verification and financial qualification, and buy-side tools to help searchers source and manage deal flow, make offers, secure lending/financing solutions, and close with confidence.

illustration of team with digital platform

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions by users that are looking to buy businesses on Clearly Acquired:

How can I show business owners I'm a legitimate buyer and that I'm interested?

With a Clearly Verified account, you can instill confidence in other users, brokers and sellers that you are, who you say you are, when you "verify" your identify.  This is the key to instilling confidence in the users on the platform,  gaining traction and getting instant access to financials, supporting data and insight to quickly move to making an offer or moving on.   This will save you months of wasted time and expedite the closing of a sale.

How are my finances verified?

Using financial technology the Clearly Acquired Platform safely and securely verifies your finances, to help sellers understand your closing capability and help lenders expedite your financing. Additionally, the buy-side deal room will help you get your documentation in order, to prepare you for the debt and equity financing you will need to close your acquisition.

Can I get in touch with advisors to help support me in this process?

The Clearly Acquired team is here to support you on your business acquisition or business sale journey. That said, the platform is designed to connect you with a community of users, who are identify verified, which include: investors, lenders, advisors, brokers, consultants, and other buyers who are looking for partners.  

What is a Deal Hub?

The Deal Hub is the central repository for all transaction-related activities on our business acquisition platform. It serves as a secure and organized space where buyers and sellers can access critical information and manage the entire acquisition process efficiently. The Deal Hub is divided into two main components: the Data Room and the Deal Rooms.

Data Room: The Data Room is a secure, virtual storage space where sellers can upload and share essential documents related to their business. This includes financial statements, legal contracts, operational reports, and other due diligence materials. Buyers can access these documents to conduct thorough evaluations and make informed decisions. The Data Room ensures that all sensitive information is protected and only accessible to authorized parties.

Deal Rooms: The Deal Rooms are dedicated spaces for each business listing where buyers and sellers can collaborate and negotiate terms. Each Deal Room is equipped with tools for real-time communication, document sharing, and tracking the progress of the deal. This streamlined environment facilitates transparent and efficient interactions, helping to expedite the acquisition process and ensuring that both parties are aligned at every stage.

The Deal Hub's comprehensive and secure infrastructure simplifies the complexities of business acquisitions, providing a seamless experience for all users involved.

What is Plaid?

Plaid is a financial technology company that provides a secure and seamless way to connect and interact with financial institutions. It enables applications to access users' financial data with their consent, facilitating a wide range of services such as identity verification, account authentication, and transaction history retrieval. Plaid's robust API infrastructure ensures high security, reliability, and compliance with regulatory standards.

By integrating Plaid, Clearly Acquired can offer a secure, efficient, and reliable method for identity verification, building trust among users and ensuring the integrity of the acquisition process.

I am new to the idea of business acquisition, where can I get more information on how to get started?

Make sure to check out our Educational Course on Business Acquisition that is offered in our paid plans for buyers: From Purchase to Profit: Mastering the Art of Business Acquisition.

This Membership Course for buyers is designed to empower individuals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate the business acquisition process successfully. Whether you're a first-time buyer or an experienced entrepreneur, our course equips you with the tools and insights needed to make informed decisions and achieve your acquisition goals. Join us and embark on your journey to buying a business with Clearly Acquired.

Easy as 1, 2, 3

Create Your Account. Get Verified. Start Searching.

1

Create an account

Every day, lenders, investors, brokers, and sellers come to Clearly Acquired looking for qualified operators like you. Creating an account and getting verified helps you stand out and build trust.

2

Build your profile

Build your profile to get matched with capital and opportunities. Showcase your expertise and resume, to connect with the right capital and acquisition partners—making every opportunity count.

3

Search & Connect

Browse Verified listings, source off-market deals, & manage deal flow with powerful tools to underwrite opportunities, and connect with capital to streamline the entire acquisition and funding process

Join the Clearly Acquired Search Community

Create Your Profile & Get Verified for Free