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
June 28, 2025

The Financing Stack: How to Layer Equipment Loans, Lines of Credit, and Working Capital for Business Growth

Layering financing tools—like equipment loans, lines of credit, and working capital—gives businesses the flexibility to fund growth while preserving cash flow. Equipment loans cover large asset purchases, lines of credit offer ongoing liquidity, and working capital fills short-term gaps. By using each tool for its ideal purpose, businesses can scale smarter, stay financially agile, and minimize risk.

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Growth
June 27, 2025

Search Funds & Main Street Investing: The Private Money Alternative You’ve Been Overlooking

Search funds offer a compelling alternative investment for private capital by backing operators who acquire and grow cash-flowing Main Street businesses. These overlooked SMBs provide strong returns, stable cash flow, and leverage through SBA financing—often outperforming traditional alternatives like VC or real estate. With growing generational turnover and fragmented markets, it's a prime time to invest in the next generation of business owners.

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Growth
June 27, 2025

EBITDA Multiples by Industry: Asset-Heavy Businesses

EBITDA multiples are a core valuation metric for asset-heavy industries, but they require careful interpretation due to high capital expenditure and lower free cash flow. Sectors like manufacturing, oil & gas, real estate, and waste management tend to trade at lower multiples than asset-light industries, reflecting their capital intensity and operational complexity. Professional buyers adjust for these factors by separating asset and business value, using tools like Clearly Acquired to structure deals and secure appropriate financing.

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Growth
June 27, 2025

Acquisition Criteria Checklist

A clear acquisition criteria checklist is essential when buying a small business to avoid costly mistakes and stay aligned with your long-term goals. It helps you define your objectives, evaluate financial and operational health, assess legal and human capital risks, and rank must-have vs. nice-to-have deal elements. With structured evaluation and modern tools like Clearly Acquired, you can make smarter, faster, and more confident acquisition decisions.

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Growth
June 27, 2025

Scalability vs. Network Effects in Valuations

Scalability and network effects are two of the most powerful forces driving platform valuations. Scalability enables a business to grow revenue faster than costs, while network effects increase the value of the platform as more users join. When combined—like in companies such as Airbnb or LinkedIn—they create compounding growth, defensibility, and exceptional long-term enterprise value.

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Growth
June 26, 2025

Why Investing in Main Street Is the Next Big Opportunity for Private Equity

This article explores the rise of Main Street private equity and why small business acquisitions are becoming an attractive asset class for savvy investors. With favorable SBA lending terms, generational ownership transfers, and operational upside, Main Street offers a rare opportunity for outsized returns with lower volatility. The piece concludes with a call to action to invest alongside seasoned operators through Clearly Acquired’s Catalyst Fund.

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Growth
June 26, 2025

5 Debt Ratios for Business Acquisitions

When buying a business, understanding debt ratios is essential to evaluating financial health and long-term viability. Key metrics like Debt-to-Equity, Debt-to-Asset, DSCR, Debt-to-EBITDA, and Interest Coverage reveal how well a company manages its obligations and how much risk you may inherit. Analyzing these ratios together—while comparing them to industry benchmarks—helps you spot red flags, structure smarter deals, and plan for sustainable post-acquisition growth.

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Growth
June 26, 2025

Key Employee Retention: Best Practices for M&A

Key employee retention during mergers and acquisitions is critical to preserving deal value, yet nearly half of top performers leave within the first year post-close. To prevent this, acquirers must identify essential talent early, communicate clearly, offer meaningful incentives, and proactively align culture. Without a focused retention strategy, companies risk losing institutional knowledge, operational continuity, and customer trust.

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Growth
June 26, 2025

Building a Capital Strategy: How Equipment, LOCs, and Working Capital Loans Power Your Business

A strong capital strategy combines equipment financing, lines of credit (LOCs), and working capital loans to help businesses grow while maintaining liquidity. Each tool serves a unique purpose—equipment financing supports long-term asset purchases, LOCs provide flexible funds for daily operations, and working capital loans cover short-term cash flow gaps or opportunities. Together, they offer the financial agility needed to manage risk, fund growth, and adapt to changing business needs.

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Growth
June 25, 2025

From Wall Street to Main Street: Why Search Funds and Local Businesses Are the Next Great Investment Frontier

Search funds and Main Street businesses are quietly becoming the most overlooked, high-potential asset class of the next decade. Fueled by policy shifts, SBA leverage, investor demand, and new technology, this article explores how generational change is creating a once-in-a-generation investing opportunity. The Catalyst Fund by Clearly Acquired gives accredited investors direct access to a diversified portfolio of operator-led small business acquisitions.

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Growth
June 25, 2025

Stock vs. Asset Sales, 338(h)(10), F Reorgs, and QSBS Explained

Structuring your business acquisition as a stock sale or asset sale has major tax and legal implications. This article breaks down the pros and cons of each approach and explains how tools like the 338(h)(10) election, F reorganizations, and QSBS can create win-win outcomes for buyers and sellers. Smart structuring can minimize taxes, reduce risk, and preserve long-term value.

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Growth
June 25, 2025

SBA Loan Eligibility for Partner Buyouts

SBA loans offer favorable terms for partner buyouts, including low or no equity injection if the business’s debt-to-net-worth ratio is 9:1 or better and the buyer has held at least 10% ownership for two years. Only remaining owners with 20%+ equity must personally guarantee the loan, and partial buyouts are now eligible under updated SBA rules with third-party valuations. These loans are often faster and less risky than standard acquisitions, making them an attractive option for existing partners.

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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