Main Street To Mid-Street Acquisition & Financing News

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
July 21, 2025

Mutual vs. Unilateral NDAs in M&A Deals

Mutual and unilateral NDAs protect sensitive information during M&A deals, but they serve different purposes. Unilateral NDAs bind only the recipient of information, commonly used when sellers disclose data early in a transaction. Mutual NDAs, on the other hand, require both parties to protect each other’s confidential information, often used in complex deals or joint ventures where both sides share strategic details. Choosing the right NDA depends on the flow of information, the seller's post-transaction role, and the level of legal protection needed.

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Growth
July 21, 2025

Common Financial Statement Adjustments in M&A Deals

Financial statement adjustments in M&A deals ensure a company’s earnings accurately reflect its true operational performance and value. Common adjustments include normalizing owner salaries, removing personal or one-time expenses, and refining working capital to align with operational needs. By documenting these changes clearly—often through Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) or EBITDA—buyers and sellers gain transparency, build trust during due diligence, and achieve fairer valuations.

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Growth
July 21, 2025

5 Direct Seller Outreach Cadence Examples

Direct seller outreach helps buyers uncover off-market opportunities by engaging directly with business owners, often leading to less competition and better deal terms. The key to success lies in using a structured outreach cadence—planned, consistent touchpoints across email, phone, and social media—that builds trust and keeps communication effective. By tailoring cadences (such as fast 7-day strategies or long-term relationship-building approaches) to the seller’s profile and timeline, buyers can maximize response rates and foster stronger connections.

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Growth
July 21, 2025

How Brokers Help Source SMB Deals

Business brokers streamline the complex process of buying a small business by sourcing both on-market and off-market opportunities, managing valuations, and facilitating negotiations while ensuring confidentiality. They leverage networks, industry expertise, and tools like AI analytics and verified deal platforms to uncover quality opportunities and match buyers with the right businesses. By guiding buyers through every step—from target identification to closing—brokers save time, reduce risk, and increase the chances of a successful acquisition.

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Growth
July 20, 2025

Tax Treatment of Hybrid Debt: Key Considerations

Hybrid debt combines elements of both debt and equity, offering tax-deductible interest benefits if classified as debt by the IRS. However, its treatment depends on factors like repayment terms, subordination, and documentation, with misclassification leading to penalties and loss of deductions. Proper structuring and compliance are critical to maximizing tax efficiency while minimizing reclassification risks.

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Growth
July 19, 2025

Knowledge Transfer in Small Business Transitions

Knowledge transfer is often the most critical factor in ensuring a smooth small business transition, especially when leadership or ownership changes. Without structured methods to pass on both documented procedures and tacit insights, new owners face operational gaps that can cost hundreds of hours to recover. Early planning, clear documentation, mentorship, and hands-on learning are key to preserving business value and avoiding disruptions during the transition.

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Growth
July 19, 2025

Ultimate Guide to Exit Planning for Small Businesses

Exit planning prepares a business for ownership transition while maximizing its value and aligning with the owner’s financial and personal goals. By starting early—ideally 3–5 years in advance—owners can strengthen operations, organize financials, and explore the best strategy, whether it’s a sale, succession, or buyout. Professional advisors and modern tools, like valuation platforms and deal management software, can streamline the process and help achieve the desired outcome.

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Growth
July 18, 2025

What Is High-Leverage Risk in SMB Deals?

High-leverage risk in SMB acquisitions occurs when a buyer uses significant debt—often 70% to 90% of the purchase price—to fund a deal, amplifying both potential returns and financial vulnerability. High debt levels can strain cash flow, limit operational flexibility, and increase the risk of financial distress if revenue declines. To mitigate this, buyers should use conservative financial modeling, diversify funding sources (e.g., SBA loans and seller financing), and stress-test scenarios to ensure the business can withstand unexpected challenges.

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Growth
July 18, 2025

Checklist For Detecting Inventory Fraud In Acquisitions

Inventory fraud can inflate a company’s value or mask financial problems, leading to costly surprises after an acquisition. To avoid this, look for red flags like mismatched inventory counts, abnormal stock patterns, and questionable vendor transactions. Conduct thorough audits, verify documentation, and leverage experts or platforms like Clearly Acquired to ensure inventory data is accurate before closing the deal.

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Growth
July 16, 2025

Working Capital in M&A: Role of Cash Conversion Cycle

In M&A, working capital—and specifically the Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC)—is a critical indicator of a company’s liquidity, efficiency, and financial risk. CCC measures how quickly a business turns inventory and receivables into cash while managing payables, directly affecting deal valuation, pricing adjustments, and post-close integration. Buyers favor companies with shorter CCCs, as they signal strong operational discipline and reduce the need for excess working capital.

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Growth
July 16, 2025

How to Resolve Post-Acquisition Disputes

Post-acquisition disputes—such as price adjustments, breaches of representations, and contract ambiguities—can derail integration and strain relationships. The best resolution path begins with direct negotiation, followed by advisory input or mediation, and escalates to arbitration or litigation if needed. Clear contracts, thorough documentation, and early expert involvement are key to both resolving and preventing these costly conflicts.

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Growth
July 15, 2025

Mergers vs. Acquisitions: Employment Law Differences

Mergers and acquisitions affect employees differently depending on the transaction structure. In a merger, employees usually transition to the new entity with contracts and benefits intact, while acquisitions—especially asset purchases—give buyers discretion to retain, renegotiate, or terminate employment relationships. Key employment law considerations include WARN Act compliance, union agreements, severance obligations, and due diligence to uncover hidden liabilities.

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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