Growth and exit advisory
Sanders Value Partners is a hybrid firm. We start by finding out where your business stands, then put together the plan, the people and, where it fits, the capital to make it worth more. When you do well, so do we.
Two ways this usually goes
The usual way
Built to be bought
The difference is rarely the business. It is whether anyone ever built it to run without the owner and to be worth something to a buyer. That is the work we do.
Our model
Most owners meet their advisers one at a time: a broker, a consultant, an investor. Each is paid regardless of how the story ends.
We put the plan, the hands and the capital under one roof, and we share in the upside of the business getting better, whether that ends in a sale or in a company you are glad to keep.
A plan. Find out where you stand and what would move the number. A straightforward consult, and for some owners that is all they need.
Execution. We take the plan off your plate and do the work. You cover some of our costs and we share in the upside as the business improves.
A partner. Where it fits, our fund invests alongside the work and we build toward a sale, or a company worth keeping, together.
What we do
Every engagement starts with the same diagnosis. What follows depends on what the business needs, which is usually simpler than people expect.
Business brokerage and M&A advisory
We prepare the business, build the buyer list, run a confidential process and negotiate to close. One adviser owns the deal from first conversation to wire.
Best fit: owners planning to sell within the next 12 months.
Learn more Learn moreValue acceleration
A 12 to 36 month program focused on what makes a business worth more: earnings, margin, recurring revenue, clean financials and a business that runs on systems. Most of it is basic. Almost nobody does it.
Best fit: owners one to three years from a sale who want a higher number when they get there.
Learn more Learn moreFractional leadership
Part-time operators who come in and build what the plan calls for: a sales system, marketing that runs without you, clean books, a workflow where you are no longer the bottleneck. Up to and including fractional CFO and COO seats when a business has grown into them.
Best fit: businesses where too much still depends on the owner.
Learn more Learn moreInternal investment fund
We take minority or majority stakes from our internal fund, putting capital to work alongside our people. Our return comes with yours.
Best fit: owners who want a partner with money on the table, not only an adviser.
Learn more Learn moreHow an engagement runs
Week one
A free, confidential value range and readiness read.
First 30 days
Which phase the business is in, what is holding it back, and a plain recommendation: a plan, help executing it, or a partner.
Months 1 to 3
The people the plan needs come in, and capital where it fits. A weekly rhythm is set.
Months 3 to 36
Earnings grow, the owner steps back, the books get cleaner. Tracked each quarter.
When ready
If you sell, our brokerage team runs the process. If the business is one you would rather keep, that is a good outcome too.
Where are you?
Phase one
The business is you. It pays well on a good month and stops when you stop. The next step is a system, a few hires and a plan.
Phase two
Most owners get here and stay here. Good people, steady revenue, and every important decision still runs through the founder. This is where we do most of our work.
Phase three
The company has a management layer and clean numbers. Now it is an asset, and the questions are about growth, capital and timing.
The value range tells you which phase you are in and what the next one would be worth. From there we recommend the right amount of help, and nothing more.
Things nobody tells you
Profit, plus your pay, plus the personal costs it covers. Buyers start there, then move the multiple up or down for risk. Everything else on this site is about that multiple.
Most owners only ever get offered debt. Capital that shares the upside, paired with people who do the work, is how larger companies grow. It is rarely offered at this size.
The same is true of sales, hiring and the monthly close. If it lives in your head, a buyer discounts it. Writing it down is worth real money at the closing table.
No. Many owners want a plan and some help carrying it out. The fund invests only where it makes sense for both sides, and only if you want a partner.
Only if that is what you choose. Minority investments leave you in control. A majority recapitalization is for owners who want to take money off the table and step back, and it is structured together.
From what the business earns for its owner, the multiples that sold businesses in your category have typically gone for, and adjustments for what buyers weigh most. It is a planning range, not a formal appraisal. The full method is shown on the results page.
Three ways, depending on what you want from us. A plan is a flat consult. If we execute the plan, you cover some of our costs and we share in the upside as the business improves. If we invest, our return comes with yours. Brokerage, when it is time to sell, is a success fee at close. All of it is set out in writing before anything begins.
Contact
Tell us about the business and what you're weighing. One person will reply, confidentially. For a value range, the three-minute estimate is faster.
A confidential value range in about three minutes. No cost, no obligation to sell.