The buyer's field guide
Practical, sourced guidance for people who want to understand a business before they own its problems.
Start here · Due diligence
Due diligence is not a pile of files. It is a controlled attempt to prove or disprove every fact that supports the price, the financing, and the transition plan.
Read the checklistCompanion download
Take the diligence process into the deal room.
Five editable working sections, packaged as a free, accessible PDF. No payment and no email wall.
Preview the kitFoundational guide
The complete acquisition process, from search through takeover.
Foundational guide
Build a defensible value range from earnings, risk, and deal terms.
Foundational guide
Normalize owner-operated earnings without accepting fictional add-backs.
Latest
Sourced. Practical. Built for decisions.
Buying
SDE and EBITDA can start from the same statements and produce different answers. The difference is usually owner labor, not extra cash.
8 min read
Sep 3, 2026
Buying
An operating history can remove some uncertainty, but it can also hide problems that a startup never inherits. Here is what deserves credit and what still needs proof.
9 min read
Aug 31, 2026
Financing
A seller note can close a funding gap and keep the seller invested in a clean handoff. It can also disguise a price the business cannot support.
10 min read
Aug 31, 2026
Financing
The SBA guarantees part of a lender's loan. It does not approve a buyer based on one universal checklist, and current policy has a near-term version boundary buyers need to see.
11 min read
Aug 31, 2026