A buyer who only reads listings sees the deals a seller or broker chose to advertise, usually with other buyers reading the same page. Acquisition sourcing is the work of finding the rest: owners who fit a buyer's criteria and might sell, but haven't said so to anyone yet.
The three ways a buyer finds a deal
- Listed deals. The business is marketed on a site or through a broker's inventory. It's easy to find, and every other buyer can find it too.
- Brokered deals. A broker or banker runs a process for the seller and invites several buyers. The broker works for the seller, and the process is built to get competing offers.
- Proprietary, or off-market, deals. The buyer, or a firm working for the buyer, reaches the owner directly before there is any listing or process. Nobody else is at the table unless the owner invites them.
This guide covers the third path: what it is, how the work runs, and how it compares with the other two.
Who this is for
Searchers, independent sponsors and acquisitive companies who have a defined buy box (an industry, a geography and a deal-size range) and the capital to act on it. If you are still deciding what to buy, start with the buy box. Sourcing works best against criteria that are specific enough to say no to most businesses.
How Aligned Profit fits
Aligned Profit is a buy-side deal sourcing firm. We find owners who fit a buyer's criteria, contact them, and prepare the conversation for the buyer. We are not a registered broker-dealer and don't represent clients in securities transactions. How our process works has the detail.