The questions buyers ask most often before they sign — about the methodology, the guarantee, the fee structure, and what happens when a deal doesn't go through. If yours isn't here, bring it to the strategy call.
Most sourcing firms stop at delivering a list or running a single-channel cold campaign. Two things change in this model. First, the data work goes deeper than a database export: we layer intent signals against fifteen filters to surface owners showing real movement. Second, an experienced M&A operator runs every owner conversation from first contact through cultivation and close, rather than a sourcing analyst or BDR. The funnel that comes out is narrower, but the conversations are with owners who are actually open or close to it.
The verified target list goes live within the first 30 days of kickoff. The first multichannel sequence runs by week six. First qualified owner conversations land in the 30-to-45-day range.
We avoid the 4-to-6-week sender warm-up delay most outbound shops need by maintaining a standing roster of pre-warmed inboxes that are continuously kept in good standing with major email providers.
Owners in this segment can spot a templated marketing piece from across the room. A real handwritten note in ink, sent by USPS, is one of the few channels they can't filter or delete. Older founders, partner-stage owners, and trades operators often ignore email entirely but read every piece of mail their assistant sets on the desk.
It's the single highest-lift addition you can make to a digital sequence in this segment, which is why Standard is the most common tier we run.
A transaction is something no sourcing firm can credibly promise. Too much depends on owner timing, diligence outcomes, and price expectations aligning. What we put in writing is the work itself, through the Coverage Guarantee: 98% multi-touch coverage of the verified target list on the agreed timeline, with a refund consequence if we miss.
Most engagements produce one to two proprietary deals at LOI or close per year. Some run the full agreed timeline and produce a pipeline of warm relationships that mature into deals after the engagement closes — that's expected, and it's why cultivation continues across the full term.
Engagements run on a monthly retainer scoped by the channel mix and intensity that fits your search. There's also a consulting fee at close — a flat amount based on enterprise value, capped — payable on any deal originated through the engagement.
The monthly retainer credits dollar-for-dollar against the consulting fee at close, so the retainer effectively pre-pays the close fee rather than stacking on top. The structure means the bulk of our compensation depends on producing a deal you actually want to do, not on running a high volume of conversations.
No. The engagement isn't structured as a forced subscription. You can pause or end at any point with 30 days written notice.
Two things to know about ending early. First, pulling out before the agreed search timeline voids the Coverage Guarantee — the 98% commitment depends on running the full sequence against the verified universe, so partial timelines don't qualify. Second, ending a campaign while you're under LOI on a sourced deal is permitted but not generally recommended; negotiations improve when the buyer is visibly working a real pipeline of alternatives. Several engagements stay running through LOI specifically for that reason.
That happens often, and the Upgrade Anytime option is built for it. Three patterns trigger an adjustment: a more aggressive timeline, an increased acquisition target, or expanded mandate criteria. The Search Team Lead and Origination Coordinator stay on your search; the universe gets rebuilt and the messaging re-tuned without restarting onboarding.
We sometimes run similar mandates within the same broad sector or geography, but never engagements with direct overlap. The exact boundaries — the industry sub-segments, geographies, and deal-size ranges that would put two clients in competition for the same owners — get drawn on the strategy call before any Search Agreement is signed.
We never deliver the same target to separate clients at the same time. When an owner surfaces who could fit more than one client's criteria, only the client whose criteria the owner fits most cleanly hears about that owner.
Your investment thesis, target list, and any information sellers share through the search are confidential and used only for your engagement. We sign NDAs on request. We don't share the target list or seller-reported financials with anyone outside the team running your search.
The first conversation a seller has with the M&A operator is non-binding; if anything material moves toward LOI, formal NDAs and engagement letters get put in place at that point.
Each search has two named roles attached, the same people end-to-end. A Search Team Lead handles kickoff strategy, criteria refinement, and the initial qualifying call with every owner who responds. An Origination Coordinator runs the sourcing engine — universe build, contact validation, outreach copy, send cadence, and weekly reporting.
Tyler Murdock, the founder, sits in on every kickoff and stays reachable across the engagement for anything that warrants founder-level attention.
Bring it to the strategy call. Twenty minutes, complimentary, you leave with the report and a straight answer.
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