Class VI Blog
Insights on what we’re thinking about, how we’re thinking about it, and how you can use it as you consider your next growth milestone, a business sale, or anything else along your entrepreneurial journey.
How Private Equity Is Operating in 2026
Private equity firms are always active in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, looking for great companies to buy and …
Making a Good Deal: Developments in Contract Manufacturing M&A
Many owners of manufacturing companies are excited to find that valuations in this sector have risen. There’s real appetite for …
How to Keep Your Deal Terms Intact
Guarding Against Retrades During a Business Sale Retrades (buyer-initiated changes to price or deal terms after an LOI is signed) …
It Takes Months to Sell, But Years to Be Ready
How to Balance the Two Timelines in Mergers and Acquisitions How long does it take to sell a business? If …
How to Sell Your Business in Any M&A Market
Why You Can’t Time Conditions, and What to Do About It Most entrepreneurs know that the state of the …
Due Diligence on Yourself
Deal psychology for people who’d rather not discuss their feelings We all carry a few identities at once. Spouse, …
Selling a Business While You’re Winning
Mastering the Mechanics of Exit Timing Timing isn’t everything in M&A, but it certainly can make a difference to the …
When Selling a Business, Think Like a Buyer
The M&A playing field is tilted against entrepreneurs in ways that can negatively—even disastrously—affect their deal outcomes. That’s the first …
How Customer Concentration Kills Value (and What to Do About It)
I’ve witnessed firsthand that most business owners don’t understand how their customer mix is being priced until a buyer’s diligence team flags it. By that point, what buyers perceive …
Power Moves: Market Trends Reshaping M&A Activity in the Energy Sector
Power and energy companies are operating in one of the most active and dynamic environments for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) I’ve seen in my entire career. Converging structural forces are driving a …
What to Do if Your Business Deal Falls Through
As in many industries, we love to talk about our wins in the M&A space, because they change clients’ lives …
How to Conclude Your Business Sale the Way You Want
Selling your business could be the most significant financial event in your life. For most business owners, their company is their largest asset, and most successful …
Why You Should Start Planning Your Exit Strategy Earlier Than You Think
Waiting Until You’re Ready to Sell May Be Too Late As entrepreneurs, it’s tempting to put off planning our exits because we want to wait until we’re “ready to …
What Owners Who Sell for Top Dollar Do Differently
How your business exit strategy affects what buyers will pay “I’ll probably just do what my friend/former colleague/sister-in-law did when they sold …
How Intentional Preparation Shortens M&A Timelines
A quicker process means better results when selling your business If you’re selling your company, time is not your friend. Every extra day spent in a deal process carries hidden risks, which can endanger a transaction. In short, the old saying in …