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Find the Right Business to Buy With a Buy-Side Advisor

The right business to buy is rarely the first one you see. A disciplined search is how you find it and judge it clearly before you commit.

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About Strategic Search

Strategic search is the work of figuring out exactly what you want to buy, then going out and finding it. It sounds obvious. In practice, it's the part of buying a business most people skip, because they start with whatever's already listed instead of starting with a plan. The buyers who do it well usually bring in a buy-side M&A advisor to run the search with them.

Most buyers start with the listings. They scroll marketplaces, react to whatever brokers send over, and end up bidding against ten other people for a business that was priced to sell, not priced to own. That's how good buyers overpay. It's also how they burn months on targets that were never a fit and walk into ownership knowing the business only on the surface.

That's where we come in. We get specific about what you actually want, the industry, the size, the kind of business you can run, then we find and qualify the targets that fit. We open the early conversations and stay with you from first look through a signed letter of intent. We represent the buyer. We don't list businesses, we don't represent sellers, and we don't get paid to push a deal across the line. You can hand the search to us, or run it alongside us. Either way the goal is the same: the right business, bought on terms that still make sense after you own it.

Statistics

Around 200,000 companies make up the US lower middle market, most of them founder-owned. The right one for you is in there somewhere. Finding it is the hard part.
Private equity firms evaluate roughly 80 opportunities for every deal they close, by Bain's estimate. The pros don't bet on the first business they see. They search wide and qualify hard.
First-time acquirers succeed about 23 percent of the time, against 54 percent for experienced buyers with ten or more deals behind them. Experience is most of that gap.

20k

Companies in the US lower-middle market

80+

Opportunities for every deal closed

23%

Success rate of first-time acquirers

What to Expect

Strategic Search comes in two forms, depending on how hands-on you want to be.

Done for You

We lead the search end-to-end, from defining your acquisition criteria to sourcing, qualifying, and initiating conversations with potential sellers.

Done with You

We work alongside you to guide the search process, providing structure, tools, and support while you take an active role in sourcing, outreach, and seller conversations.

You don't have to find your next acquisition alone.

Tell us what you're looking for, or what you're already looking at, and we'll tell you what we'd need to see, how we can help, and whether it makes sense to move forward. The first conversation is a discovery call, not a commitment.

15 minutes, no commitment
We work exclusively for buyers
CMAA Certified advisors

Tell Us What You're Looking For

Frequently asked questions

What is a strategic acquisition search?

It's a structured process for defining what you want to buy, finding companies that match, and qualifying them before you make an offer. At BBA, it's the first phase of our buy-side work.

How is a buy-side M&A advisor different from a business broker?

A broker is hired by the seller to sell a business. A buy-side advisor is hired by the buyer to find the right one and protect the buyer's interests. BBA represents the buyer only.

When should I bring in a buy-side advisor?

The earlier the better, ideally before you've started reacting to listings. If you're already looking at a specific target, that's a fine time to start too.

What's the difference between Done for You and Done with You?

Done for You means we run the entire search for you. Done with You means you stay active while we provide the structure and perspective. Many first-time buyers pick the first. Buyers building an in-house capability pick the second.

How long does an acquisition search take?

It depends on how specific your criteria are and how active your sector is. A focused search moves faster than a vague one. The real risk isn't a slow search, it's a rushed one.