Sell-side advisory

Sell-side advisory for founder-led businesses approaching a meaningful exit.

Bespoke engagements led by an operator with first-hand experience building, scaling, and selling companies.

Mandate
Exit readiness & sell-side M&A
Clients
Founder-led, $5M–$50M revenue
Capacity
One to three engagements per year

Practice

Selective engagement. By referral.

One to three engagements per year with founder-led businesses, typically $5M–$50M in revenue. I work with founders at two stages.

  • Exit readiness1–3 years before a sale

    Working alongside founders in the years before going to market to build the value buyers pay for: clean, defensible financials, a business that doesn't depend on the founder, durable revenue, and a growth story that holds up in diligence. Whether I lead the eventual process or an investment bank does, the company goes to market stronger.

  • Sell-side processAt the time of sale

    Leading the sale itself, from positioning and buyer outreach through diligence, negotiation, and close, or selective advisory on a specific transaction.

Industries

Sectors of focus.

  • IT Services
  • Software
  • Business Services
  • Manufacturing

Engagements

Representative engagements.

  • ManufacturingSoutheast

    Sell-side advisor to a manufacturing company in its sale to a search fund.

  • MillworkSoutheast

    Advised one of three partners in a millwork company on the sale of their ownership stake.

  • SoftwareNortheast

    Sell-side advisor to a founder-led SaaS company.

Background

An operator's view of sell-side work.

I came to advisory through operating. I've led sales, operations, and growth at scale at some of the world's most respected companies, including SAP and Salesforce, and gone through the exit process myself at IT Authorities (acquired by WidePoint, NYSE: WYY). I founded Sequoia Group to advise founders through their own liquidity events.

That operating background informs how I approach sell-side work. I focus on the dimensions of company readiness that buyers actually evaluate — financial quality, operational durability, growth narrative — and structure processes that produce premium outcomes for founders who value getting it right.

Bennett Smith Founder, Sequoia Group

Contact

Engagements are typically introduced by referral.

If we have a mutual connection or you've been pointed my way, please reach out directly.