Investment Strategy & Operational Playbook
Our returns are driven by three reinforcing levers: favorable entry multiples, active operational value creation, and disciplined capital structure management.
Three Reinforcing Levers
Entry Multiple Advantage
Acquiring at 3.0x–5.5x EBITDA — well below the 8x–12x multiples paid in the upper middle market — provides a margin of safety and multiple expansion potential.
Operational Value Creation
Professional management, systematized processes, and data-driven decisions unlock organic EBITDA growth of 15–25% within the first 24 months.
Structural Deleveraging
Strong cash flows rapidly pay down SBA debt, converting leverage into equity value and building a resilient capital base.
Our Buy Box
Enterprise Value
$1M–$50M
Normalized EBITDA
$500K–$8M
Revenue
$3M–$40M
Target Sectors
Essential Services
Employees
10–75 FTEs
Geography
US (Sun Belt / Midwest)
Gross Margin Floor
35%+
SBA-Optimized Capital Stack
Our deep relationships with preferred SBA 7(a) lenders enable us to structure acquisitions with up to 80% leverage at favorable rates — significantly reducing the equity required per deal and amplifying returns through rapid deleveraging.
Combined with seller notes and conservative working capital reserves, our capital structure balances risk management with return optimization.
Capital Structure
The 100-Day Playbook
A structured integration framework that balances urgency with care — stabilizing the business while laying foundations for growth.
Stabilize
- Secure key employees and customer relationships
- Install financial reporting dashboards
- Document all critical processes and SOPs
- Establish communication cadence with team
Diagnose
- Full operational audit and gap analysis
- Identify pricing optimization opportunities
- Evaluate management layer needs
- Map technology and systems landscape
Activate
- Implement KPI tracking and accountability
- Begin hiring for management gaps
- Launch quick-win growth initiatives
- Establish tuck-in M&A pipeline
Four Levers of Growth
People
The right people in the right seats are the foundation of every great business. We invest in leaders who care, empower teams with real ownership, and build a culture where people want to stay and grow — because the business is only as good as the people running it.
Process
If you can't document it, you can't scale it. We systematize operations, build repeatable playbooks, and instill the discipline that turns a founder-dependent business into one that runs on process — not personality.
Product
What you sell has to be the best in its category, or nothing else matters. We sharpen the offering, cut what doesn't earn its keep, and make sure every product delivers genuine value at a fair price.
Financials
Cash flow is the oxygen of the business. We manage margins, working capital, and capital allocation with discipline — because growth that isn't profitable isn't growth, it's just motion.