For M&A Brokers and Transaction Advisors

Founder-dependent file?
We identify structural fragility before diligence does.

We work with M&A brokers to protect deal integrity under SBA and institutional lender scrutiny. Structural diagnostic, financial normalization, CIM architecture. Fixed price. One week.

Fixed Scope · 1-Week TurnaroundStructural Diagnostic · Financial Normalization · CIM Architecture
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The Question Lenders Ask

What SBA lenders look for that most CIMs never address

SBA lenders underwrite businesses, not presentations. A clean CIM gets them to the table. What they actually look for once they are there is something most CIMs don't address:

Can this business service debt independently of the seller?

That question is not answered by adjusted EBITDA alone. It is answered by the structural conditions underneath the financials — the operating systems, the authority structures, the client relationships that exist independent of the founder's daily involvement.

Lenders model for seller departure on day one after closing. If the honest answer is "the business depends on the owner's relationships and judgment," the risk premium goes up, terms tighten, or the deal does not close. The structural diagnostic addresses this before underwriting begins.

When to Call Us

If any of these appear in your listing

CIM says "owner will train" — lenders read this as a key-person dependency disclosure, not a transition note
Owner works 40+ hours per week in the business — departure creates operational uncertainty lenders must price in
Key client relationships are personal, not contractual — revenue may not transfer with the business
Pricing is set by the owner's judgment — no documented system, no structural margin protection
Business has no documented operating procedures — execution is tribal knowledge, not institutional process
Financial performance requires the seller to explain it — not independently verifiable by a third party
SBA lender has raised key-person concerns during underwriting review
Previous deal fell out of diligence for undefined or structural reasons
One of these in your listing? Submit for structural review →
Financial Normalization

Adjustments that only the seller can defend are liabilities, not assets.

Financial normalization and earnings adjustments are not the same discipline. Adjustments modify reported income — market-rate compensation, related-party rent, one-time expenses. These produce a recast EBITDA number.

Normalization is a structural condition. It is the process of making financial performance independently verifiable, reproducible, and defensible — without relying on the founder's memory or context.

If the only person who can defend the add-back is the seller, the add-back is a liability in diligence. Normalized financials have a different posture — the evidence exists independent of who prepared it.

Download the Normalization Bridge →
Three Services
Structural Diagnostic — $3,500 fixed
Scores the file across five enforcement gates. Identifies retrace risk before the buyer's lender does. One week turnaround.
View the diagnostic →
Financial Normalization
Makes earnings independently verifiable. Structured Normalization Bridge methodology per the Northbridge Standard. Scope defined after Tier I.
Download the Normalization Bridge →
CIM Architecture
Institutional-grade presentation that reflects structural governance, not just financial recast. Built to hold up under third-party review. Scope defined after Tier I.
Download CIM Sample →

Send us a listing.

Submit a file for structural review. We identify the fragility before diligence does. $3,500 fixed. One week turnaround.

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