The Modern Acquirer
Nick Bryant
Co-Founder, CTO, SMB Investor Network
Nick is a co-founder of SMB Investor Network, where he builds the software and runs growth and product. He reads the data on small-business deals and private markets, writes down what it says and what it leaves open, and is learning this market in public.
Disclosure: Nick is a co-founder of SMB Investor Network. Some links on this site go there.
Guides by Nick
- The SBA Acquisition Capital Stack After October 2026
SOP 50 10 8.1 can reduce an acquisition loan. Three illustrative scenarios show where cash, seller notes and investor equity fit.
- What SBA Acquisition Loan Approvals Tell a Buyer
A full pass over SBA loan-level data: how big acquisition lending got, who lends, which loans fail, and what to watch around the October 2026 rule change.
- Search Criteria That Start With the Work You Can Own
Use acquisition search criteria to compare your experience, availability, and responsibilities with a business. Fill in the worksheet before an initial call.
- Will the Business Still Work Once the Seller Leaves?
Business acquisition due diligence tests whether earnings, customers, cash and key people survive the sale. Here is what to check before you own it.
- Financing Covers the Price. Can You Carry the Cash Burden?
Prepare for business acquisition financing by clarifying personal exposure, operating cash needs, and seller priorities. Build your lender and seller questions.
- When the Biggest Customer Leaves: Due Diligence Questions
Customer concentration due diligence: why the biggest customers buy, who keeps them, and who wins new work once the seller leaves.
- Don't Let Your Diligence Findings Die in a Folder
Build an acquisition transition plan that connects diligence findings to operating questions, responsible roles, and records. Use the blank worksheet to start.
- Finding Businesses to Buy: Know Who Will Run Them
Finding businesses to buy starts with operating fit. Learn what access channels can tell you, clarify seller intent, and prepare a useful conversation.
- Read a CIM Like a Car Listing: Every Adjective Is a Question
How to read a CIM and broker teaser: separate what the seller claims from what you still need to ask before a first call about buying the business.
- Your Quality of Earnings Report May Skip the Expense Side
Quality of earnings for small business buyers covers only what the engagement tests. Some reviews skip outgoing cash, and buyers grade their own deals kindly.
- Will the Revenue Still Be There When the Seller Leaves?
Revenue quality due diligence checks receipts, customer habits, seller dependence and project timing, because reported sales may not survive the sale.
- Seller Add-Backs: Savings That May Disappear
Review seller add-backs for missing support, changing costs, and owner responsibilities. Mark uncertain savings for an accounting review before buying.
- Writing to an Owner Who Hasn't Said They Want to Sell
Seller outreach that respects the owner: say what you have done, why this business, and ask if a conversation is welcome without assuming a sale is.
- A Profitable Business Can Run Short of Cash After Closing
Working capital due diligence checks the resources behind earnings. Review receivables, inventory, seasonality, and cash timing before taking over a business.