Who's actually in your corner?
The Ripple Effect: July
Alright friends -
July has me thinking about teams. Maybe it's watching all the World Cup games, maybe it's the WNBA season hitting its stride, maybe it's just that this time of year tends to bring people together in rooms that matter. But the question that keeps surfacing in our work lately is a deceptively simple one:
When the moment counts, who is actually in your corner?
Not at the table. In your corner.
This month, we're digging into what it really means to be owner-centered in a business transition process – and why having the right people advocating for you, not just the deal, changes everything.
Read on to see how advocacy makes all the difference.
Ripples in Action
Early in our firm's journey, Alex got a call from a business owner who was in the final stages of selling his company. It had taken years to get there. The advisors were assembled, the buyer was identified, the deal was nearly done.
“He was lying on the floor of his office.”
Not in relief. Not in exhaustion from the sprint to the finish line. He was on the floor because the process had gone so sideways – so far from what he had imagined for himself and his business – that he couldn't stand up. The deal was closing, and it felt like a loss.
That image has stayed with us. Because here's the thing: in most exit transactions, there are a lot of people at the table. There's the M&A advisor working on commission, the attorneys on both sides protecting their respective clients, the buyer's team running diligence designed to find reasons to lower the price, the accountants managing the tax exposure: everyone is doing their job. Everyone has a seat.
“But who, in all of that, is asking what the owner actually wants?”
Exit Essentials
Build Your All-Star Roster
Here's an exercise worth doing before you're anywhere close to a transaction – because the time to audit your advisory team is not the week the LOI lands on your desk.
—> Pull out a piece of paper and list every advisor who would be in the room if you were selling your business today. Your attorney. Your accountant. Your financial planner. Any broker or investment banker you've spoken with. Anyone whose name would come up.
Now, next to each name, answer one question:
—> Whose outcome does this person's fee depend on?
Not whose side are they on. Not whether you like them. Just who pays them, and for what?
An M&A broker typically earns a percentage of the sale price. That's not a conflict, but it's a context.
An attorney is billing hourly regardless of outcome.
A financial planner may be compensated based on assets under management post-close.
None of these arrangements are wrong. But they shape what someone is incentivized to prioritize, often in ways that have nothing to do with you - the owner.
The all-star roster for an exit isn't just about who has the credentials. It's about knowing exactly what each person at your table is optimizing for — and making sure someone, somewhere, is unambiguously optimizing for you.
That's what owner-centered actually means. Not a buzzword. A role.
Making Waves
We are thrilled to share that in July, Ripples Edge Advisors is hosting an event in Chicago during WNBA All-Star weekend:
Building Your All-Star Roster: The Advisory Team Every Business Owner Needs -
a gathering focused on the advisor team you need to protect and grow your wealth and business health. Think court-side strategy, but for your exit.
Interested in attending? Request an invite here
Other places to find us in Chicago that week (July 20th-25th)
Chicago Tech Week
Chicago Sports Tech Week, Women in Sports Day, July 23rd
FQ Lounge during WNBA All-Star, July 25th
Let’s grab coffee July 21st or 22nd? Reply to this and we’ll set it up!
