Mergers & Acquisitions

Thinking about selling your business – or planning an exit strategy in the next few years? Start with preparation. At Ryan & Wetmore, our sell-side advisory services are designed to help you maximize value, minimize disruption, and navigate the process with confidence. We work with business owners well before a buyer enters the picture – identifying key financial and operational factors that influence valuation, strengthening documentation, and positioning your business to attract strategic and financial buyers.  

Our team helps owners prepare long before a buyer is at the table. We start by identifying operational and financial areas that may impact valuation, strengthening documentation, and positioning the business to appeal to strategic and financial buyers. Once you are ready to go to market, we assist with every detail of the sale, including:

• Business readiness and value optimization: Organize financials, streamline operations, and highlight value drivers to present your business in the best light.
• Valuation and market assessment: Define realistic pricing using market comparables, earnings multiples, and industry benchmarks.  
• Letter of intent (LOI) evaluation and support: Review and negotiate LOI terms to ensure alignment with your goals and flag potential risks early. 
• Buyer identification and evaluation: Connect with qualified buyers—from strategic acquirers to private equity—and assess fit and intent. 
• Due diligence management: Respond to buyer requests efficiently while protecting sensitive information and maintaining deal momentum. 
• Data room oversight: Create and manage a secure digital environment for key documents and communications.
  
• Closing and transition planning: Navigate final negotiations, accounting adjustments, and post-sale transition with expert guidance. 

Selling your company is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll make. With Ryan & Wetmore, you gain a dedicated partner to help you plan, negotiate, and execute with the goal of maximizing your return and ensuring a smooth handoff to the next owner.

Acquisitions can unlock new markets, expand capabilities, and accelerate growth. But success depends on more than just opportunity – it requires rigorous analysis, smart structuring, and strategic foresight. At Ryan & Wetmore, our buy-side advisory services are built to protect your investment and position your acquisition for long-term success.  

We go beyond surface-level reviews to uncover hidden risks, validate earnings, and structure deals that create sustainable value. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or seasoned investor, we provide the clarity and confidence you need to move forward.:

• Financial due diligence: Analyze revenue streams, cost structures, working capital, and debt obligations to assess financial health and deal viability. 
• Quality of earnings (QoE) analysis: Separate recurring income from one-time events to understand true cash flow and earnings sustainability.
• Tax diligence and structuring: Identify tax liabilities, regulatory exposure, and opportunities to optimize deal structure for efficiency and compliance. 
• Operational and strategic review: Evaluate leadership, customer concentration, cultural fit, and potential synergies to ensure strategic alignment. 
• Post-merger planning and integration support: Develop a roadmap for combining operations, systems, and teams to accelerate value capture. 
• Closing assistance: Navigate final negotiations, contract terms, and compliance checks with expert guidance.

Buying a company is more than a financial decision—it’s a commitment that will shape your future growth. With Ryan & Wetmore by your side, you gain advisors who anticipate challenges, safeguard your capital, and position your acquisition for long-term success.

A successful transaction starts with reliable financials. Our QoE analysis goes beyond traditional due diligence to uncover the true earning power of a business – separating sustainable, recurring revenue from one-time events, accounting adjustments, and non-operational income.  

For buyers, this means avoiding overpayment, identifying red flags early, and negotiating from a position of strength. For sellers, it means presenting transparent, defensible financials that build credibility and accelerate the deal process.  

Taxes can dramatically affect the net value of a transaction. At Ryan & Wetmore, our tax specialists work closely with you to design deal structures that minimize liabilities, ensure compliance, and align with your long-term financial goals.  

From evaluating asset vs. stock sales, to managing state and local tax exposure and planning for capital gains, we uncover opportunities to preserve value and avoid costly surprises. Thoughtful tax planning during the transaction phase can be the difference between a deal that simply closes, and one that delivers lasting financial benefits.  

Signing the deal is just the beginning. Without a clear integration plan, even the most promising acquisitions can fall short of expectations. At Ryan & Wetmore, we provide structured post-merger integration support to help you align operations, consolidate finances, and unify teams – so you can realize value quickly and minimize disruption. We focus on day-one readiness, cultural alignment, and synergy capture, ensuring that the momentum built during negotiations carries through to the success of the combined organization.