Smart Business Dealmakers: The Middle-Market M&A Podcast

In a deal, the gap between a signed Letter of Intent and a successful integration is paved with complexity and nuance. In the middle market, the big picture strategy is rarely what kills a deal — it's the mechanical friction of working capital, the structure of earnouts and the human element of post-close management.

Greg McGuire, Senior Manager of Transaction Advisory Services at Louis Plung & Co., dives deep into the technical traps that can erode deal value. He discusses why a standard 12-month average for net working capital might actually be penalizing your business, the art of the earnout, the often-undervalued roles that cause the most integration friction, how to stress-test for post-close cash injections during diligence, and the "smoking guns" in financial data that signal a deal is headed south.

Every deal lives or dies by the people at the top. While financial diligence sets the price, leadership diligence is crucial to unlocking deal value. Craig McCall, president of MCG Human Capital Solutions and a corporate psychologist joins the pod to talk about how aligning talent and culture better ensures sustainable enterprise value. From spotting the leadership red flags that erode value post-close to mastering the first 90-day moves of a high-performing integration, Craig explores how to deploy the human solutions that turn an investment thesis into a reality.

Negotiating mistakes in M&A, on either side of a deal, can strip value and hamstring the opportunity for long-term post-deal success. So, avoiding the most common mistakes at critical junctures is immensely important.

Bill McComas, co-founder of the law firm Jensen & McComas, drops by to talk about the top M&A negotiating mistakes from both the buy and sell side, what they can do to a deal, and how to avoid them.

What’s really happening in today’s M&A market? At the D.C. Capital Region Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, Booz Allen Vice President Chrissy Cox and [solidcore] CFO Nate Scott sat down with Riveron Managing Director Robert Berdanier to unpack the latest trends from deal flow and financing trends to exit timing and sector-specific outlooks. The panelists share what they’re seeing on the front lines and how they’re adapting strategies to close successful deals in an uncertain landscape.

For most business owners, the first time they sell their company is often the last. With only one chance to maximize the value that will be leveraged during life after business, it's important to get it right. Mark Jensen, a member at Jensen & McComas, offers an overview of the arc of an M&A deal — from assembling the deal team to the day of close. He offers tips on what to do and what not to do, and how to deal with the emotional issues that come with selling what is often a life's work.

For business owners thinking about their exit, the choice often seems limited to selling to a competitor or to a private equity firm. But there's a third option, ESOPs, that secures their legacy and rewards the very people who helped build the company. Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld's Andy Rudolph, Marc Hirschfield and David Dalesandro take a deep dive into Employee Stock Ownership Plans to break down how this unique succession path works — from the powerful tax advantages to the mechanics of financing the deal. They also explore the founder's role after the sale and the keys to building a thriving ownership culture long after a transition.