Five lanes. One destination: a deal that holds.
Every engagement starts with an intro call and a written scope — you'll know exactly what we're doing, what it costs, and what it won't cover. Advisory only: we don't broker deals and we don't practice law.
1. Valuation preparation
What we do: get your numbers ready before a buyer prices them for you — clean financials, normalized earnings, and an honest read on the multiple the market actually pays. For context, BizBuySell's Q2 2026 Insight Report put the average U.S. small-business cash-flow multiple at 2.7×.
What we don't do: issue certified appraisals. When a deal needs a formal valuation, a licensed appraiser does that — we'll help you hire the right one.
2. Buyer & seller readiness
Sellers: reduce owner-dependency, document operations, and fix the three things buyers always discount for — messy books, customer concentration, and “the owner is the business.”
Buyers: define your acquisition criteria, get financing lined up early (most small-business buyers use SBA-backed loans, and lenders move slowly), and walk in prepared instead of hopeful.
3. Deal structure guidance
What we do: explain the trade-offs in plain English — asset vs. stock sale, seller notes, earnouts, and how buyers and lenders actually fund these deals. Buyers overwhelmingly expect seller financing while few owners plan to offer it (BizBuySell Q2 2026) — we help you bridge that gap before it kills the deal.
What we don't do: draft deal documents. Structure is our advice; the paperwork belongs to your attorney.
4. Due-diligence support
What we do: run the checklist with you — three years of financials and tax returns, every contract and lease, customer and supplier reality checks, and a written red-flag memo before you commit.
The rule: trust, then verify, then verify again. Diligence is cheap. Regret is expensive.
5. Post-merger integration planning
What we do: build the first-hundred-days plan — people, customers, systems, and cash — because the deal isn't done at closing. Most mergers don't die at the negotiating table; they die in the six months after, when nobody planned the merge.
Who it's for: buyers taking over an existing team, and sellers who agreed to stay on through a transition.
What we are not
Saying this plainly, because the industry usually buries it: Merge Lane is not a broker-dealer. We don't list businesses for sale, we don't represent parties as a broker, and we don't take transaction commissions. We are not a law firm — nothing here is legal advice, and your deal documents need a licensed attorney. If your situation needs a broker, a lawyer, a CPA, or an appraiser, we'll tell you — and help you find a good one.