2024 Unwrapped: Insights & Highlights From Axial Newsletters

Now that the presents have been unwrapped and the stockings emptied, we find ourselves just five days away from stepping into a brand-new year.

To celebrate, we’re counting down to the ball drop by unwrapping featured issues from five of Axial’s unique newsletter offerings, one for each day remaining in 2024. Each newsletter series is tailored to your interests – covering market trends, M&A insights, and exclusive deal data. For more information and to subscribe to Axial newsletters, click here.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year!

Masters in Small Business M&A

Masters in Small Business M&A (sign up for podcast drops here) is produced by its host, Peter Lehrman, and the Axial team. Axial makes it easy for small business owners to confidentially explore growth capital and exit transactions with top-ranked lower middle market M&A advisors and professional capital partners. In every episode, we explore the dynamic world of small business M&A, interviewing a mix of proven and emerging owners, operators, acquirers, and M&A advisors whose strategies and methods are being put to the test. Enjoy these featured podcast episodes from 2024.

• Building Garden City: Michael Arrieta on People-First Business
• Rafa Quinn – Building A Diversified Lower Middle Market Holding Company
• Bob Falahee’s Founder’s Journey: 15 years building SunPro from day 1 to a strategic exit
• 28 Years and Counting at the Top of the LMM: A Conversation with Mangrove Equity’s Glenn Oken
• The 4 Types of Business Brokers and How to Win Them Over: a Master Class with Clint Fiore

The Winning M&A Advisor

The Winning M&A Advisor anonymously unpacks data, fees, and terms from the winning M&A engagement letters of professional M&A advisors using Axial to win new sell-side business.

See below for a snapshot of the latest issue.

The Winning M&A Advisor [Vol. 1, Issue 4]

Looking to exit your business? Find an advisor you can trust.

Behind The Win:

As part of every Advisor Finder process, we ask the business owner or management team to provide a rationale for why they hired a given advisor. The following attributes contributed to the selection of the Winning M&A Advisor:

1. Industry-Specific Expertise: Since 2020, the advisor has represented 13 apparel, accessory, and DTC brands, aligning with the company’s market focus.
2. Specialized Network & Knowledge: The advisor’s strong network of LMM funders and deep understanding of e-commerce and Amazon business models made them uniquely suited for the engagement.
3. Track Record: The firm’s principals have over 18 years of experience, completing transactions totaling $15+ billion in aggregate value.
4. Favorable Terms: Non-exclusivity and a flexible termination clause offered greater control and flexibility.

Want to review the full issue? Click here -> The Winning M&A Advisor [Vol. 1, Issue 4]

Small Business Exits

Small Business Exits is our monthly publication that summarizes fully anonymized deal data from a selection of recently closed lower middle market deals brought to market via Axial.

Check out the 67 exits from the November issue below.

See below to review additional issues of Small Business Exits from previous months.

Exit Ready

Exit Ready is the biweekly Axial newsletter that distills the best content, tips, and guides designed to educate exit-minded business owners running $5-$100M businesses.

Dive into 10 of 2024’s most popular articles below.

• 12 Things Not to Do In M&A: A Business Owner’s Guide on How to Approach the M&A Process
• Devising your Exit Timeline: Start with your Ideal Exit Date
• The Advisor Finder Report: Q1 2024
• Maximizing Your Business Sale: The Overlooked Value of an M&A Advisor
• The Seller’s Guide To Preparing For Life After Sale
• EBITDA Multiples by Industry: How Much Is Your Business Worth?
• Axial’s Take – Plumbing & HVAC Millionaires [from WSJ]
• The Differences Between Strategic and Financial Investors
• The Best Company to Sell Your Business (for Different Industries)
• What Buyers Want: Deal Demand by EBITDA Range

The Winning LOI

The Winning LOI newsletter series shines a light on the winning bids of Axial-sourced transactions, focusing on key member data, deal multiples, and deal terms, including seller financing, earnouts, and rollover equity.

This year, we released the 2nd Volume of The Winning LOI eBook (below), which features 25 Winning LOIs across various industries with close dates ranging from 2022 to 2024. If you’d prefer to download this edition, click here.

The Winning LOI eBook Vol. 2 – 26-50

The Winning LOI Hub

Want more deal data? Check out The Winning LOI Hub, an extension of this newsletter series, which features summarized data and insights from 100 LOIs and is updated quarterly.

Visit The Winning LOI Hub

Subscribe

If you’d like to learn more about all the Axial newsletter offerings, including the five above, and subscribe to the topics that best align with your goals and interests, click here.