Advisory for privately held American companiesinfo@american-crossing.co
Advice for owners who are selling and companies that are buying, from the first valuation to the closing table.
The price an owner receives is usually decided long before the offers arrive. It depends on how well the company is prepared, how many credible buyers see it, and how the terms are negotiated.
We work through each of those in order. Then we keep several buyers interested for as long as possible, because competition is what protects price and terms.
Buyers get the same discipline: a clear brief, a search that goes beyond companies already for sale, and careful negotiation.
Five kinds of engagement, each run by the same senior people from start to finish.
We prepare the business, build a list of serious buyers, and run a competitive process designed to produce more than one offer.
Owners take meaningful cash off the table while keeping a stake, a seat, and a say in what comes next.
For buyers: a clear brief, a search that reaches owners who are not advertising, and disciplined negotiation.
Structuring and financing a handover so the company stays in trusted hands and the owner is paid fairly.
Selling a division or product line while protecting the business that remains.
You stay focused on the business. We keep the process moving.
Valuation range, readiness review, and the fixes worth making first.
Anonymous outreach, signed confidentiality, then the full materials.
Meetings, letters of intent, and a side-by-side view of every offer.
Diligence support, the purchase agreement, and the close.
Ideally two to three years before you want to close. That leaves time to strengthen the numbers, reduce reliance on any one customer or person, and choose the moment rather than have it chosen for you.
It depends on size, sector, and growth. Typical buyers are competitors, larger companies in adjacent markets, private equity firms, and family offices. We map all of them early so you can see the field.
Yes. Minority sales and recapitalizations let owners take cash out while staying in charge day to day. Many owners choose this route before a full exit.
Most buyers want the team to stay, because the team is a large part of what they are paying for. We raise employee terms early and help you decide when and how to tell your people.
More at the start and during diligence, less in between. We handle buyer contact, scheduling, and paperwork so you can keep the business performing while it is for sale.
A few lines are enough to start: what the business does, roughly how large it is, and what you are thinking about. Every message is kept confidential and read by a senior member of the team.
