The Outcome Is Shaped Before the Transaction Begins
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Serving business owners and service providers throughout the Midwest.
The decisions you make before going to market can influence value, deal structure, negotiating leverage, and whether a transaction closes at all.
Marshall Equity Solutions is a Lexington, Kentucky-based transaction advisory firm helping founder-run businesses throughout the Midwest see their company the way a buyer will.
We look at your business from the other side of the table, through the eyes of private equity investors, strategic acquirers and other sophisticated buyers. The questions are different from the ones you ask while running the company.
Our principals bring decades of experience across investment banking, CPA-level financial analysis, executive management, and legal advisory. What sets us apart is not only the depth of that expertise — it’s that every senior member of our team has owned and operated a business. We understand the emotional weight of a transaction alongside its financial mechanics, and we structure our process accordingly.
See what the buyer sees. Find the friction early. Know what to do about it.
Understand What Drives Value
Prepare Before Going to Market
Navigate the Transaction
You don't have to be ready to sell to start getting ready. Maybe you're considering a transaction this year. Maybe it's a few years out. Either way, there is enormous value in understanding how the buyer universe will view your company before you're committed to a process.
What a Buyer Sees.
A buyer doesn’t see your company the way you do. They’re evaluating quality of earnings, customer relationships, management depth, growth opportunities, working capital, financial reporting, owner dependencies and dozens of other factors that influence value and risk.
Private Equity.
Private equity investors may focus on sustainable earnings, management depth, recurring revenue, growth opportunities, leverage capacity and the company’s ability to operate without its founder.
Strategic Buyers.
Strategic acquirers may see something different. Customers, capabilities, geographic reach, intellectual property, talent or synergies that make your business particularly valuable to them. Understanding who might buy your business, and why, is an important part of understanding what you actually own.
By the time a buyer identifies a problem, it can become a transaction problem. We would rather find it months earlier. The earlier you identify potential obstacles, the more control you have over the outcome. Address weaknesses, uncover opportunities to build value, and develop a strategy for what could otherwise compromise your transaction.
Risk Mitigation Through Discretion
Controlled, confidential engagement reduces signaling risk and protects enterprise value.
Process Efficiency & Management Focus
Allows leadership to remain focused on operations while the advisor manages diligence, valuation, and negotiations.
Optionality Without Commitment
Explore strategic paths without forcing a sale, or tipping off the market, before you’re ready.
Value Maximization
Transaction-specific business cases highlight synergies and strategic relevance, supporting differentiated valuation outcomes.
Enhanced Market Intelligence
Access to proprietary data and non-public insights from active buyers and industry participants.
Strategy-led Execution
Emphasis on a clearly articulated, well-tested strategic rationale aligned with shareholder objectives.