What does Lakeshore do that a broker or a CPA alone doesn't?
Most owners split the exit between two firms. A broker markets the business and takes a commission at closing. A CPA keeps the books and taxes clean. Neither owns the months of buyer-side preparation that decide the multiple, and the two rarely talk. We do the whole job as one engagement: the accountant's cleanup first (books brought to a GAAP-ready standard), then value work in sales and marketing, operational efficiency, internal controls, SOPs, and manuals, then the sale itself — we list the business, bring vetted buyers, and run negotiation and diligence through closing. Same people, no handoff.
Do I still need my own CPA?
Keep your CPA. Your taxes, filings, and day-to-day accounting stay with the person who knows them. Our work is different: recasting financials the way buyers read them, documenting add-backs, and getting the company through a buyer's diligence intact. We coordinate with your CPA rather than replacing them.
I'm not selling for a few years. Is it too early to prepare?
Two to five years out is the ideal window. Long enough to fix what buyers discount, short enough that the work pays off at closing. Owners who start when the first buyer calls have already lost most of their leverage. The free consult tells you where you stand either way.
How much is my Chicagoland business worth?
Most small and mid-sized businesses sell on a multiple of earnings, SDE for Main Street and EBITDA for larger companies, and the multiple varies by industry, size, growth, and risk. Two businesses with identical revenue can sell for very different prices. The one with clean numbers, a team that runs without the owner, and diversified customers earns the higher multiple. The Exit-Readiness Review measures that gap for your business, with a realistic range and the fix list to move it.
What does it cost to sell a business?
Typical costs at sale: broker or banker fees (often 8 to 12 percent commission on Main Street deals, scaled percentages on larger ones), attorney fees, and sometimes a quality-of-earnings review. Preparation with us is a flat fee you know up front: the consult is free, the two-week Review is $4,500, and the Program runs from $2,500 a month. When we list and sell the business, that fee is structured for your deal and put in writing before you commit to anything. And if we buy the business ourselves, there's no commission at all.
What does "exit-ready" actually mean?
A buyer can trust your numbers, the business runs without you for a month, no single customer can sink it, the key people are staying, and every document diligence will ask for already sits in one folder. The full breakdown is on our approach page.
Will you list my business for sale?
Yes — listing and selling owner-held businesses is the core of the practice. We price the business on evidence, run a confidential process (NDAs before financials, buyers vetted before they learn your name), and manage negotiation, diligence, and closing. The fee is agreed in writing before we go to market. How the listing works
Would Lakeshore buy my business or invest in it directly?
Yes. When the fit is right, we can take a stake in your business or buy it outright. A direct sale means no listing period, no marketing exposure, and a faster, confidential close. If we want to be your buyer, we say so in writing up front — and you're always free to take the business to market instead. More on selling to us
Do you stay through the sale itself?
Yes — the sale is the point. The team that prepared your business lists it, runs the buyer process, and stays at the table through diligence and closing, coordinating with your attorney and anyone else in the deal.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Family- and founder-owned businesses doing roughly $1M to $15M in revenue across Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, plus Northwest Indiana: machine shops, fabricators, distributors, trucking and logistics, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other trades, food producers, and professional practices. More on who we serve
Is the consult really free?
Yes. Thirty minutes, phone or in person anywhere in Chicagoland, no obligation and no follow-up sequence. You leave knowing your two or three biggest value gaps whether or not we ever work together.