Broker, M&A advisor — and the gap between.
Markets what exists
Commission-based marketed listings, buyer inquiries from listing sites, best suited to businesses under roughly $2M with many possible buyers. The business is sold as-is; preparation isn't the product.
Prepares, then runs the process
For $1M–$15M companies: CPA-led preparation to buyer-credible standard, an evidence-backed valuation, curated confidential outreach to vetted buyers, managed diligence, negotiated structure — one team, books to close. Direct acquisition on the table when the fit is right.
Built for bigger checks
Investment banks and large M&A boutiques run auctions for companies well past $15M–$20M revenue, with fee minimums to match. Excellent at that size; indifferent economics below it.
The lower middle market is underserved by both ends. That's the gap this firm was built for.
How a Lakeshore engagement runs.
- Evidence before market. Financials brought to a clean, GAAP-ready standard, add-backs documented, the diligence data room built. A valuation range you can defend line by line — because the buyer's accountants will test it line by line.
- A curated buyer list, not a public listing. Strategics consolidating your industry, PE-backed roll-ups, search funds, independent sponsors, family offices — approached confidentially, under NDA, with a blind profile until vetted.
- Competitive tension, managed. Parallel conversations, structured information flow, offers brought to the same table on the same terms so they can actually be compared.
- Diligence run like an audit defense. A former IRS auditor leads the practice; the deal team has 60+ closed transactions. Questions get answered from the data room, not improvised — which is how prices survive diligence intact.
- Structure negotiated with the tax answer in the room. Asset versus stock, allocation, earnouts, seller notes, working-capital pegs — decided alongside your CPA and attorney, not discovered after the LOI.
M&A advisory questions, answered.
M&A advisor vs. business broker — which do I need?
Under roughly $2M in value with many possible buyers: a broker's marketed listing often serves well. Above that — or whenever your likely buyer is a strategic, roll-up, or fund — you need prepared evidence and a managed process. In the $1M–$15M revenue range, most owners need both halves, in order.
Who will actually buy my company?
In Chicagoland: strategics buying capacity, PE-backed roll-ups consolidating the trades and services, search funds, independent sponsors, and family offices. The consult includes a frank read on which of these your company attracts today — and what would widen the list.
How are you paid?
Preparation on published flat fees ($4,500 Exit-Readiness Review; Sale-Ready Program from $2,500/month). The sale itself is structured per deal and agreed in writing before we go to market. A direct sale to Lakeshore carries no commission. Fee mechanics across the industry are in our fee guide.
How long does a structured process take?
Typically two to four months of preparation (depending on the state of the books), then four to eight months from outreach to closing. Rushing the first phase is how prices get cut in the second — diligence always finds what preparation skipped.
Weighing a conventional brokerage instead? Read the Chicago broker guide — including the ten questions to ask before signing any listing agreement.
Talk to a deal team, not a listing desk.
Thirty minutes with a senior advisor: what a structured process would look like for your company, who the realistic buyers are, and what the evidence says it's worth.
Send this on a weekday between 9 and 5 and an advisor calls you within the hour. Evenings and weekends, first thing the next business morning. No newsletter, no drip sequence.
Thanks — an advisor will call you within the hour if it's a weekday before 5pm. Otherwise, first thing the next business morning.
Prefer to talk now? (312) 278-2109 — weekdays 9–5, a person answers.