BUSINESS ACQUISITION ADVISORY
Michelet Financial provides buy-side advisory for Chicago owner-operators looking to grow by acquiring other businesses. Our engagement covers target identification, financial due diligence, deal structuring, and financing—the complete buy-side process from strategic fit to signed close.
We map Chicago's acquisition landscape to find businesses that match your strategic criteria—revenue range, industry, growth profile, and owner transition readiness—including off-market opportunities that never reach a business broker.
Quality-of-earnings analysis, revenue quality assessment, working capital normalization, and hidden liability identification. We find the issues before you sign a purchase agreement—protecting you from overpaying for a Chicago business that underperforms its financials.
Asset vs. stock purchase, SBA acquisition financing, seller financing, earn-out design, and integration planning. We structure every Chicago acquisition to maximize your return and minimize post-close risk from day one.
Chicago's diverse industrial base—spanning manufacturing, logistics, food distribution, and financial services—makes it one of the most active acquisition markets in the Midwest. Owner-operators looking to grow via acquisition will find substantial opportunities, but rigorous due diligence is essential in a market this complex.
Michelet Financial brings Fortune-500 deal discipline—developed working alongside Tilman Fertitta’s Landry’s Inc., a 600-restaurant, $3B+ enterprise—to business owners in Chicago who are ready to grow by acquisition. We level the playing field between you and the institutional buyers that dominate every major acquisition market.
Acquisition Experience That Closes Deals
When you acquire a business, you are negotiating against sellers and their advisors who have prepared specifically to maximize the price you pay. You need an advisor who has structured, valued, and closed transactions at the highest level of corporate finance. Our founder, Brandt Michelet, served as a financial strategy lead at Landry’s, Inc. under Tilman Fertitta—one of America’s largest privately held restaurant, hospitality, and entertainment companies, with 600+ venues and billions in annual revenue, including Fertitta Entertainment’s acquisition of the Houston Rockets.
That means your buy-side advisor has operated inside a company that executed major acquisitions at institutional scale—and can bring that same analytical rigor to your Chicago acquisition, whether it’s a $2M professional services firm or a $40M regional platform. We pair acquisition expertise with Michelet Financial’s tax strategy depth, so the deal is structured to maximize your after-tax return from the outset.
You work directly with a senior advisor—never a junior associate. Call (225) 396-5511 for a confidential consultation about your Chicago acquisition strategy.
The 6-Step Process
We map the Chicago market for businesses matching your acquisition criteria—industry, revenue range, growth profile, and owner transition motivation—including off-market opportunities before they reach a broker process.
Independent valuation of the target business using income, market, and asset approaches. We make sure you know what the business is worth before you offer a dollar for it—using the same methods institutional buyers use.
Deep financial analysis: quality of earnings, normalized EBITDA, revenue quality, working capital requirements, off-balance-sheet liabilities, and customer concentration risk. We find the issues before you’re legally committed.
Asset vs. stock sale, earn-out design, seller financing terms, rollover equity, and transaction tax optimization. Deal structure has enormous after-tax implications for both parties—we optimize from the buyer’s perspective.
SBA 7(a) loans, conventional bank financing, seller financing structures, and equity co-investment. We help Chicago buyers access and structure the capital needed to close without over-leveraging the acquired business.
Managing closing conditions, coordinating with legal counsel, navigating final due diligence, and planning post-close integration—so the value you acquired is realized, not left on the table during a chaotic transition.
INDUSTRIES WE SERVE
Michelet Financial works with Chicago buyers targeting businesses in the $1M–$50M revenue range across the industries that drive Chicago's economy. Our buy-side advisory is calibrated to the specific valuation benchmarks, buyer dynamics, and due diligence priorities that define each sector.
Don’t see your industry listed? We advise across all sectors. Call (225) 396-5511 to discuss your specific Chicago acquisition target.
WHY MICHELET FINANCIAL
Brandt Michelet’s background at Landry’s Inc. under Tilman Fertitta means your buy-side advisor has structured major transactions at institutional scale—not just advised on small deals. That experience translates directly to Chicago acquisitions in the $2M–$50M range.
We represent buyers, not sellers. That means our entire process—target identification, due diligence, valuation, deal structuring, financing—is designed to protect your interests and ensure you pay the right price for the right Chicago business.
Michelet Financial’s tax strategy expertise means your acquisition is structured for maximum after-tax return from day one—not retrofitted for tax efficiency after the deal is already structured. Asset vs. stock, earn-out treatment, and step-up in basis are all analyzed before you sign.
FAQ
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