You Built Something Real.
Now Make Sure You’re Paid What It’s Worth.
Most Alberta business owners leave $5M–$15M on the table during transition — not because their business isn’t valuable, but because they entered the process unprepared. We fix that.
Why Owners Transact Below Fair Value
Advisors who’ve been through hundreds of transactions on the buyer side know exactly what acquirers look for — and what they use to discount your price. Here’s what we see most often.
EBITDA Is Understated
Owner add-backs aren’t documented. One-time expenses aren’t normalized. Acquirers apply their own adjustments — and they’re not in your favour.
Working Capital Is a Dispute Waiting to Happen
Working capital disputes are the #1 post-close risk. Most owners don’t know their WC peg or how to negotiate it before signing.
Operational Risk Is Concentrated
Key-person dependency, customer concentration, undocumented processes — buyers price all of it. You need 3–6 months minimum to de-risk before going to market.
No Pre-Market Preparation
Owners who engage advisors after receiving an LOI are negotiating from weakness. The preparation window is 12–18 months before you want to close.
The Gap Between What You Get and What You Should Get
These are not hypothetical numbers. They come from transactions where owners entered without professional preparation.
Four Owner Situations We Work With
If you’re in one of these situations, the window to improve your outcome is open — but it closes as you approach market.
Planning to Sell in 12–36 Months
You’re thinking about timing but haven’t engaged an M&A advisor yet. This is the ideal window to close the advisory gap and build a clean data room.
Received an Unsolicited Offer
A buyer approached you directly. Before you engage, you need independent valuation support and someone who understands how acquirers think about deal structure.
Family or Management Transition
The business is staying internal, but you need fair valuation, clean financials, and a transition structure that protects both sides.
Already Engaged an M&A Advisor
Your banker is focused on the deal. We focus on your financial data quality and ensure you’re not negotiating against yourself at the table.
How AJM Compares to Other Advisors
Most advisors are either transaction-focused or accounting-focused. Very few come from the buy side. That changes what they can do for you.
| Capability | M&A Lawyers | Accountants | CBV Firms | AJM Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-market data preparation | ✗ | Limited | ✗ | ✓ Core service |
| EBITDA normalization & add-back documentation | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ + buyer-side framing |
| Buyer-side transaction experience | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ PE / IB background |
| Working capital peg negotiation | Limited | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Explicit advisory |
| Operational risk identification | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Data diagnostic |
| Independent of deal completion fees | No — deal-fee aligned | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ Flat advisory fee |
| 12–18 month pre-market engagement | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Core model |
| Data room preparation & quality of earnings | ✗ | Partial | ✗ | ✓ Full preparation |
Four-Phase Advisory Model
We work with you from initial diagnostic through transaction support. Each phase has a fixed scope and explicit deliverables — no ambiguity about what you’re buying.
Who Works on Your File
Three principals. Each brings a distinct competency. No junior staff on lead engagements.
What Owners Ask Before Engaging
Related reading
Succession Advisory Fees: What to Expect
Most business owners go into succession conversations without a clear sense of what advisory costs look like. Here is an honest overview.
Where you stand before you commit to a full engagement. Data quality, EBITDA normalization, buyer-readiness gaps. Most owners find this changes their thinking on timeline.
Discovery, strategy development, planning and structuring, implementation support. Scope depends on business complexity, number of shareholders, and whether a transaction is involved.
Multiple shareholders, family disputes, estate freezes, cross-border considerations, or a full transaction. Advisory fees are typically the smaller part once legal and tax work is added.
One thing worth knowing: AJM’s advisory fees are typically the smaller part of the total cost once legal, accounting, and tax work is included. We are explicit upfront about scope — what we cover and what you will need from other professionals — so there are no surprises. All engagements are scoped after an initial discovery call. Book a call to get a specific scope.
The Advisory Gap Is Real.
Most Alberta business owners in the $5M–$50M range go to market without the financial preparation that would close it. You now know what the gap costs and how to close it.