South Florida M&A Advisors Podcast

Hosted by Russell Cohen

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

We are a team of highly experienced M&A advisors who specialize in offering bulge bracket like deal advisory services to lower middle-market companies across the United States and globally. Our team of experts have a deep understanding of the M&A process and a proven track record of successfully navigating complex transactions. Our focus is on delivering personalized, tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each of our clients. Whether you are looking to buy or sell a business, or seeking guidance on a strategic financial decision, we have the expertise to help you achieve your goals. To learn more visit: https://www.southfloridama.com/ contact (954) 646-7651 email: rcohen@southflorida,ma.com

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18 recent

October 14, 202632 min

EP #18: Exit-Ready Family Businesses

If you built a solid business but it still feels impossible to step away, buyers will notice too. Russell Cohen sits down with Frank and Ezra Saragossi from Build to Transfer to get specific about what makes a company truly transferable and why so many family businesses hit a wall when it is time to sell, hand off leadership, or even take a real vacation. We dig into the biggest value killers we see in lower middle market M&A: owner dependency, unclear financials, weak leadership teams, and processes that live only in the founder’s head. Frank and Ezra share how identity and emotion quietly drive decision-making in family enterprises, and why that pride can turn into risk during due diligence, quality of earnings, and negotiations. We also talk exit planning timelines, because the highest valuations usually go to owners who prepare years in advance, not months. Then we get practical about retirement math and valuation targets. We walk through the lifestyle-first approach to figuring out what you need from a sale, how inflation changes the number, and how benchmarking your current business value creates a roadmap for closing the gaps. Along the way, we cover family business dynamics like double standards, blurred roles, and the “Aunt Mary” problem that shows up when a growing company outgrows legacy systems and legacy people. If you care about business valuation, succession planning, and building a company that can attract strategic buyers or private equity, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a business owner who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or question.

April 6, 2026Episode 1729 min

EP #17: IT Readiness For Better Deal Outcomes with Matt Kinsey

Buyers aren’t just buying your EBITDA. They’re buying your risk profile, and IT is a huge part of what makes a deal feel safe or scary. I sit down with Matt Kinsey of IT Fusion to unpack how IT readiness impacts valuation, deal multiples, and transaction certainty in the lower middle market, especially for businesses in the $2M to $20M range. If you’ve ever assumed “we’re too small to be a target,” this conversation will change how you see diligence. We dig into the IT due diligence surprises that spook buyers fast: weak access controls, missing multi-factor authentication, undocumented patching, untested backups, and the bigger issue behind all of it, a lack of repeatable process. Matt explains why mature IT practices make your numbers more believable and your operations easier to replicate, which is exactly what buyers want after closing. We also talk about hidden cyber risk, including the uncomfortable reality that attackers can sit inside a network for a long time before triggering a breach, leading to holdbacks, retrades, or even a buyer walking away. From there, we get practical. Matt shares what a deal-ready environment looks like, how to prioritize in the last 90 days before going to market, and why a third-party IT readiness assessment can uncover quick wins that don’t require massive spend. We cover key compliance and regulatory exposure, including HIPAA, PCI compliance, FTC Safeguards, and Florida privacy requirements, plus why frameworks like NIST can show “reasonable” cybersecurity governance. We close with post-integration pitfalls like messy data integrity and missing admin access that can derail timelines and budgets if they’re not cleaned up early. If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with a fellow owner or advisor, and leave a review so more sellers can avoid preventable IT and cybersecurity risks before a transaction.

March 3, 2026Episode 1628 min

EP #16: How A Trade Business Scaled And Sold

A family-run plumbing leader just closed a $14M sale—and the real story isn’t the number, it’s the blueprint behind it. We open the hood on how a commercial contractor in South Florida turned disciplined operations, clean financials, and smart deal structure into a win for founders, successors, and their new private equity partner. We start with the hard truths of valuation. Commercial construction can scale fast but swings hard when projects slip, so buyers discount uncertainty. That’s why this team’s meticulous books, reliable revenue recognition, and documented backlog mattered more than hype. When a wave of delayed starts dragged the trailing twelve months, the deal didn’t die. It evolved—shifting to a mix of cash, seller financing, earnouts, and rollover equity that kept the headline value intact while protecting both sides. Along the way, we unpack why “go ugly early” during diligence saves time, trust, and multiples. There’s a reason private equity is racing into the trades. AI can optimize bids and schedules, but it can’t install pipe or trench a site. That hands-on moat, paired with fragmentation and roll-up potential, is drawing serious capital. The catch is labor. Without a bench of skilled technicians and strong supervisors, even the best backlog stalls. We talk leadership layers across divisions, owner roles post-close, and how a cultural fit with the buyer can be worth more than the highest upfront check—especially if you’re aiming for the second bite when the platform exits at a higher multiple. If you own a service business and think a premium exit is out of reach, this conversation will change your mind. We map the steps: invest in accounting that approaches GAAP, document SOPs, close your months on time, disclose issues early, and plan your exit the day you open your doors. Ready to turn an illiquid asset into a personal balance sheet you control? Hit play, subscribe for more real-world M&A breakdowns, and tell us: what’s the one change you’ll make this quarter to boost your future multiple?

October 14, 2025Episode 1528 min

EP #15: The Four-Advisor Blueprint for a Clean, Profitable Exit

Selling a company isn’t a decision you make on a Monday and close by Friday—it’s a campaign that starts years earlier, with the right team and a clear plan. We unpack a practical, four-advisor framework that helps owners protect hard-won value: a seasoned M&A advisor to run the process, a CPA or fractional CFO to make your numbers PE-ready, an M&A attorney who speaks the language of deals, and a wealth advisor who designs a tax-smart path from illiquid to liquid. We dive into the realities of private equity diligence and why GAAP alignment, revenue recognition, and a clean quality of earnings matter more than glossy pitch decks. You’ll hear where owners get tripped up—Q4 income games to save taxes, cash off the books, sloppy working-capital management—and how a fractional CFO can model normalized working capital so your LOI, QoE, and final true-up align. We also get candid about legal strategy: why a generalist can slow a deal to a crawl, and how a true M&A attorney can shorten the path to close while protecting you on reps, warranties, escrows, and earnouts. On the back end of the transaction, we explore wealth strategy with an eye toward today’s markets: capital gains exposure, deferral tools like a deferred sales trust, diversification beyond the traditional 60/40, and building a resilient portfolio that matches your new risk profile. Along the way, we talk mindset—bringing in a battle-tested coach, embracing humility, and letting experts lead—so the process is demanding but not derailing. If you’re aiming for a life-changing exit, this conversation gives you the roadmap, the warnings, and the confidence to start early and finish strong. Enjoyed the show? Subscribe, share it with a fellow owner, and leave a quick review with your biggest exit question—your note could shape a future episode.

August 8, 2025Episode 1446 min

EP #14: Navigating the M&A Maze with Attorney Marc Solomon

The mysterious world of mergers and acquisitions can feel like navigating a labyrinth blindfolded for business owners facing their first exit. This eye-opening conversation with veteran M&A attorney Marc Solomon pulls back the curtain on what really happens when selling your business to sophisticated buyers. Marc brings a rare perspective most attorneys lack – having personally built, sold, and managed a business before returning to legal practice. "I've been a small business owner, I've been through an exit transaction, I've been a corporate executive, and I've been a business attorney," he explains, allowing him to understand client objectives from multiple angles. The discussion reveals critical details many sellers overlook until it's too late. When that attractive purchase price appears in a letter of intent, few business owners recognize how much of it might be tied up in promissory notes, rollover equity, or future earn-outs. As Solomon pointedly observes, "It's not necessarily what the price is at closing – how much of that money do you really collect several years down the road when you look back at the deal?" From the psychological pressure of due diligence (humorously described as "the colonoscopy" of business deals) to the technical complexities of working capital adjustments, disclosure schedules, and tax reorganizations, the podcast illuminates why having the right advisory team is non-negotiable. Private equity firms approach acquisitions with armies of professionals who do this work daily, while most sellers are experiencing it for the first time. Perhaps most valuable are the practical insights on escrow holdbacks (typically 5-10% for 12-18 months), representation and warranty insurance for larger deals, and ensuring rollover equity doesn't come with hidden disadvantages. Solomon's explanation of how seemingly standard contract language about GAAP compliance can create massive post-closing liabilities shows why expert review matters. Ready to navigate your business sale with confidence? Connect with Marc Solomon and the South Florida M&A Advisors team to build your transaction support system before entering negotiations with sophisticated buyers.

June 29, 2025Episode 1319 min

EP #13: Finding Serious Buyers: The M&A Strategy

The mystery of how businesses actually find serious buyers is revealed in this candid exploration of M&A strategy. Forget everything you thought you knew about selling a business - this isn't about listing it online and hoping for inquiries. Russell Cohen pulls back the curtain on the sophisticated methods M&A advisors use to connect sellers with qualified buyers who will pay premium valuations. Discover the substantial investments advisors make in specialized research platforms - from Private Equity Info to Pitchbook, Source Scrub to Grata - each costing thousands annually but providing crucial access to buyer information. Cohen explains how these resources allow advisors to identify private equity groups, family offices, and strategic buyers that match a seller's specific industry, size, and objectives. Beyond the technology, learn how professional relationships developed through organizations like ACG and M&A Source create direct connections with decision-makers at acquisition-minded companies. The conversation highlights a critical reality for business owners: attempting to sell without professional representation severely limits your options and leverage. When sellers rely solely on their immediate network of accountants and lawyers, they access less than 1% of potential buyers. As Cohen colorfully illustrates, negotiating against professional buyers without representation is "like a junior high football player trying to sack Tom Brady." The right advisor not only maximizes your valuation through competitive bidding but helps identify buyers who represent the best cultural fit and growth opportunity. Whether you're seeking a complete exit or a "second bite of the apple" with future equity participation, hearing these insider insights could be worth millions in your upcoming transaction.

May 20, 2025Episode 1224 min

EP #12: Renegotiating After the Quality of Earnings Report

Ever wonder what happens when the numbers don't add up during a business sale? When the quality of earnings report lands, it can either confirm your business valuation or send your deal into a tailspin of renegotiations. Russell Cohen pulls back the curtain on what he calls "a colonoscopy on steroids" - the intensive financial investigation that private equity groups conduct before finalizing an acquisition. This critical phase exposes the gap between how entrepreneurs manage their books and the GAAP accounting standards institutional investors expect, often revealing uncomfortable truths about a business's true financial performance. The podcast explores the red flags that commonly trigger post-QOE price adjustments: declining revenue trends, miscalculated job costs, improper worker classifications, inadequate insurance coverage, and ownership structures where real estate complicates valuation. Through real-world examples from his current deals, Russell demonstrates how these issues play out in practice and shares creative solutions for keeping deals alive despite financial discrepancies. What becomes clear is that leverage in these sensitive negotiations often comes down to a simple question: who wants the deal more? A motivated buyer facing pressure to deploy capital by year-end may accept compromises that preserve headline valuations while adjusting payment structures. Conversely, a seller without urgency maintains significant power to hold firm on price or walk away entirely. For business owners years away from selling, the message is simple but crucial: start preparing now. Invest in professional accounting, build management depth beyond yourself, ensure comprehensive insurance coverage, implement proper employee benefits, and maintain regulatory compliance. These foundations, established at least three years before a planned exit, create resilience that can withstand the scrutiny of acquisition due diligence. Ready to start your exit planning journey? Contact Russell to begin positioning your business for a successful sale, whether your timeline is measured in months or years.

February 26, 2025Episode 1118 min

EP #11: The Essential Hub for M&A Transactions: Understanding Data Rooms

Discover the essential role of data rooms in the world of mergers and acquisitions in our latest episode. As we unpack the intricacies involved in organizing, securing, and managing crucial documents, you'll learn firsthand why a well-structured data room can significantly impact the efficiency of M&A transactions. Join us as we share vital tips and real-world examples of what a successful data room entails, how to anticipate buyer requests, and the importance of preparation for business owners considering a sale. Russell Cohen emphasizes the need for meticulous organization from the outset, suggesting that business owners should not delay in getting their documentation in order. We delve deep into the challenges associated with document requests, discuss ways to enhance security, and even explore how the latest technology trends, including AI, may transform the data room landscape. Whether you're a seasoned business owner or new to the M&A scenery, this episode offers invaluable insights and strategies that can pave the way for a smooth transaction process. Tune in for expert advice, engage with our community, and ready yourself for successful negotiations. Don't forget to leave a review and share your thoughts with us!

January 30, 2025Episode 1019 min

EP #10: Strategic Insights for Selling Your Business

Unlock the secrets of successfully selling your business with insights straight from the trenches of mergers and acquisitions. Ever wondered how to find a buyer who truly respects your company’s culture and values? This episode promises to equip you with the essential knowledge to safeguard your business's legacy and protect your employees. We navigate the landscape of potential buyers, from private equity groups to strategic buyers and publicly traded companies, sharing compelling real-life examples of what happens when the match is just right—and the consequences when it isn’t. As your hosts, we go into the operational challenges that can derail a sale, emphasizing the importance of being prepared. Learn from cautionary tales of buyers who failed due to lack of involvement and discover why having the right accounting practices and advisory team is pivotal. We spotlight the critical role of timely, specialized legal support, sharing how delays can jeopardize deals. Our approach to marketing and vetting potential buyers ensures that only serious inquiries come through, making your transition as smooth as possible. Get ready to arm yourself with expert strategies that turn the complexities of selling a business into a seamless process.

November 25, 2024Episode 919 min

EP #9: Unlocking Success in Roofing M&A: Strategic Acquisitions and Smooth Transitions

Unlock the secrets of roofing industry acquisitions with the South Florida M&A Advisors Podcast! Ever wondered why larger companies are snapping up smaller, locally recognized roofing firms like Earl Johnston Roofing? Join our host, Russell Cohen, as he explores the strategic mindset of add-on acquisitions. We delve into the personal motivations behind such sales, including the seller's health considerations and the perfect timing for transitioning business ownership. Learn how maintaining a brand's local identity can be a game-changer in achieving economies of scale and ensuring a smooth leadership transition. Gain valuable insights into the complex world of valuing and selling a roofing company in Florida. This episode sheds light on the seller's decision to prioritize immediate cash over potentially lucrative earnouts and seller financing, with the aim of securing a swift exit. We highlight the crucial role of having expert legal and professional support in place, alongside the lessons learned about the importance of patience and experienced advisement. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your understanding of successful M&A strategies in this dynamic sector.