The Owner’s Table
A bi-weekly newsletter for business owners who carry the weight — and want honest conversation about what comes next.
The Owner’s Table exists because running a business can be isolating. The decisions get harder, the stakes get higher, and the people who truly understand what you’re carrying get fewer. This newsletter is the conversation you wish you could have with someone who’s been there — without the sales pitch, without the jargon, and without the judgment.
What You’ll Get
Every other week, straight to your inbox:
- M&A insights you can actually use — what PE buyers look for, how valuations work, what kills deals in due diligence
- Exit planning without the anxiety — how to think about timing, readiness, and the emotional journey of letting go
- Operational advice that moves the needle — improvements that increase business value whether you sell or not
- Market trends that matter — what’s happening in the lower middle market and what it means for owners like you
- Real talk from operators — not consultants who read about it, but people who’ve made payroll, lost sleep, and sat in your chair
Who It’s For
The Owner’s Table is for business owners who are thinking about the future — whether that’s selling in the next year, preparing for an exit in five years, or just running a better business today. If you want honest, operator-level perspective without someone trying to sell you something every email, pull up a chair.
Recent Issues
Issue #1: The 3-Year Rule — Why Your Exit Timeline Should Have Started Yesterday
Why the owners who get the best exits start planning three years before they want to sell — and what happens when you wait.
Free Bonus: Exit Readiness Guide
When you subscribe, you’ll receive our Exit Readiness Guide — a comprehensive framework for evaluating where your business stands on the 12 factors that buyers and investors actually care about. It’s the same framework we use with our advisory clients, and it’s yours free.
About the Author
Daniel Askew is the Founder and CEO of Icon Business Advisors, a Nashville-based M&A advisory firm built by operators, for operators. With 25+ years building, scaling, and advising businesses across multiple industries, Daniel writes the way he talks — direct, warm, and with the kind of candor that only comes from having been in the trenches.
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Join business owners across the Southeast who are getting smarter about their biggest asset.