Mezzanine financing bridges the gap between bank loans and equity investment, offering $1M-$15M in growth capital while preserving 90-98% of ownership. Learn how it works, when it makes sense, key terms, and who provides it.
A term sheet defines the economics and control of your capital raise. Learn how to read valuation, liquidation preferences, anti-dilution, board composition, and protective provisions — and what to negotiate before you sign.
Only 30% of family businesses successfully transition to the next generation. Learn the three succession paths, the conversations that matter most, common structuring approaches, and the timeline required for a successful transition.
Key person dependency is the most common structural risk in founder-led businesses. Learn how buyers evaluate it, the valuation impact, and a practical framework for building organizational resilience before your exit.
Fractional executives bring C-suite expertise at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. Here’s when you need one, what it costs, how to structure the engagement, and why it matters for growth and exit readiness.
A fractional CFO brings senior financial leadership to growing companies without the $300K+ full-time cost. For businesses with $3M-$50M in revenue, this role fills the gap between a bookkeeper who records history and a strategic partner who shapes the future.
Everyone prepares you for the financial side of selling. Nobody prepares you for the identity crisis, the grief, the relationship changes, and the disorientation that follows. Here’s what the emotional side actually looks like and how to navigate it.
Every capital decision is a trade-off between ownership, control, and risk. Here’s how lower middle market business owners should think about equity vs. debt — and the hybrid approaches that usually make the most sense.
The M&A advisory industry was built for either very small businesses or very large ones. Business owners with $3M–$50M in revenue are stuck in a structural gap — too sophisticated for brokers, too small for investment banks. Here’s why that’s changing.
Icon Business Advisors was founded to fill a gap in the M&A market — business owners with $3M–$50M in revenue who are too sophisticated for business brokers but underserved by investment banks. Here’s why that gap exists and what we’re doing about it.