01 / Understand the earnings
What is the business really earning?
Rebuild SDE, question add-backs and distinguish the seller’s story from the documents.
Read the SDE guide
The independent buyer's workbench
Study the business.
See the whole deal.
Every promising business has a story. Bring the numbers into the light, and decide what the evidence supports.
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On your desk0 saved deals
Open your pipelineCheck buyer readinessMake a backupYour acquisition workflow
Your map through
unfamiliar territory.
Six steps through the workbench, with a place for every question along the way.
- 01PrepareKnow your meansCapital, time and your support team.
- 02DefineWrite your criteriaSet the boundaries of your search.
- 03ModelFollow the cashPrice, earnings, financing and reserves.
- 04SearchFind a candidateScreen your records or search public listings.
- 05VerifyBuild the evidenceNineteen checks, with notes and risk flags.
- 06DecideKeep your reasoningAdvance the deal or record why you pass.
Learn by changing the numbers
One business.
Different outcomes.
Explore the fictional Oak & Field Garden Care acquisition. Change earnings or the down payment and watch the cash left after debt service.
- Asking price
- $500,000
- Replacement pay
- $60,000 / year
- Capex reserve
- $15,000 / year
- Loan assumption
- 10.5% over 10 years
Practice inputs, not a listing or a loan quote. These controls do not change your saved records.
Annual cash after debt$27,135
Modeled debt coverage1.37×
Where the cash goes
Annual amounts in USD, before income taxes.
- Stated SDE
- $175,000
- Replacement pay
- −$60,000
- Capex reserve
- −$15,000
- Debt service
- −$72,865
- Annual cash flow
- $27,135
From the library
Build your judgment.
02 / Know what you are buying
The business behind the numbers.
Study the operating risks of local service businesses before a promising listing becomes a commitment.
Explore industry guides03 / Follow a method
A field guide for the road ahead.
A repeatable process for screening, financing, verification and the first hundred days.
Study the method
Evidence before conviction
A checkmark is
only the beginning.
Record what you reviewed, what still worries you and what needs to happen next. Keep risk flags and document notes together across nineteen diligence checks.
- High risk Resolve before advancing.
- Watch Ask the next question.
- Resolved Keep the supporting evidence.
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Practical tools.
Visible assumptions.
Each calculator shows its formulas. Copy a result, print a summary or export your full workspace whenever you choose.
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