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Mike YeM&A · Corporate Development · Strategic Finance

Acquisition Lens · Pilot, fall 2026

A second opinion on your deal, before you sign the LOI.

I spent 25 years buying businesses, including Rolling Stone, Billboard and Variety for Penske Media. Send me the seller's package and I'll tell you what a lender will actually finance, which of the seller's numbers won't hold up, what could kill the deal, and what to offer. Every memo is reviewed and signed by me.

Request a memoRead a sample memo (PDF) →

Pilot: I'm taking 20 deals this fall at these prices.

Built for buyers with a live deal and no deal team.

  • Independent sponsors raising money one deal at a time
  • Companies buying a competitor without an in-house M&A team
  • Experienced buyers financing a $1M–$10M purchase with an SBA loan

Not a fit for screening dozens of listings, startups, minority stakes or distressed businesses.

Why before the LOI

Most deals that fall apart die in diligence, over things you could see in the seller's documents: add-backs that won't hold up, a business that runs on the owner, one customer carrying too much revenue, loan payments the cash flow can't cover. By then you've paid accountants and lawyers. From October 1, 2026, SBA-financed purchases of $3M or more also require a lender-ordered earnings review, so a bad LOI costs more than it used to. The cheapest time to find the problem is before you sign.

Two ways to start

Quick Read · 2 business days

$750

Is this worth an LOI, and what would kill it?

You send the seller's package and three years of financials. You get a two-page go or no-go, the top three deal-killers, and ten questions for your next seller call.

Upgrade to a Buyer Memo within 14 days and the $750 counts toward it.

Book a Quick Read · $750

Buyer Memo · 5 business days

$2,500

What should I offer, on what terms, and when do I walk?

Add your draft terms and financing plan. You get a 6–8 page memo and a 30-minute call with me:

  • The most an SBA lender will finance, and how far the asking price sits above it
  • Earnings rebuilt the way a lender is likely to see them
  • Deal-killers ranked: investigate, price, protect or walk
  • Recommended LOI terms and a walk-away price
  • Questions for the seller, in the order to ask them
  • My read on the deal, signed
Book a Buyer Memo · $2,500

How it works

  1. Book the option you want above. If you'd rather check fit first, tell me about the deal using the form below. No confidential details yet.
  2. I reply within one business day to confirm it's a fit and that I have no conflict. If it isn't a fit, you get a full refund.
  3. You email the seller's package, financials and, for a Buyer Memo, your draft terms.
  4. Your memo arrives by the deadline. Buyer Memos include a 30-minute call to walk through it.

Most seller NDAs let you share materials with your advisors. I act as your advisor, keep your documents confidential and delete them 30 days after delivery.

What it isn't

An Acquisition Lens memo is decision support from an experienced buyer. It is not a valuation, a quality-of-earnings report, a fairness opinion, or legal, tax or accounting advice, and it doesn't replace the review an SBA lender orders on larger deals. I don't take both sides: if I've worked with the seller through Exit Desk, I'll decline the deal.

Request a memo

Tell me about the deal in a few lines. I'll reply within one business day. Prefer email? mike@mikeye.com

Thanks. I'll reply within one business day. Mike
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