Business-for-Sale First-Look Review

Description

Look Hard at the Listing Before You Fall in Love

Every business listing is written to sell. The asking price, the adjusted earnings, the growth story: each one deserves a second look from someone whose only interest is yours.

IWS gives you that independent first look. We put the opportunity through a disciplined first-pass screen, separate seller claims from evidence, and tell you which financial and operating questions deserve your time next. You decide whether to pursue the deal with your eyes wide open.

Who This Is For

• Buyers evaluating a specific listing, teaser, or confidential information memorandum
• First-time buyers who want a seasoned second opinion
• Experienced buyers who want a fast, structured screen before committing to diligence costs

What You Receive

• An initial review of seller claims, sales and earnings trends, and asking-price ratios
• Customer-concentration and owner-dependence signals
• Working-capital questions and obvious gaps
• A PDF opportunity screen and an editable, prioritized diligence-question checklist for your next conversation

How It Works

1. Place your order. Your confirmation arrives immediately, with a short list of what to start gathering.
2. Complete your intake. Within two business days, IWS emails a questionnaire built for this service, plus a secure link for your files.
3. Confirm the scope. IWS reviews your materials and confirms the scope and your delivery date in writing. Your turnaround clock starts here.
4. Receive your work. Your finished deliverables arrive digitally in about 7 business days, followed by one round of clarifications and corrections.

Example: The Attractive Acquisition With Open Questions

Illustrative example: a hypothetical scenario showing how this assignment works in practice.

Consider a buyer studying a commercial signage company listed at $1.6 million, with roughly $400,000 in claimed adjusted earnings. The owner handles the major accounts personally, and the adjustment schedule arrives with thin support.

IWS would review the supplied materials, separate the seller’s claims from the evidence, flag the economic and operational risks, and draft targeted questions for the next broker call. The buyer receives a structured screening memo and decides with confidence whether the deal earns further diligence spending.

Your Assignment at a Glance

• Scope: One identified business; up to three years of client-supplied summary financials and seller materials
• Turnaround: about 7 business days, counted from the day your intake is complete and IWS confirms your scope
• Delivered as: PDF opportunity screen and editable diligence-question checklist
• Included: one round of clarifications and corrections
• Have ready: The listing or teaser, asking price, known revenue and profit figures, available seller materials, and your acquisition objective
• Investment: $795, fixed price

Related Assignments

This review is a first-pass screen. Quality-of-earnings work, formal valuation, tax and legal diligence, and purchase negotiation belong with your CPA, your attorney, or a separate engagement. To build a pipeline of further candidates, see the Off-Market Acquisition Target List.

The IWS Scope Promise

Every assignment begins with a written scope confirmation, before any work starts. If your project calls for more than this package covers, IWS tells you up front and you choose: expand the scope, narrow the project to fit the package, or cancel for a refund. Once IWS confirms your scope and begins work, service fees are non-refundable. See the IWS refund policy.

Why IWS for Business Buyers

IWS practices what it publishes. In 2023, Anthony Raymond Michalski acquired International Wealth Success itself, putting the buy-a-business methods taught in the IWS catalog to work on a real transaction. Buyers who work with IWS get research and screening shaped by the buyer’s side of the table, backed by six decades of IWS teaching on financing acquisitions with other people’s money. For the financing side of your deal, see The OPM Advantage and The Leverage Code.

Questions Clients Ask

I signed an NDA with the broker. Can I share the materials with IWS?

Most broker NDAs permit sharing with advisers who keep the information confidential, so check the adviser clause in your agreement. IWS treats every document as confidential and uses it for your review alone.

When does the turnaround clock start?

The day your intake is complete and IWS confirms the scope in writing. A fast intake means a fast delivery.

How does IWS handle my confidential information?

Your materials serve your assignment alone. Sensitive financial records travel through a secure upload link, and IWS keeps your project confidential from start to finish.

Ready to begin? Add the Business-for-Sale First-Look Review to your cart, and your intake arrives within two business days.

Move forward boldly . . .

IWS provides research, writing, analysis, and business-planning services. Funding, investment, acquisition, and approval decisions rest with the lenders, investors, sellers, and agencies involved. For legal, tax, accounting, investment, and securities matters, IWS recommends your licensed professional advisers.