Where we fit

Buyers bring a team to the table. Now you have one too.

Private equity firms and other buyers come with people whose job is to price your business. long run gives you that same rigor on your side, from running the business through the sale. Here is where we fit beside the advisors you already know.

The gap we started long run to close.

A private equity firm puts a board and operating partners on the companies it buys, to raise what each one is worth quarter after quarter.

Most owners never get that. They have a CPA for the taxes and someone for the sale, and no one whose job is to watch what the business is worth in the years between.

long run is that seat, on the owner's side. We are not a private equity firm. We advise owners, and we work for you.

What we call it

The Seat: a standing advisor on the owner's side, from running the business through the sale.

How it works.

Three pieces, one relationship. Everyone starts with the Seat. What comes next depends on what our read says about your business.

01 · Always

The Seat

A standing advisor that watches what your business is worth and tells you when to move. Annual, billed quarterly.

02 · If our read says build

Building value

Focused projects on the factors buyers price, like how much the business depends on you. Each one is a fixed fee you see before you commit.

03 · If our read says sell

Selling

We run the sale and charge the standard success fee bankers use. Half of what you have paid us comes off the sale fee.

How it's different.

We show up years before a sale.
Most advisors arrive at one moment. The work that sets the price happens in the years before it, and that is where we start.
One advisor for the whole run.
The value work and the sale sit with the same people, so what we learn about your business carries all the way to the close.

Who shows up, and when.

Most advisors cover one stretch of the life of a business. The Seat runs from today through the sale.

long run covers stages 01 to 04

01
Running it
Operating consultant, CPA, CFO
02
Understanding value
Valuation firm, online tools
03
Getting ready
Exit planner
04
The sale
Business broker, M&A advisor or banker, deal attorney
05
The buyers
Private equity, search funds, independent sponsors
We sit on your side of the table.
06
After the sale
Wealth advisor
We hand off with your plan.

Every advisor, side by side.

Each of these does real work, and many of them stay in the picture when you work with us. Here is what each one does well, and what it leaves open.

Running the business

Operating consultant or business coach

Does well: Leadership, operating systems and accountability
Shows up: Ongoing
Usually paid: Monthly retainer or program fee
Left open: Tying the work to what a buyer will pay
How we work with them: We point the work at the factors buyers price.

CPA

Does well: Taxes, books and compliance. Knows your numbers best
Shows up: Ongoing, heaviest at tax time
Usually paid: Hourly or an annual fee
Left open: What a buyer would pay, and what would raise it
How we work with them: We work from their numbers and bring them in on the tax side of a sale.

CFO

Does well: Cash, reporting and forecasting
Shows up: Ongoing
Usually paid: Monthly retainer
Left open: Focused on running the business more than its value to a buyer
How we work with them: A good CFO makes our work faster.

Understanding value

Valuation firm or appraiser

Does well: A formal value for an estate, a gift, a lender or a buy-sell agreement
Shows up: Once, for a set purpose
Usually paid: Fixed fee per report
Left open: What to do with the number
How we work with them: When you need a formal appraisal, you still need one. The Read does not replace it.

Online valuation tool

Does well: A fast ballpark
Shows up: Once
Usually paid: Free or low cost
Left open: Anything specific to your business
How we work with them: The Read is free too, and it shows what drives your range.

Getting ready

Exit planner

Does well: Personal and financial readiness to leave the business
Shows up: A few years before a sale
Usually paid: Planning fee, sometimes tied to managing your money
Left open: How much operating work they do varies widely
How we work with them: We cover the business side of the plan.

The sale

Business broker

Does well: Selling smaller businesses to a wide pool of buyers
Shows up: At the sale
Usually paid: Success fee at close, sometimes an upfront fee
Left open: The years before the sale, which set the price
How we work with them: Our sale work starts from years of preparation.

M&A advisor or investment banker

Does well: Running a competitive sale and negotiating terms
Shows up: At the sale, often six to twelve months
Usually paid: Monthly retainer plus a success fee at close
Left open: The work that raises value before going to market
How we work with them: When we run a sale, we charge the same standard success fee.

Deal attorney

Does well: The purchase agreement and your protections in it
Shows up: At the sale
Usually paid: Hourly
Left open: Whether this is the right deal
How we work with them: We work with your attorney through the close.

The buyers

Private equity firm

Does well: Capital and operating support to grow the company after the sale
Shows up: When they buy
Usually paid: They invest. You are paid at close and sometimes keep a stake
Left open: They work for their investors, so the price is theirs to set
How we work with them: We know how they price a deal, and we sit on your side of the table.

Search fund

Does well: An investor-backed buyer who buys one company and stays to run it as CEO
Shows up: When they buy
Usually paid: They invest. You are paid at close, often with part of the price paid over time
Left open: One buyer, with a price set by their investors
How we work with them: When a searcher fits, we bring them in and sit on your side.

Independent sponsor

Does well: A dealmaker who finds the company first, then raises the money. Flexible structures
Shows up: When they buy
Usually paid: They invest, deal by deal
Left open: Their money is raised per deal, so certainty of close varies
How we work with them: We test their financing before it costs you time.

After the sale

Wealth advisor

Does well: Managing the money after a sale
Shows up: Mostly after the sale
Usually paid: A percent of the assets they manage
Left open: What the business is worth before it becomes cash
How we work with them: We bring them in early, so the deal fits the plan.

Every advisor, side by side
Who	What they do well	When they show up	How they're usually paid	What's left open	How we work with them
Running the business
Operating consultant or business coach	Leadership, operating systems and accountability	Ongoing	Monthly retainer or program fee	Tying the work to what a buyer will pay	We point the work at the factors buyers price.
CPA	Taxes, books and compliance. Knows your numbers best	Ongoing, heaviest at tax time	Hourly or an annual fee	What a buyer would pay, and what would raise it	We work from their numbers and bring them in on the tax side of a sale.
CFO	Cash, reporting and forecasting	Ongoing	Monthly retainer	Focused on running the business more than its value to a buyer	A good CFO makes our work faster.
Understanding value
Valuation firm or appraiser	A formal value for an estate, a gift, a lender or a buy-sell agreement	Once, for a set purpose	Fixed fee per report	What to do with the number	When you need a formal appraisal, you still need one. The Read does not replace it.
Online valuation tool	A fast ballpark	Once	Free or low cost	Anything specific to your business	The Read is free too, and it shows what drives your range.
Getting ready
Exit planner	Personal and financial readiness to leave the business	A few years before a sale	Planning fee, sometimes tied to managing your money	How much operating work they do varies widely	We cover the business side of the plan.
The sale
Business broker	Selling smaller businesses to a wide pool of buyers	At the sale	Success fee at close, sometimes an upfront fee	The years before the sale, which set the price	Our sale work starts from years of preparation.
M&A advisor or investment banker	Running a competitive sale and negotiating terms	At the sale, often six to twelve months	Monthly retainer plus a success fee at close	The work that raises value before going to market	When we run a sale, we charge the same standard success fee.
Deal attorney	The purchase agreement and your protections in it	At the sale	Hourly	Whether this is the right deal	We work with your attorney through the close.
The buyers
Private equity firm	Capital and operating support to grow the company after the sale	When they buy	They invest. You are paid at close and sometimes keep a stake	They work for their investors, so the price is theirs to set	We know how they price a deal, and we sit on your side of the table.
Search fund	An investor-backed buyer who buys one company and stays to run it as CEO	When they buy	They invest. You are paid at close, often with part of the price paid over time	One buyer, with a price set by their investors	When a searcher fits, we bring them in and sit on your side.
Independent sponsor	A dealmaker who finds the company first, then raises the money. Flexible structures	When they buy	They invest, deal by deal	Their money is raised per deal, so certainty of close varies	We test their financing before it costs you time.
After the sale
Wealth advisor	Managing the money after a sale	Mostly after the sale	A percent of the assets they manage	What the business is worth before it becomes cash	We bring them in early, so the deal fits the plan.

When someone else is the better call.

You need a formal appraisal for an estate, a gift or a lender. Hire a credentialed appraiser.
You want someone to run your books and your monthly close. That is a CPA or a CFO.
Your business earns under $1 million a year. The Read and our free material will serve you better than a paid Seat.

Start with where your business sits today.

The Read is free and private. In about 15 minutes, it shows what your business is worth, what would raise it, and what to do next.

Start privately Talk to a senior advisor