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The Dark Side of M&A Deals

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Hey there entrepreneurs,

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Welcome to the Better Business Brief, where I share takeaways from:

• running a business I’m building to sell for millions
• my consulting with business owners building to sell for millions
• tips and tricks you can use to do the same

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Let’s talk about one of the most mentally exhausting parts of doing Merger and acquisitions deals: the whiplash between waiting... and racing.

When you’re working on bigger transactions - like raising capital, structuring partnerships, or selling a business; you need to master macro patience and micro speed...

So today, in less than 5 minutes, I’ll give you: ​ ⏳ Why Big Deals Require Patience ⚡ How to Switch Gears with Urgency 🪙 How to Balance Both Without Burning Out

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The dark side of working on big deals? What I’m going to cover here is not something I’ve solved. It’s not something I will “solve.” It is a constant internal battle that I am always working on getting better at fighting. Here’s what it looks like…

⏳ WHY BIG DEALS REQUIRE PATIENCE

Let me be real with you - big deals take time. A lot of time.

One of the deals I’ve been working on started back in August of last year. Another one kicked off in November. Both are still in motion. The earliest that there would possibly be a closing for either of them is in July. And for most of that time? I’ve just been waiting. But why?

Waiting on someone to finish a spreadsheet.
Waiting on a lawyer to review and send back a doc.
Waiting on edits, signatures, or emails.

Waiting on someone to review work I’ve put together and make sure they sign off.

It’s slow. And if you don’t learn to be patient, it’ll drive you crazy. But this is how big deals work. They creep forward, one step at a time, not sprint. You need to be okay with that.

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⚡ HOW TO SWITCH GEARS WITH URGENCY

Now here’s the flip side.

Just because the deal is slow doesn’t mean you can be slow. When it’s your turn to act, you have to move fast.

When a buyer shows interest in one of our listings, I might go days without hearing anything. But then suddenly, they send over a Letter of Intent. And now I’ve got to spend hours redlining legal language, going back and forth, making sure everything is right.

Same with those other deals where we’re on the buy side. I’ll go a couple of weeks without any updates, and then - boom - it’s my turn. I have to drop everything and go into full focus mode until it’s out of my hands again.

Even though there’s no ACTUAL deadline written down, I treat it like there is. Because moving fast is what keeps the deal moving. It’s what shows the people involved that I’m committed to making the deal happen.
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🪙 HOW TO BALANCE BOTH WITHOUT BURNING OUT

This is the hard part - balancing both. If you’re always on high alert, you’ll wear yourself out. If you’re too chill, you’ll miss your shot.

Like I said, I haven’t “figured it out”, but here’s what helps me keep it together:

✅ I plan for quiet days or at least quiet times. I know some days I won’t hear anything. I try my best to use some of those days to rest, plan, and get ahead.
✅ I stay ready for action. I keep my templates, notes, and files close and organized, so when it’s go time, I don’t waste time.
✅ I remind myself the work is adding up. Even if I don’t see results every day, I know it’s all moving forward.

If you want to work on bigger deals, whether it’s buying, growing, or selling a business, you’ve got to get good at both.

Be patient enough to wait for the right moments.
Be fast enough to jump when they come.

If you’re a business owner thinking of preparing for some kind of mergers and acquisitions, whether you want to buy a company to expand or prepare your company for an eventual sale, that kind of preparation is exactly what we specialize in at Scale for Sale. Check us out here on our newly updated website to get an idea of how we might be able to work together.

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Happy value-building to you!

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See you next time for Better Business Brief,

-Brody