What Makes Us Different
Linda’s history of successfully selling businesses, coupled with her strong accounting and finance background and personal connections to many buyers, makes her an excellent choice as your M&A advisor. After selling her previous company in 2017, Linda wanted to share her knowledge of building and selling four companies, including her successes and mistakes made along the way. She has a unique blend of being the CEO, living the sales process (three times) and growing a channel business for more than 25 years. We let our results speak for themselves.
“While I had built a profitable MSP business from the ashes of the 2008 economic downturn, all that I had learned in my travels could not have prepared me for the next chapter of M&A. I initially embarked on this journey without the help of an M&A advisor and good counsel. While I had found the perfect buyer, I was off track, understeering, then oversteering, almost out of control and ready to just call it quits, until I was introduced to Linda Rose, my M&A “Sell Side Advisor”. Linda’s introduction was timely, even with a deal set to close in 30 days. She immediately began working (on Thanksgiving Day) to help me get back on track. She realigned expectations and brought the “right” attorney to the deal, all while keeping my best interests in mind. She was a tremendous help in navigating and co-piloting the financial vehicle I hand-built over the past 15-years. If you are driven to win, I can personally attest that you will not lose with Linda as your co-pilot and navigator to the M&A finish line.
Rick Thomas, CEO – ProTechnical
“At some point, every owner needs to make a decision between selling or growing exponentially. But sometimes, that decision isn’t obvious until you test the market. I decided to engage Linda at RoseBiz to do exactly that, because I knew she understood the VAR aspect of IT, including its uniqueness around products, margins, and industry-specific intellectual property. Not only did Linda understand my business well, but she was organized, systematic, and strategic in her approach, resulting in 12 qualified buyer offers that provided me with multiple opportunities to either attract additional capital or to sell out completely and exit.
That in itself was a win for our business relationship, but I also found her to be a very strong negotiator and always able to articulate my unique value proposition in the marketplace. She is a savvy business person who is capable of speaking with sophisticated buyers, tax accountants, and counselors involved in the transaction. She is easy to talk to and always had relevant life experiences from running her own company to share throughout the transaction process. If you are looking for a dedicated, experienced M&A advisor, look no further than Linda Rose.”
David Smooha, CEO – Business Solution Partners
“We had been working for several years to create a viable exit plan and position BrightWire for an eventual sale. We didn’t know when or how that plan might be executed, or who might help us with this process, but we were in discussions with a viable prospective buyer. We met Linda at a peer-group meeting and the timing was perfect. We quickly engaged Linda’s services as our sell-side M&A representative, and she was crucial to the success of the transaction.
She’s deeply passionate about the critically important details that, if left to an inexperienced seller, could quite literally leave hundreds of thousands of dollars “on the table.” As business owners, we may be able to build a great team and run a successful business over many years, but you only get to sell the business once. You must get it right the first time! The entire process is complex and stressful, and you want Linda on your team. Her expertise is invaluable!”
Todd Whitley and Gordon Carlisle, Co-Owners – BrightWire Networks
“There were a number of brokers and advisors we could have chosen. But knowing and understanding the difference between an MSP and MSSP was critical to our success and our valuation. Linda not only understood our area of specialty, but ran a very detailed and methodical process to help us find the “perfect fit.” She not only understood our business, but the culture we wanted to maintain, the opportunities we wanted to provide for our team, and our personal goals of exiting in a short amount of time. Linda’s past experience as a CEO and CPA were invaluable in this process. I am not sure we could have found that combination of skillset in any other advisor”.
Dusty and Sandy Miller – Founders of NDM Technologies
“Selecting the “right” M&A advisor was key for my business. We are in a unique industry with a very strategic customer base. I needed an advisor that not only understood the staffing and consulting industry, but also understood my customers. Linda stood out as a prior business owner who understood our clients’ business, which translated into her ability to articulate our unique value proposition. The team at RoseBiz worked tirelessly to bring us the absolute perfect buyer and prepared us in advance for the onslaught of the never-ending due diligence requests. Linda was not only our advisor, but a true confidant and we couldn’t have selected a more trusting, devoted, and dedicated advisor. ”
Lisa Hufford, CEO – Simplicity Consulting
“I’ve known Linda for several years, and she has provided me guidance and direction over the years prior to deciding to sell the business. As an advisor, she was instrumental in making the introduction to our buyer and navigating through the process. Linda afforded me a sounding board and a high level of expertise and guidance, without which I think the project would have been rockier, longer, and not as successful. I would highly recommend Linda and her team.”
Andy Neal, CEO – Neal & Associates Business Consultants
“Linda effectively facilitated this transaction, managed to engage both parties, and remained impartial. Linda appreciates and has experience on both the buy and sell side, and she facilitated the process from Letter of Intent through due diligence to close. Linda ensured both parties remained on track, and she worked through all aspects of the deal negotiation through closing. It’s always easier to do a good deal with good people, especially in such a small industry. I would recommend partnering with Linda in the Microsoft and Applications segment of our industry.”
Ben Turner, VP Strategy & Growth – Heartland Business Systems
“One of my best business decisions I have made is to hire Linda to help with selling my business. I had a small ERP reseller company and had an attractive offer from a buyer which I wanted to solicit by the end of the tax year. We had less than 2 months to try to close and I had no lawyer, no advice and no idea how this whole business works. I talked to some M&A advisors, but very quickly came to understand that the knowledge of the specific industry of what we do and how we do in the ERP world is a key. I had the fortune to meet Linda who intimately understood the business and that was incredibly helpful throughout the whole process.
Linda made herself available, day and night, weekends, and holidays to push forward with next steps and made sure we got everything in place on time. She guided me through the process and helped me prepare for items that saved me a considerable amount of time and could have jeopardized the timeline. Linda was always straight to the point, always controlling the situation, and helped negotiate excellent terms for me. I highly recommend Linda to anyone who is in the ERP market and beyond to utilize Linda’s services, you will not regret it!”
Oren Tabib, President and CEO – Pioneer B1
“We were fortunate to reach out to Linda Rose when we began the process of selling our company. My business partner and I had many concerns and anxieties about selling the company we built over 23 years. Linda allayed our fears with her deep knowledge of the entire M&A transaction process. Her accounting background was also indispensable. She worked tirelessly with our CPA to ensure that the reports provided to the buyer were correct and showed us in the best light. Her expertise in this area assured us we were going in the right direction and she kept us on track throughout. I would highly recommend engaging with Linda should you be considering selling your company. She literally wrote the book on it!”
Susan Crabtree, President – Mission Critical Systems
“When I decided to sell the Dynamics GP hosting division of my company, I reached directly out to Linda Rose. Her experience in selling her own hosting practice as well as her contacts in the industry after 30 years was the driving factor in selecting her firm. My experience with Linda was a close partnership as we completed this journey. Linda directed the pre-sale due diligence and was quickly able to line up a group of interested parties and secured a couple of Letters of Interest. M&A can be a painful process and there are times it feels hopeless like you just won’t get it done. Linda did an amazing job getting me through this first of a kind transaction for me and I will look to her in the future again for this type of transaction.”
Chris Gherardini, CEO – Turnkey Technologies, Inc.
“Linda’s knowledge of selling a business, combined with her expertise in my particular business, proved invaluable as we moved through all the phases from finding buyers to post sale retrospective. She took seriously my timeline, respected my values, and focused only on appropriate buyers that met my criteria. Her ability to provide a framework and a set of tasks, as each phase progressed, helped us to be highly prepared at every step. Without her sense of urgency and attention to detail, we could not have completed the transaction on the anticipated schedule.
Linda’s CPA skills and innate drive for quality helped me to prepare financially in a way that I could not have done without her. She went above and beyond what was expected. It’s clear that she cares about her clients. I always felt that she was truly interested in the outcome for me personally, and for my team. Finally, her ability to negotiate, and confront difficult discussions without hesitation is a talent rarely found. I was grateful to have her in my camp!”
Sandra Wyman, CEO – Tidestone Solutions, Inc.
“I engaged with Linda to help me find a buyer in the technology services provider space. I met with other advisors prior to engaging Linda, but her experience in the tech sector set her apart from the other ‘generalists’. As a seasoned technology entrepreneur with successful exits of her own and as a CPA, Linda’s unique skillset aided her as she judiciously worked with me through multiple areas of the deal – from due diligence through contract negotiations. She is well-known in the industry and was able to quickly bring multiple buyers to the table. As we worked through due diligence preparation, her CPA skills were an excellent asset not just for me, but for the potential buyer, as she helped me prepare a clear and concise profile, financials, and projections for my company. This prep work helped the deal move quickly once we reached the LOI stage. M&A for anyone is an extremely stressful time. Linda was a combination of expert, coach, sounding board, and guardian angel guiding me through a demanding, but successful experience. I highly recommend Linda and would absolutely use her again, should the need arise.”
Meredith Schultenover, Managing Director – Kraft Enterprise Systems
“Selling a company can be a once in a lifetime opportunity. From LOI to the final close, Linda helped me gain clarity throughout the acquisition process. Her strategic guidance on agreements, accounting and tax combined with her personal experience of selling her own companies, allowed me to make more proactive decisions during this very important transaction.”
Christy Spokely , CEO – eXtreme365