Resources

Create value X, and capture Y% of it - we help you maximize both.

Our blog

Founder to Freedom Weekly

Skip the business guru noise. Every week, we deliver battle-tested insights on building valuable companies, founder interviews you can actually learn from, and exit strategies that work in real life.
Series A vs Series B Funding: Key Differences Explained
Finance
Understand the key differences between Series A and Series B funding stages, focusing on investment amounts, goals, and investor expectations.
How to Prepare Your Business for Due Diligence: A Guide
Finance
Prepare your business for due diligence with our comprehensive guide, covering financial, legal, and operational readiness for successful transactions.
7 Key Financial Metrics Every Startup Founder Must Track
Finance
Learn the essential financial metrics every startup founder needs to monitor for sustainable growth and investor confidence.
Ultimate Business Brokers Guide: Maximize Value in Buying or Selling a Business
M&A
Discover how business brokers help buyers and sellers achieve the best value. Learn about their roles, fees, and benefits, plus tips to ensure a successful transaction.
SDE Meaning: What Seller's Discretionary Earnings Really Tells You
M&A
A plain-language guide to SDE meaning, its formula, and the point where growth-stage companies need to switch to Adjusted EBITDA instead.
Unlocking True Business Value: The Role of Add-Backs in Maximizing Valuation
Finance
Discover how add-backs can significantly impact small business valuations. Learn to identify, document, and justify financial adjustments to showcase true profitability and secure the highest sale price.
Understanding Retail Trade Business Valuation: Key Insights and Multiples Explained
M&A
Learn how to value a retail trade business using SDE, EBITDA, and revenue multiples. Discover factors influencing valuation and expert guidance from Phoenix Strategy Group.
Comprehensive Guide to Equipment Valuation: Methods, Factors, and Best Practices
M&A
Learn about equipment valuation methods, factors influencing appraisals, and challenges in valuing assets like machinery, vehicles, and tools. Discover expert insights for informed decision-making and financial compliance.
Comprehensive Guide to Valuing Accounting Firms Using Multiples
M&A
Discover the key valuation multiples—SDE, EBITDA, and REV—that determine the worth of accounting firms. This guide offers insights into factors influencing valuation, strategies to enhance firm value, and the importance of professional appraisals. Perfect for buyers and sellers seeking informed decisions in the dynamic accounting industry.
Comprehensive Guide to Valuation Multiples for Small Businesses: SDE, EBITDA, and Revenue Metrics Explained
M&A
Discover how to value small businesses effectively using SDE, EBITDA, and revenue multiples. Learn the fundamentals of business valuation and how to optimize your strategies for buying, selling, or expanding your business.
Comprehensive Guide to Business Expansion: Strategies and Financing Options
Finance
Discover actionable strategies and diverse financing options to expand your business successfully. Learn how to navigate growth with expert insights and proven approaches.
Gross Profit: Formula, Benchmarks, and How CFOs Use It
Finance
Gross profit isn't just Revenue minus COGS on a slide. Here's how to calculate it, benchmark it, and use it the way a fractional CFO does.
12 Essential Traits Investors Seek in a Winning Investment Opportunity
Finance
Discover the top 12 factors venture capitalists evaluate when funding startups. From strong leadership to market potential, learn how to position your business for VC success.
Why Your Business Needs an Outsourced Financial Controller: Benefits, Roles, and Cost-Savings
Finance
Discover how an outsourced financial controller can streamline your business finances, improve cash flow, and prepare for growth or transactions. Learn the key roles, benefits, and why outsourcing is a cost-effective solution for modern businesses.
Fixed and Variable Costs: A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Business Expenses
Learn how to identify, calculate, and manage fixed and variable costs to keep your business profitable. Discover strategies to optimize expenses, forecast accurately, and achieve financial success.
Virtual CFO: Cost, Services, and When You Actually Need One
Finance
A plain-language guide to virtual CFO cost, services, and hiring triggers, with pricing tables and a worked cost comparison against a full-time CFO.
Financial Audits: Why They Matter and How They Build Trust, Transparency, and Accountability
Finance
Discover the importance of financial audits for businesses. Learn how audits verify financial statements, detect errors and fraud, ensure regulatory compliance, and foster trust with stakeholders. Explore the CFO's vital role in the audit process for transparency and accountability.
A Comprehensive Guide to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for Businesses
Finance
Explore this comprehensive guide to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), including its core principles, benefits, and importance for businesses of all sizes. Perfect for leaders, investors, and financial professionals.
Organic vs. Inorganic Growth: Strategies for Sustainable Business Expansion
Finance
Discover the key differences between organic and inorganic growth, their advantages and challenges, and how to choose the right strategy to fuel your business success. A guide to sustainable and strategic expansion.
What Is a Comptroller? Comptroller vs Controller Explained
Finance
A comptroller is a senior finance and controls role, most common in government and nonprofits. Here's how it differs from a controller and CFO, and what to hire.
Mastering Cost and Price Analysis: Strategies to Boost Profitability and Market Competitiveness
Finance
Learn how cost and price analysis can optimize profitability, improve efficiency, and enhance market positioning. Discover actionable strategies and insights to make data-driven financial decisions.
How to Value, Buy and Sell a HVAC Business - Calculation & Tips
M&A
Learn how to determine the fair market value of an HVAC company before purchase. Discover key valuation methods, identify opportunities, understand risks, and secure financing to make informed buying decisions.
Maximize Your Return: Essential Guide to Selling Your Flooring Business
M&A
Planning to sell your flooring business? Discover how a professional business valuation can help you maximize your return on investment. Learn key value drivers, risk factors, and effective pricing strategies to ensure a successful sale.
Valuing a Hotel or Motel
Discover the key to valuing hotels and motels with our comprehensive guide. Learn about the impact of location, staff, services, and online presence on your property's value.
Valuation Multiples for a Car Dealership
M&A
Explore valuation multiples for car dealerships: Understand the significance of SDE, EBITDA, and REV multiples in determining the market value of new and used auto dealerships. Essential reading for buyers, sellers, and investors in the $1 trillion U.S. car dealership industry."
Valuation Multiples for a Restaurant
M&A
Discover essential insights on restaurant valuation multiples with our comprehensive guide. Learn about market approaches, SDE, EBITDA, and REV multiples to effectively value, buy, or sell a restaurant.
Buy a FedEx Route: 2026 Cost, Process & Valuation Guide
M&A
A practical, numbers-first guide to buying a FedEx route: real cost ranges, how ISP agreements work, financing, and how these routes get valued.
Why Startups Should Hire an Operations Manager Early On
Learn why hiring an operations manager can be critical to the success of a startup, how to determine when to bring one on board, and what qualities to look for in a candidate. Discover the benefits of having an operations manager and how they can help keep your startup on track.
Guide to Gross Merchandise Value (GMV): Formula, Calculation & Examples
Finance
Learn about the significance of Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) in measuring your business's revenue and how to calculate it. Find out why tracking this metric is crucial for identifying trends and areas for improvement, while avoiding the pitfalls of relying solely on GMV as a vanity metric.
The Rise of Small Exits for Lightly Funded Startups: Why Investors and Founders Are Benefiting
Small startups with limited funding are seeing a surge of acquisition offers from larger companies looking to fill technology gaps and acquire companies with traction. Learn why these small exits are good for investors, life-changing for founders, and beneficial for acquiring companies, and how our firm can help guide startups through the due diligence process.
Maximizing Your Exit Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide for CEOs
M&A
Discover the key factors to consider when determining your exit strategy as a CEO. From vision and repeatability to landscape and energy, this comprehensive guide will help you make the best decision for your business.
Due Diligence: The Key to Successful Fundraising
Understand the importance of due diligence in fundraising and what investors look for in a company. Learn about the main items required for due diligence and make your investment opportunity more appealing to investors.
Navigating the Use of Earnouts in M&A Deals: Understanding the Risks and Rewards
Earnouts are a common feature in M&A transactions, where a portion of the purchase price is based on the company's post-transaction performance. In this blog post, we explore how earnouts work, why they are becoming more prevalent in the M&A landscape, and what buyers and sellers should keep in mind when approaching an earnout. Learn how earnouts can bridge the gap between buyer and seller valuations, provide a hedge against underperformance, and incentivize former owners to stay invested in the company's success. Discover how a virtual data room solution can help with the reporting and verification of earnout targets. Optimize your M&A strategy with our expert insights on earnouts.
PUBLICATIONS

What we've published

Get the systems and clarity to build something bigger - your legacy, your way, with the freedom to enjoy it.