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Who We Helped in 2022

At the start of every year, we at Oaklyn Consulting like to look back at the past 12 months to reflect on projects accomplished and lessons learned from our clients.

Building on our achievements from 2021, Oaklyn Consulting worked with 34 organizations in 2022 on M&A, succession and capital-raising projects.

Our role is to fill a gap in the availability of high-quality transaction advice in deal situations that are too small, complex or uncertain in their outcome for the traditional investment banking industry to serve well.

Last year, our activity fell into 7 categories:

  1. Owner-entrepreneurs who wanted to respond to M&A opportunities with very limited deal processes. In some cases, that meant running down an opportunity with one suitor as our clients pursued the goal of selling their businesses. Other times, we pursued unique business combination opportunities that opened new avenues for growth. Congratulations to BrakeQuip, AAC Utility Partners, TapCloud and Metalcraft of Georgia on their acquisitions.
  2. Professional services firms navigating a change in ownership. In these situations, deals sometimes involved employment or internal transfer from one ownership group to another rather than a clear “sale.” Congratulations to the Craftpeak team on combining with Arryved.
  3. Venture-capital-backed companies whose growth emerged more slowly than the extremely high levels required by these investors, and which therefore needed new homes that weren’t in a venture capital portfolio.
  4. Minority-owned businesses whose designated DBE client relationships made the transfer of ownership complex. We were pleased to welcome Monty Bruell to our team to head this coverage effort.
  5. Nonprofits navigating the pros/cons of selling to or buying other operations in order to pursue their missions in new and creative ways. We were honored to continue to support the Journey Health Foundation, the successor to Hospice of Chattanooga.
  6. Infrequent acquirers of businesses who needed support standing up a corporate development (internal M&A) function for the first time.
  7. Business owners of all types who needed deal guidance but didn’t have the deal certainty or size necessary to get “big company” investment banking attention as they explored growth in a changing environment.

We’re grateful to our peers in the professional community who continue to refer their clients to us, often business owners. This serves as the strongest possible validation for the continued need for our unique approach to M&A. Referrals drove 100% of our 34 client projects last year, as former clients, investment bankers, investors and the broader professional community (lawyers, wealth advisors, CPAs, peer networks) introduced us as a helpful resource.

In the year ahead, we look forward to working with clients both new and familiar.

3 Signs an M&A Deal Is in Trouble

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4 Tips for Pitching Investors in Today’s Economy

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Resolving Conflicts in a Family Business

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Oaklyn Consulting Congratulates Proof of the Pudding on Acquisition by Bruin Capital

Oaklyn Consulting congratulates Atlanta-based catering, food service and event company Proof of the Pudding on its recent acquisition by Bruin Capital. Oaklyn Consulting assisted Proof of the Pudding in evaluating potential partners and negotiating the transaction....

Analyzing Broad vs. Narrow M&A Deal Processes

We respect the unique M&A market insights that Sutton Place Strategies, an affiliate of Bain & Company, creates from its business development work with PE firms. SPS Founder and CEO Nadim Malik gave a presentation at ACG Boston's M&A Outlook forum in...

How To Work Through Conflicts In a Family Business

Creating a family business comes with a lot of positives, as well as a lot of challenges. Here’s how to handle those conflicts as they arise. Thanks to The American Genius for having me! Read the article in PDF.Anyone who’s managed a business with other family members...

Takeaways from Axial’s Recent ‘Dead Deals’ Analysis

Those of us who negotiate M&A transactions for, and with, small- to mid-sized businesses know a few hallmarks of the process: For any company, there is a limited universe of buyers. Each buyer's interest is unique, so average valuations are not reliable indicators...

Monty Bruell Interview with Business Radio X

Our Monty Bruell sat down with Business Radio X to discuss succession planning in minority and women-owned businesses. Listen on Spotify or Amazon Music or read the transcript below!INTRO: Broadcasting live from the business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it's...

Succession Planning for Minority and Female Business Owners

For the founders of minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs), succession planning takes on a deeper significance. Our Monty Bruell explains in a guest column for Memphis Business Journal. Read the article in PDF.Any entrepreneur approaching retirement has...

Oaklyn’s Leah Williams Featured in Business Insider; She Shares 5 Strategies for Crafting Memorable Pitch Decks

We were proud to see our own Leah Williams recently spotlighted in Business Insider! Leah joined Oaklyn in June 2021 as an investor communications consultant and helps us with the important work of crafting persuasive, compelling pitch decks to help our clients tell...