Harney Insights

Middle market M&A activity rarely slows because companies stop performing. More often, it slows or accelerates because buyers change their risk assessment. Economic cycles influence not just whether deals happen,…Read More

Not Every Private Company Is a Middle-Market Business Why understanding where your company fits is one of the most important decisions in any sale process When business owners begin thinking…Read More

Sellers often view LOI as the finish line in an M&A process. In reality, it marks the beginning of the most execution-intensive phase of the transaction. The period between LOI…Read More

Many business owners assume increasing the value of their company before a sale simply means growing revenue or improving EBITDA. Growth certainly helps. But in middle-market transactions, valuation is rarely…Read More

When preparing a business for sale, most owners focus on growth, profitability, and valuation multiples. Sophisticated buyers start somewhere else entirely: risk. Specifically, they ask a simple question that sits…Read More

In any M&A transaction, the identity of the buyer matters as much as the price. Strategic buyers, in particular, influence how a process unfolds, how a deal is structured, and…Read More

In mergers and acquisitions, it is not uncommon for two companies with similar revenue, EBITDA, or growth profiles to command materially different valuations. While these disparities are often attributed to…Read More

Industry transitions tend to reveal which businesses are prepared for an exit and which are merely keeping pace. The automotive sector is firmly in such a moment. Electrification, supply-chain recalibration,…Read More

Preparing to sell a business is often described as a valuation exercise. In practice, it is far more a credibility exercise. For most buyers, financial statements are more than a…Read More

When business owners start contemplating a sale, the conversation usually centers on timing, potential buyers, and headline valuation. Those are important—but they’re not where value is created. Long before a…Read More