Arizona's M&A advisory for owner-led businesses

You built the business.
We help you exit it well.

Sell-side M&A advisory for owner-led service businesses, $15M-$50M. Founded by operators who sold their own companies and saw what most advisors get wrong.

Schedule a Confidential Call How We Work →

We sold our own companies.

All three of us have been on your side of the table. We built the firm we wished we'd hired.

Every buyer, not just our friends.

Most advisors sell through their Rolodex. We map every buyer in the market for your category, then score and test them discreetly.

Your name stays yours.

Buyers see a blind teaser first. Your employees, customers, and competitors hear nothing until you decide otherwise.

Industries

Where we focus

Owner-led service businesses, $15M-$50M in revenue, concentrated in the trades and adjacent property services. We picked this lane on purpose. It's where we've operated, and where the buyer universe is deepest right now.

While we normally focus on home services and cash flowing companies in the $25M to $150M range, we do help our own business networks and referrals in other domains. We are not specialists of trades - we bring a specialist to every deal through partnership.

Mechanical & Building Systems

HVAC Plumbing Electrical Fire & Life Safety Security

Highest PE penetration of any trade category. Multiple platforms actively looking for add-ons at 4-7x EBITDA.

Roofing & Exterior Envelope

Roofing Siding Windows & Doors Gutters Insulation Garage Doors

Strong recurring demand from insurance and aging housing stock. Active roll-up activity from regional platforms.

Interior & Finish Trades

Drywall Painting Flooring Tile & Stone Cabinetry Concrete

Fragmented market. Well-run operators with recurring commercial accounts attract strong interest from strategics.

Outdoor & Property Services

Landscaping Tree Services Irrigation Snow Removal Paving Pool Services

High recurring revenue, route density, and contract value make these attractive to PE and strategics alike.

Recurring & Specialty Services

Pest Control Cleaning Restoration & Mold Foundation Waste Hauling

Subscription-model businesses with low churn command premium multiples. Pest control especially active.

Automotive Services

Auto Glass Collision Repair Car Wash Chains

Multi-location operators with recurring insurance relationships attract interest from national platforms.

Process

How an exit actually works

Most owners have heard the broad outline but never seen what each phase actually requires. We share this openly because the process is the product.

01

We build your story first

One interview with you, our own independent research, and we generate your off-market listing first: codenamed, confidential, built to the standard buyers expect. Our AI-driven, research-led process does in a week what brokers stretch across months.

Timeline

~2 weeks

02

We make the case to the right buyers

Blind teaser first, NDA before anything identifying is shared. For the buyers that fit, we build the integration case: how you slot in and accelerate them, in their own economics. Different buyers pay for different things, and we know which is which. IOIs, management meetings, then LOIs, with us negotiating final terms on your behalf as your dedicated advocate.

Timeline

~4 weeks

03

We close the deal

We quarterback the deal team: your counsel, your CPA, the lenders, and the buyer's diligence team, so fewer surprises surface and signing stays fast. Because we operated and exited companies ourselves, the buyer's case is already built, which is why diligence moves quickly and signing stays on track.

Timeline

~6 weeks to close · transition 2-8 months

Team

Operators first, advisors second.

We've built, scaled, and exited businesses ourselves. That's the seat we sit in when we represent you.

Ewing Gillaspy

Co-Founder

Ewing Gillaspy

Ewing's background spans operating, scaling, capital formation, and transaction execution, giving him a ground-level view of what actually drives enterprise value. He works at the intersection of sell-side representation, off-market deal sourcing, and capital partner alignment, with a focus on cash-flowing lower-middle-market companies.

Known for translating complexity into clarity, he helps owners turn years of hard work into clean narratives, credible numbers, and competitive processes that survive diligence and lead to outcomes on their terms.

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Mark DeChant

Co-Founder

Mark DeChant

Over the past two decades, Mark has founded, scaled, and exited companies across sales, talent, and technology-enabled services, working closely with founders navigating pivotal inflection points. His experience spans both buy-side and sell-side transactions, with a focus on preparing businesses for credible outcomes that hold up through diligence.

Mark brings a pragmatic, people-first approach to M&A, helping owners clarify their goals, sharpen their story, and negotiate deals that respect legacy, culture, and long-term value creation.

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Chris Rex

Co-Founder

Chris Rex

With a background spanning scientific research, venture-backed startups, and technology-enabled growth platforms, Chris brings a rare blend of technical depth and strategic execution. At Next Chapter, he supports founders and capital partners by assessing operational risk, technology leverage, and scalability throughout the transaction lifecycle.

His work focuses on aligning systems, data, and people to support sustainable growth post-deal. Chris is known for deploying practical, at-risk solutions that translate innovation into measurable business outcomes.

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Fees

How we're paid

Sell-side, success-based. You pay us at close, as a percentage of transaction value, and only if we close a deal you accept. Discovery, valuation, and the early conversations are on us.

Standard structure for our side of the industry. We mention it because owners ask, and because the alignment matters:

Our payday depends on you having one.

Contact

Start a confidential conversation

Tell us a little about your business and your timing. We'll come back within one business day to set up a 30-minute call.

What to expect

  • 30 minutes
  • Confidential, we sign an NDA before the call
  • No engagement letter
  • We listen to what you've built and your goals
  • Honest read on fit and likely outcomes
  • If we're not the right fit, we'll point you to someone who is