It Started in Michigan: Why Nobody Should Buy a Business Alone

People ask me how REV Global's M&A community got started. They usually expect to hear about a launch plan. The real answer is simpler.

REV Global grew out of a network of professionals with Michigan roots. Over time, more of the conversations in that network turned to buying businesses: what was for sale, what it was worth, and who could help get a deal done.

Sharing deals, contacts and honest opinions across that network made everyone in it a better buyer. That network is still the foundation of what we do. What changed is who it's open to.

Why buying a business alone is harder than it looks

Most executives I meet already have the hard skills. They can read a P&L and run a team. What they usually don't have is someone to check their thinking when a deal starts to feel exciting.

That is the risky moment. You've spent weeks on a business. You like the owner. The story makes sense. If you're doing this by yourself, nobody is going to ask the question you've been avoiding.

In a strong network, someone does ask it. They want to know who runs the business the day the owner leaves, or what happens if the biggest customer walks. Walking away from the wrong deal is worth as much as closing the right one.

Money matters, but for most of the executives I talk to it isn't the real constraint. The harder part is finding a deal worth the money and recognizing it when you see it. Underneath that is usually fear. Fear of choosing wrong, and of giving up a good salary for something you've never done. A network doesn't make that fear go away. It makes it easier to move anyway.

What a network like that gives you

Honest feedback early. It is much cheaper to hear "this doesn't work" before you sign a letter of intent than after you've paid for diligence.

Better referrals. Buying a company means hiring lenders, attorneys and accountants who know small business deals. A name from someone who has already worked with them can save you weeks.

A second set of eyes in diligence. When the seller's numbers arrive, someone who has closed a deal knows where to look first and which answers should worry you.

Practice before the real conversation. Sellers can tell when a buyer has done the work. Talking a deal through with peers first means you walk in knowing your numbers and why you are the right person to take over.

A reason to keep going. A first acquisition takes a long time, and plenty of good deals fall apart late. It's harder to quit when people you respect keep asking how the search is going.

None of this needs a big organization. It needs people who care whether you get it right.

From a Michigan network to anyone ready to own

Over time we saw that what worked inside our network could work for a lot more people. Most executives thinking about ownership don't have a network built for buying a company. They have a demanding job, contacts built around that job, and an idea they haven't said out loud yet.

That's why we built REV Global the way we did. We kept what made the Michigan network valuable: real conversations about real deals, and hard questions asked with respect. Then we added structure so it could serve people who have never set foot in Michigan.

I share those numbers because they show the scale of what we work on. The part I care about most is still the conversation that happens before anyone makes an offer.

If you're thinking about owning a business

Write down what you want to own and why. At REV we call this your buy box: the type of business, the cash flow you need, who will run it day to day, where it is, and how much risk you can carry.

Once it's on paper, you start noticing businesses that fit in places you never looked, like your own client list. Other people can finally help you too, because they know what you're looking for.

Then find people who will tell you the truth about it. They don't need to be from Michigan. They need to be honest with you, and willing to pick up the phone when a deal gets complicated. Look for a mix. Some should be searching right alongside you, and at least one should have already bought a company and lived through owning it.

You shouldn't have to figure out ownership by yourself. That was true for our network in Michigan, and it's true for anyone ready to own today.