Topics:

1. “99% Right Is 100% Wrong” Mindset
2. Maximizing Outcomes in a Sale Process
3. Post-Close Seller Regrets

...and so much more.

Top Takeaways

1. Make your first deals your brand. Matt emphasizes that early deals define how the market sees you and become proof of your standards and the caliber of clients you can win. That’s why it pays to set a clear bar for what you’ll take on: deal quality, counterparty strength, and your ability to run a clean process.

1. Build an advisory board with a clear purpose. Matt notes that advisory boards only create value when you’re clear on what you want from them At Edgeview, advisors were brought in for credibility, introductions, and high-level guidance. That clarity kept the relationship lightweight and efficient. Decide early whether you need a stamp-of-approval and network board with periodic check-ins or an operator board that requires heavy preparation and greater accountability.

1. Private business owners: not every great outcome is a sale. The best path forward might be a recap, a minority partner, or a keep-and-grow strategy with the right buyer. Before going to market, owners should align on liquidity needs, legacy goals, leadership succession, and employee impact. That clarity reframes value from price alone to after-tax outcomes and long-term fit.

1. Mid-level bankers: don’t get stuck as “the execution person.” If you don’t build a revenue lane, you’ll never leave the trenches. The bankers who create real leverage carve out a clear wedge—a vertical, sponsor set, buyer niche, or unique POV—and spend real time developing deal flow and ideas, not just executing.

About Matt Salisbury

Matt Salisbury has built, scaled, and exited two successful investment banking firms over a 25+ year career, advising on 100+ M&A and strategic transactions primarily for private business owners. Matt launched EVP Strategic Advisors to focus on helping entrepreneurs navigate complex strategic decisions with clarity and confidence.

About EVP Strategic Advisors

EVP Strategic Advisors is a boutique advisory firm dedicated exclusively to privately held and family-owned businesses. Rather than pushing owners toward a transaction, EVP helps founders clarify their long-term goals, evaluate strategic options, and maximize outcomes across growth, liquidity, and legacy.

Topics:

1. How Sponsors Communicate Efficiently
2. What Investors Look For in First Calls
3. Lower Middle Market Buy-and-Build Strategies

...and so much more.

Top Takeaways

1. Match your capital partners to your stage of maturity. Grant notes that choosing the right capital partner upfront prevents misalignment and speeds your path forward. For example, early sponsors gain the most by co-sponsoring with seasoned PE funds to learn what “good” looks like. Sponsors aiming to raise a future fund need co-investors who protect attribution and let them build a clean track record.

1. Lead with the value you’ll create, not the deal you found. Grant sees it all the time: independent sponsors spend 45 minutes on deal mechanics and leave only a few minutes on the plan that actually drives returns. It’s backwards. Investors care far more about the growth thesis, the value levers, the M&A roadmap, and why you are the right person to execute it.

1. VOC + Market Mapping is the new standard for top sponsors. Grant expects more sponsors to invest in structured market studies, especially voice of customer to validate why the company wins, and market mapping to define the actual M&A universe. Most sponsors talk about add-ons, but few can prove how many targets exist, which ones fit, or whether sellers transact. Investors back the sponsors who can quantify this, not just claim it.

About Grant Kornman

Grant Kornman is a former independent sponsor with more than a decade of experience buying and growing lower-middle-market companies. He co-founded NCK Capital and built a track record across multiple sectors through disciplined investing and operator-level execution. As a Partner at Align Collaborate, Grant brings a sponsor-first approach to equity shaped by a deep understanding of what independent sponsors need to execute and create value.

About Align Collaborate

Align Collaborate is an equity partner purpose-built for independent sponsors. Launched by Align Capital Partners in partnership with Grant and Michael Kornman, the firm provides fast, flexible equity for lower middle-market buyouts. Their model is designed around the realities of the IS ecosystem: clean attribution, quick decisions, tailored structures, and the option to leverage ACP’s operational resources.

Topics:

• Emotional Highs & Lows of Founders
• Why Hire Above Your Skill Set
• Learning to Spot Opportunities

...and so much more.

Top Takeaways

• Founders: Build a culture of cheap experiments and fast iteration. The first version of BluWave was a platform people liked in theory but hated in execution. That’s when the team leaned on Jim Collins’ “bullets before cannonballs” approach: test small, validate, then scale. Sean ran a series of low-risk experiments to see what actually worked before committing resources. By iterating quickly and scaling only what the market proved out, BluWave went from zero traction to the 2021 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing PE firms.

• Ask for help before you hit a wall. Sean nearly shut the business down because he tried to solve everything alone. Jordan saw the same thing: real breakthroughs only happened after admitting he was stuck. For founders, isolation is dangerous. Build a habit of pulling in outside perspectives early to shorten cycles, avoid blind spots, and make better decisions.

• Train your brain to see opportunity, not risk. Sean’s team uses the “red car theory”: whatever you train your brain to look for (red cars, opportunities, inefficiencies), you’ll start noticing them everywhere. Most people default to scanning for risks. Great operators do the opposite and train their attention toward leverage points. Practice that habit long enough, and it becomes a real advantage.

About Sean Mooney

Sean Mooney is the Founder and CEO of BluWave, a market network built for private equity. After two decades as a PE partner, he left a stable career to solve a recurring bottleneck he saw firsthand: the difficulty of finding reliable, high-quality third-party resources quickly. Today, BluWave serves hundreds of firms and their portfolio companies.

About BluWave

BluWave is a Nashville-based platform that connects private equity firms and their portfolio companies with vetted third-party resources for diligence, value creation, and preparation for sale. It combines a curated network with a high-touch matching process to help teams find the specialists they need quickly and reliably.