FOR FIRST-TIME BUSINESS BUYER
Buy your first business.
Without betting your savings
on a mistake.
Hands-on acquisition advisory from deal definition to closing with an
M&A advisor at your side who has founded, bought,
and sold companies on two continents.
Free. No pitch.
An honest answer on whether I can help.
Founder & operator
Built and sold companies before advising on deals.
M&A practitioner
Buy-side and sell-side mandates in the US, Canada and Europe.
Your side only
No broker listings, no seller fees, no conflicts. Your personal advisor.
They have done this before.
You haven’t.
The gap is expensive.
/ 01
You personally guarantee the loan
An SBA or bank acquisition puts your signature — and often your home — behind the debt.
The bank checks its risk, not yours.
/ 02
The broker works for the seller
Their commission is paid by the other side of the table.
Friendly is not the same as on your side.
/ 03
The asking price is a starting point
Without your own valuation and offer model, you negotiate against a number
the seller’s advisor built.
/ 04
One missed red flag costs six figures
Customer concentration, owner dependence, hidden liabilities. Found in diligence, they save you.
Found after closing, they’re yours.
This works if it fits.
So let’s check the
fit first.
This is for you
- You’re buying your first business, in the $250K–$10M range
- You have real capital available for a down payment
- You intend to close within the next 6–18 months
- You’ll do the work with structure and someone who’s done it next to you
This is NOT for you
- You’re still deciding whether buying a business is right for you
- You don’t yet have liquidity for a down payment
- You want someone to find the deal and do it all for you
- You’re looking for a course, not a deal
Three steps.
One outcome
you buy a business.
I.
Fit check — 20 minutes
Your strategy, target, your capital, your timeline. If I can’t help, I’ll say so and you leave with a clearer plan either way.
II.
We work your deal strategy
Weekly working sessions from deal box to closing. You make the decisions; I make sure you see what the seller hopes you won’t.
III.
You take over
You close with a structure that protects your cash and a day 1–90 plan so clients and the team stay.
The program.
Your deal team for the first acquisition.
Your board member.
Phase 1
Define
Your deal box: industry, size, geography, financing capacity. So you stop evaluating everything and start pursuing the right thing. With structure and long-term strategy.
Phase 2
Source
Where to find deals beyond the listing sites and how to approach owners directly, without a broker in between.
Phase 3
Evaluate
Your own valuation and offer model. Prioritized diligence with a kill switch: walk early, before legal and accounting fees pile up.
Phase 4
Negotiate & finance
LOI strategy, negotiation support, and a financing structure — SBA or bank or alternatives, seller note, earnout — that matches the actual risk of the deal.
Phase 5
Close & integrate
From purchase agreement to day one. A 90-day integration plan focused on what matters: retained customers and a stable team.
Phase 6
Monitor & adjust
After a deal is before the next deal. We will monitor the progress and discuss adjustments on the strategy on an ongoing basis.
Clear pricing.
Aligned with your project.
Transparent.
12-month engagement · First Acquisition Program
No success fee at closing
First-month exit guarantee — if it’s not valuable after 30 days, you’re out
Limited seats — a handful of clients at a time, so every deal gets real attention
Put the number in context
You’re about to sign for a six- or seven-figure loan, personally guaranteed. A quality-of-earnings report alone runs $25,000+. The cheapest thing in your acquisition is the advisor who keeps you from overpaying or helps you walk away in time.
My only win: when you stay because it’s working, and when you close because it worked.
Who you are working with.
Andre Achtermeier
Entrepreneur, Corporate Development and M&A advisor
I’ve sat on every side of the table: founded and sold my own companies in Germany and the US, then built an M&A advisory practice working on transactions in Europe and the United States — buy-side, sell-side, and everything in between.
Today I advise corporate and investor-backed buyers on their acquisitions. I bring that same process — the one professional buyers pay for — to people doing their first deal.
I’ll tell you what I think, not what you want to hear. If a deal is bad, you’ll hear it from me before you hear it from your accountant.
Fair questions.
Straight answers.
Doesn’t the lender already check the deal?
The lender underwrites their risk: can the business service the debt. They don’t check whether you’re overpaying, whether the top customer leaves with the owner, or whether the LOI protects you. That’s your risk — and that’s what we cover.
Why not just work with a broker?
Brokers are useful — for finding listings. But they’re paid by the seller, at closing, on the price you pay. You need exactly one person in the deal whose only incentive is your outcome. That’s this seat.
Do you find the business for me?
I guide your sourcing and open doors where I can, but you run the search — that’s how you learn your market and how the economics stay fair at this price. If you want a fully outsourced buy-side search, that’s a different (and much more expensive) engagement. Ask me about it.
What if I don’t find a deal in 12 months?
Then we both did something wrong in month one — usually the deal box. Realistically, disciplined first-time buyers take 6–12 months. After the initial term you continue month to month; no long lock-in while you’re searching.
Do you support me after the deal?
Yes! I will be at your side as a board advisor and support your growth.
operated by eightM Corporation, Austin, TX