Planning
What should Boston small business owners do next?
You are reading the economic news and deciding whether to raise, sell, buy, or hold. Here are the figures you can check, the local help available, and how to pick one goal.
Insights
Clear answers for big decisions.
Practical guides for owners on selling a company, valuation, cash flow, financial planning, and the people side of growth, from Surfside Capital Advisors and Surfside Human Capital Solutions.
Financing
Do you really need outside capital? Four questions to answer first
Raising money changes a business in ways that are hard to undo. Four questions show whether you need outside capital, and what to fix first if you are not ready.
Planning
Year-end business planning: what to do before the year closes
The last quarter feeds your full-year results, your tax bill, and next year's plan. Here is what to do about cash, the books, tax timing, and the plan, in order.
Valuation
How do you increase business value before an exit?
Someone has asked what you would fix if you had more time. Here is the short list buyers weigh, how to start on each item, and where a second view helps.
M&A
What size companies do private equity firms acquire?
You run a smaller company and wonder whether a private equity firm would take the call. Here is how firms set their range, what the data shows, and who else buys.
M&A for RIAs
How do you value your RIA before a sale?
You may have a number from your assets under management or from a peer's sale. Here is how buyers build theirs, what they examine, and why a headline price and your proceeds can differ.
M&A for RIAs
When is the right time to sell your RIA?
A peer has sold, a buyer has called, or you have no successor named. Here is how to read the signals, what the deal data show so far, and what to prepare while you still choose the timing.
Human Capital
Why do companies outsource human resources?
You have just handled a hard people issue, or your office manager now runs HR for a growing team. Here is why companies outsource HR, the options, and the questions to ask a provider.
M&A
What are the risks of selling a business without an advisor?
Plenty of owners sell without an advisor and do fine. Five risks show up most, and each one has a step you can take whether or not you hire anyone.
M&A
How do you prepare to sell your business without deciding to sell it?
An offer, a partner who wants out, or a health event can force the question. Here is the groundwork that keeps the choice yours, and what to start this quarter.
M&A
Is my business too small for an M&A advisor?
Small companies can be harder to sell than owners expect, and advisors differ in what they take on. Here is how to tell whether help is worth it at your size.
M&A
What do institutional buyers expect from a founder-led company?
A private equity firm or family office has shown interest and you have never been through institutional diligence. Here is what the buyer checks, and what to fix first.
Valuation
Why growing revenue can still lower business value
Sales are up, and the number a buyer mentions has not moved. Here is how four kinds of growth can lower value, and how to rebuild your earnings the way a buyer will.
M&A
What does waiting one more year to sell your business really cost?
You have said one more year for three years. Here is what can move while you wait, what a sale takes once you start, and how to decide with a date instead of a feeling.
Financing
Financing options for small businesses: which one fits your situation?
The right financing depends on what the money is for and how you will repay it. Here is how common options line up with common needs, and what each one costs you.
Financing
How to prepare for raising capital: what to have ready before you ask
Most of a raise is decided before the first meeting. Here is the preparation that matters: your numbers, your story, the type of capital, and the securities-law check.
Human Capital
What is performance management in a growing company?
Your team has grown and you no longer know who is performing. Here is what performance management covers, what a company of each size needs, and five steps to start.
Human Capital
Should I get an audit of my company's HR department?
A raise, a sale, or fast growth puts how you manage people under review. Here is when an HR audit is worth doing, what it covers, and how to start.
FP&A
Key financial KPIs every business owner should track
Five or six numbers show whether the business is healthy and what to fix first. Here is each KPI's formula, the question it answers, and how often to check it.
M&A
How to structure an earn-out agreement so it actually pays
A buyer offers part of the price later, tied to results. Here is what to set before you sign: the metric, the length, the buyer's duties, and how disputes get settled.
Cash flow
Debt restructuring vs refinancing: what's right for your business?
One keeps you in control of the terms, and the other protects the business when payments are slipping. Here is how to tell which situation you are in, and what each costs.
M&A
Strategic or financial buyer: which one fits the sale you want?
A competitor called and an investment firm wrote in the same month. Here is how the two kinds of buyer differ on price, structure, and what happens to your team, and how to choose.
Human Capital
How do people systems affect what a business is worth?
A sale, a raise, or a hiring surge puts your team under the same scrutiny as your numbers. Here is where finance and people meet, and what to put in order first.
M&A
What to look for in an M&A advisor before you hire one
An advisor will see your numbers and speak for your sale for months. Six checks tell you whether the fit is real, and what to read before you sign.
M&A
Business broker or M&A advisor: which one should you use to sell your company?
Both help owners sell, and the names overlap. Here is how the two usually differ, what to ask about pay and registration, and which fits your company.
FP&A
How has AI changed FP&A for a growing business?
AI tools can take over parts of the preparation work in planning and forecasting. Here is where they help, where they fall short, and how to try one safely.
M&A
Should you sell your business to a competitor?
A competitor called, or you think it is the one buyer who would understand the business. Here is what it gains from looking, how to protect yourself, and what to ask first.
M&A
What happens after you accept a letter of intent?
The letter of intent is signed, or about to be. Here is what the buyer does next, what the exclusivity period asks of you, and what to have ready before it starts.
M&A
How to evaluate an offer to buy your business, beyond the price
An offer arrives with a number on it. Here is how to compare it with others on what you receive, how likely it is to close, and what you still owe once it does.
M&A
Asset sale or stock sale: which one leaves you with more?
Your buyer's letter of intent names a structure. Here is how an asset sale and a stock sale differ in tax, liability, and paperwork, and what to calculate before you answer.
M&A
What to expect during the M&A process when you sell your business
You decided to look at selling, or an offer arrived. Here is the order things happen in, how long they take by deal size, and what each stage asks of you.
FP&A
How to do financial forecasting for your business
A forecast is your best current estimate of revenue, costs, and cash. Here is how to build one from your history, test it against reality, and keep it useful.
FP&A
What is FP&A, and does your business need it?
FP&A is the planning and analysis built on your accounting records: budgets, forecasts, scenarios, and the monthly review. Here is what it produces and who needs it.
M&A
How do you finance a business acquisition?
You have found a business to buy and need to pay for it. Here is how the usual sources fit together, what the SBA requires as of October 2026, and what a lender will look at first.
Valuation
How do you calculate the change in net working capital?
A letter of intent mentions a normal level of working capital, or your sales grow while your cash shrinks. Here is the calculation, what it tells you, and how it reaches a sale price.
Valuation
What is an exit multiple, and what moves the one you'll get?
Someone has quoted you a multiple, and you want to know what it says about your company. Here is what an exit multiple measures and which parts of your business move it.
Valuation
How do you calculate an EBITDA multiple?
A buyer quotes a multiple of EBITDA. Here is the arithmetic, what debt and cash do to the result, and which adjustments a buyer is likely to accept.
Financing
What is growth equity, and is it right for your business?
Growth equity funds expansion in return for a minority ownership stake. Here is what you give up, what investors ask to see, and how to tell whether it fits.
M&A
How to qualify an M&A buyer before sharing your numbers
A call or an introduction asks for your financials. Here is how to find out, before you send them, whether the buyer can pay, can decide, and has a plan for your company.
Valuation
How much should I sell my business for?
A friend's sale or your revenue won't set your price. Here is how buyers build a number from your earnings and your risks, and what to gather before you ask anyone for a figure.
Fractional CFO
Does my company need a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO is senior finance leadership on your team part-time. Here are the signs it is time, when to wait, how to scope the first 90 days, and how to choose.
Fractional CFO
CFO vs controller: what's the difference, and which do you need?
The records can be right, yet nobody may own the question of where the business is headed. That is a CFO's job, and it differs from a controller's.
Cash flow
How to improve cash flow for your business
Cash trouble is rarely one problem. It sits in what customers owe, the stock you hold, the bills you pay, or costs that repeat. Here is how to find where yours is stuck.
Planning
How to create a financial plan for your business
A financial plan is four pieces that agree with each other: goals, a budget, a cash forecast, and a monthly review. Here is how to build it and keep it current.
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