A direct buyer for owner-operated businesses
Maurant Ventures is a principal buyer: we acquire operating companies for our own account and hold them, rather than brokering them to someone else. That means one counterparty, one diligence process, and terms that come from the party who signs. We are not a broker, lender, agent, finder or marketplace.
Written and reviewed by Antoine Campbell. Last reviewed .
Owners get contacted constantly by people calling themselves buyers. Most are not. Some are brokers looking for a listing, some are search funds who need to raise the money after you say yes, and some are aggregators collecting data.
The distinction that matters is simple: can this party sign the purchase agreement, and does it know how the money gets to the closing table.
How to tell a real buyer from a tire kicker
- Ask who signs the purchase agreement. A real buyer names an entity.
- Ask where the money comes from at close, specifically. Vague answers are the tell.
- Ask what they will not buy. Buyers with criteria can answer instantly.
- Ask what they need to give you an indicative number, and how long it takes.
- Watch what happens before an NDA. A buyer who wants your customer list before signing one is collecting, not buying.
What we look for
We are drawn to unglamorous, necessary businesses: trades, service fleets, logistics, industrial repair, and operations tied to a building. We generally avoid pure white-collar consultancies whose value walks out the door, restaurants, and assisted living.
- Established operating history, generally ten years or more
- Owner earnings that survive the removal of the owner
- Essential, repeat-demand services rather than trend-driven categories
- A workforce and management layer that stays after closing
- Real estate attached to the operation, owned or controllable
How we pay
Every deal is a mix. Cash at close funded by senior debt and our equity, a seller-held portion where it makes the economics work, and where real estate is attached, a separate financing leg secured by the property. Sellers who want to keep exposure to the upside can roll a slice of equity forward instead of taking all cash.
We put the mix in writing before diligence, so you are never surprised by a restructured offer two weeks before closing.
What we are not
Maurant operates strictly as a principal, not as a broker, lender, agent, finder or marketplace. We do not list businesses, we do not represent sellers, we do not charge sellers a fee, and we do not shop your information to third parties.
What Maurant needs to evaluate this
- Three years of tax returns and current year-to-date financials
- Normalized earnings with owner compensation identified
- Customer concentration and contract structure
- Real estate ownership and current occupancy cost
- Debt schedule and any personal guarantees
When Maurant is not the right buyer
- Asset sales with no continuing operation
- Businesses whose earnings depend on the seller staying indefinitely
- Categories we do not underwrite: restaurants, assisted living, pure consultancies
- Owners seeking a valuation opinion rather than a transaction
Questions owners ask
- Are you a private equity fund?
- No. We are a holding company that acquires and operates. There is no fund life and no obligation to resell on a timetable.
- Do you buy the real estate too?
- Usually yes when the operation depends on it. The property and the business are financed on separate legs that close together.
- What size do you buy?
- Lower middle market operating companies. Send the numbers and we will tell you plainly if the size works.
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This review is exploratory and does not promise a valuation, financing, offer, or closing.
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