Guided Search

An experienced advisor in your corner from outreach through close.

The full DealBuff outreach engine, paired with hands-on advisory at every step that matters. Built for first-time and self-funded searchers who want a real partner, not just a tool.

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Why Guided

Most first-time searchers don't fail at sourcing. They fail at the close.

Reaching owners is solvable. Negotiating an LOI structure, navigating seller financing, and managing the dozen service providers a deal touches is harder. Guided Search adds an advisor at every decision point so you can move faster, with more confidence, when the right deal surfaces.

01

Capital Readiness

Review of your funding plan, equity strategy, and lender positioning so you can move quickly when a real deal surfaces.

02

Deal Structuring & Negotiation

Live support on LOI structure, valuation conversations, seller financing, earn-outs, and the trade-offs that shape every deal.

03

Service Provider Network

Warm introductions to attorneys, accountants, lenders, and QofE providers who are vetted, responsive, and used to working with searchers.

04

Standing Call & Ad Hoc Support

Monthly working sessions plus on-demand access when a live deal needs a sounding board. Additional reviews scheduled as deal flow demands.

Engagement Comparison

How Guided Search compares.

Each tier builds on the one before it. Here's what's included at every level.

What's Included Search-as-a-Service Outreach engine Guided Search Outreach + advisor Full Service Search Done-for-you
Outreach Engine
Custom contact lists built to your buy box
Multi-channel sequences: email, LinkedIn, phone
Direct mail campaigns
Deliverability infrastructure and DNS
Reporting dashboard and biweekly strategy syncs
Advisory Layer
LOI structure and negotiation support
On-market and brokered deal support
Vetted service provider introductions
Standing monthly call and ad hoc support
Operational Team
Investment thesis development
Response triage and financial qualification
Diligence quarterbacking and provider coordination
Closing process management

What's Included

The outreach engine plus the advisory layer.

Full Outreach Engine

  • Dedicated sending domains and inboxes with full DNS configuration
  • 14-day inbox warmup and ongoing deliverability management
  • Custom contact lists built to your buy box
  • Email sequences, LinkedIn outreach, and cold call campaigns
  • Direct mail (billed at cost)
  • Monthly reporting dashboard, biweekly strategy syncs

Capital & Funding

  • Funding plan review and equity strategy
  • Lender positioning and SBA preparation guidance
  • Investor narrative refinement
  • Capital stack support through close

Deal Support

  • LOI structure and valuation conversations
  • Seller financing and earn-out trade-offs
  • Negotiation strategy on every active deal
  • Brokered and on-market deal evaluation
  • Term sheet and definitive agreement review

Provider Network

  • Warm introductions to vetted attorneys
  • Accountants and QofE providers
  • Lenders, SBA specialists, and capital partners
  • Insurance, transition, and operational specialists

Working Cadence

  • Monthly standing strategy call
  • Ongoing deal reviews as opportunities surface
  • Ad hoc advice and live deal support
  • Slack or email access between sessions

Closing Support

  • Diligence coordination and process management
  • Final negotiation positioning
  • Closing checklist and milestone tracking
  • Transition planning input

Your Role

You stay in the operator seat. We stand next to you on the parts where experience matters.

Guided Search is built for buyers who are serious, capitalized, and aware that a first acquisition has a hundred small decisions they've never made before. You drive the relationships and the final calls. We handle the outreach, the introductions, and the deal mechanics. The best results come from searchers who lean in, ask hard questions, and use the partnership.

Outreach + Advisory in One Engagement

The pipeline and the deal support live under one roof. Your sourcing team and your advisor are talking to each other constantly, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Real Operators, Not Coaches

Guidance from people who have actually closed deals, sat across the table from owners, and worked the messy middle of a transaction. Not theoretical advice.

Built for First-Time Closers

Designed around the decisions a first-time buyer hasn't made before. LOI structure, financing trade-offs, diligence priorities, transition risk. We've seen them.

1,000's
Owners Engaged
50%
Interest Rate
$75M+
Businesses Teed Up
80+
Industries Covered

Who This Is For

Built for serious first-time buyers.

First-Time Self-Funded Searchers

Capitalized, committed, and closing your first deal. You want a partner who has done this before and will be on the phone when it counts.

Career Transitioners

Coming out of corporate, finance, or operations and ready to own a business. You have the conviction and the capital. You need the deal experience next to you.

Searchers Without an Investor Bench

You aren't running a traditional fund and don't have institutional advisors on standby. Guided Search gives you that bench without giving up control.

Ready for a real partner?

Tell us about your search. We'll come back with a working plan for the engagement.

Looking for a different level of support?

Search-as-a-Service is the outreach engine on its own. Full Service Search hands the entire process to our team.