A massive shift in ownership is underway as Baby Boomers retire and move on from the businesses they built, creating sustained demand for professional guidance in business sales and acquisitions. Trillions of dollars in assets and millions of privately held companies are entering the market as owners seek to fund retirement and realize the true value of their life’s work, often for the first time. At the same time, experienced professionals and retirees are pursuing business ownership as a path to independence, income, and long-term equity.

Becoming a VR Business Franchisee places you at the intersection of these needs, allowing you to deliver trusted expertise to sellers and buyers alike while building a scalable business supported by proven systems, training, and a respected brand.

Learn how VR can help position you towards success. Take the first step toward the life you deserve.

By JoAnn Lombardi, President

VR Business Sales/Mergers & Acquisitions

For business owners considering a sale, confidentiality is not optional; it is essential. At VR Business Sales / Mergers and Acquisitions, safeguarding sensitive information is a foundational element of every transaction we manage. In today’s highly competitive, information-driven marketplace, even limited exposure can cause lasting damage to business value and deal outcomes.

This reality is why experienced owners rely on professional business intermediaries who understand not only how to market a business but how to do so without compromising operations, relationships, or leverage.

How Confidentiality Directly Protects Business Value

A single breach of confidentiality can derail a sale before it truly begins. Once word spreads, whether to employees, customers, vendors, or competitors, uncertainty takes hold. Even unverified rumors can lead to hesitation, distraction, and instability at a time when consistent performance matters most.

Click Here to Read Full Article

By Peter C. King, CEO

VR Business Brokers/Mergers & Acquisitions

When preparing to sell a business, the accuracy of adjusted or normalized EBITDA is one of the most important drivers of value. In the middle market, EBITDA is typically the primary metric buyers rely on to evaluate performance and establish purchase price. As a result, the quality and credibility of EBITDA directly influence how a business is priced, negotiated, and ultimately perceived by potential buyers.

Accurate EBITDA is not simply about reporting higher earnings. It is about clearly defining what is recurring, justified, and sustainable. Buyers look for consistency, transparency, and support behind every adjustment. When EBITDA is well prepared and defensible, it builds confidence, accelerates diligence, and reduces the risk of valuation disputes later in the process.

Conversely, unclear or loosely supported EBITDA adjustments often lead to skepticism. Buyers may apply more conservative multiples, challenge assumptions, or delay decisions while additional validation is performed. In some cases, credibility issues around EBITDA can derail a transaction entirely.

For sellers, treating EBITDA accuracy as a strategic priority rather than a technical exercise sets the foundation for a smoother sale process and a stronger negotiating position. EBITDA that withstands scrutiny, protects value, and reinforces the narrative of a healthy, well-managed business.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Strategic Alliance

How We See The Midmarket M&A in the U.S. in 2026: Resilience, Shifts, and Selective Opportunities

by Gundo Kahle, CEO

CBA Cross Borders Associates

In 2025, the merger and acquisition landscape in the United States has reflected both enduring strength and structural evolution — particularly within the midmarket segment of privately-owned companies.

Defined broadly as companies with enterprise values roughly between $10 million and $1 billion (with some variation depending on source and industry), this segment sits at the nexus of entrepreneurial legacy businesses and institutional dealmaking. Recent trends underscore a market adapting to economic volatility, interest-rate shifts, demographic forces, and strategic buyers’ evolving priorities.

Midmarket deal activity: A tale of two markets

Overall M&A activity in the U.S. surged in 2025, with total global deal value reaching approximately $4.4 trillion, and U.S. deals totalling roughly $2.2 trillion — a significant year-over-year increase in value, though deal volume was down slightly.

However, data and industry reviews suggest that midmarket dealmaking has been more uneven than headline totals might imply. Some reports show weaker midmarket transaction counts and volume — particularly in the upper end of the midmarket — as buyers and sellers contend with policy uncertainty and valuation gaps.

At the same time, other analyses portray resilience or even upticks in middle-market deal volumes compared with previous years, driven by strategic acquisitions of cash-flow-oriented businesses and “bolt-on” transactions to strengthen existing platforms.

Click Here to Read Full Article