That's a wrap 🎁 🙏🏼

This year was both extremely challenging and rewarding for me personally. I hope that your year was much more the latter.

I’m sharing this message with you today because we’ve connected over the last year or two and I’d like to stay in touch.

If you’re happy to hear from me you can count on me sharing business brokerage and M&A war stories, key data, practical business tips and important events - once per month - but today’s letter is a bit more personal.

If you’d rather not hear from me unsubscribe below or simply reply and let me know.

Here’s what in this issue:

In my view, there is no better job in the world than helping entrepreneurs realize the fruits of years of their labor (and risk-taking, and community building, and I could go on).

I helped a record number of business owners retire from a set of diverse industries this year including biotech, manufacturing, business services and others. The average tenure for most of the folks I retired can best be measured in decades - they earned it!

Even better, for each business owner whom I help retire, there is a new beginning for another entrepreneur - what could be better?

I don’t use this word lightly, but I feel truly blessed. Entrepreneurs are my favorite people and being able to work so closely with you is all I could ever ask for in a profession.

Many of you know that this year my wife battled breast cancer - and thankfully won.

We are young(ish) and healthy, we eat well, we exercise, we’ve limited our vices, there’s no family history - and still cancer found us.

It was a blessing that we discovered it at just stage 1a and, with some slight hesitation I can say, cancer is in our rearview mirror.

I wish that I had some pearl of wisdom to offer about how to navigate this challenge but the truth is that it is quite humbling. The only part you really have any control over is in your own mind and thoughts about it, how you react, what you allow it to take from you. The best I can offer is to say that early detection, swift action, and confronting your fears head-on are always best practices and especially so in this case.

I hope that you and yours are all healthy and happy this season.

As great as business was in 2024 - next year looks even better. I am planning on bringing a number of highly desirable (and profitable) businesses to market and I have some important announcements I’ll be making shortly after the first of the year.

I’m looking forward to brining more resources, innovation, and education to my sell-side representation in 2025 and I can’t wait to share what I’ve got cooking with you - and hopefully have you participate.

Preparing both a business and an owner for an exit is a team sport and many of you reading this are key players, MVPs even. If that’s you I hope we can work play together this year.

Let’s Talk

I regard a referral from you as the highest compliment and I receive and treat them with the utmost care.

When you refer a business owner to me I know that it is both of our reputation’s at stake. If you know someone who is considering exiting a business within the next 1-3 years, even if they don’t meet the $1M in sales threshold, I am always happy to chat and offer guidance without a fee or obligation.

Take care this holiday season and let me know if you’ll be near Bend, OR for a ski ⛷️

Thanks, Brecht Palombo