Matt Gilbert Exposes the $3 Trillion M&A Machine: Crushing Small Businesses Every Day

When you first think about selling a business, it seems pretty straightforward, right? You’ve worked hard, built something great, and now it’s time to cash in on all that effort. But as I started learning more about the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), it quickly became clear that it’s not that simple.

The $3 Trillion Question

I assumed that selling a business would be a relatively smooth process. But then I learned that the M&A industry is massive—$3 trillion massive. And that’s not just about big companies buying other big companies. This machine is designed to work in the favor of large corporations, private equity firms, and huge investment groups. Small business owners, like you and me, are often left in the dust.

Matt Gilbert, an expert in this field, started to open my eyes to something I didn’t know: “If you think you can sell alone, the system will crush you.” I was shocked. It made me realize that the odds are seriously stacked against first-time sellers.

Why Do So Many Deals Fail?

As I kept learning from Matt, I realized that most business owners—myself included—don’t know what we’re getting into when we decide to sell. From Matt’s own experience, he shared that he’s failed more deals than he’d care to admit. But those failures? That’s where the learning happens. He said, “There are a couple of dozen transactions we attempted and we failed.” And those failures, as hard as they were, were the key to his success.

Matt explains that the problem is bigger than just bad luck or poor timing. The system itself is rigged. “The marketplace is designed to take advantage,” Matt says. If you're a first-time seller, you’re walking into a game where the rules don’t favor you at all.

Surprises That Can Ruin Your Deal

One thing that really got my attention was when Matt talked about the “surprise closets” that every business has. Every company, no matter how successful it may seem, has hidden secrets that can destroy a deal in an instant. Whether it’s bad financial reporting, unresolved legal issues, or employees with key information, these surprises always come out at the worst possible time.

Matt’s advice? "Transparency changes everything." He emphasizes that if you can be upfront about these issues early on, you can actually save the deal. But if you try to hide them, they’ll ruin everything. Most business owners, though, aren’t prepared for this. And that’s why Matt says 80% of deals fail.

How Do You Avoid the Trap?

At this point, I realized that selling a business is way more complicated than I initially thought. It’s not just about having a good company—it’s about preparing for everything that could go wrong. Matt’s strategy, though, gives business owners like me hope. He’s spent years developing a “playbook” that can help navigate the complexities of selling a business.

Matt explains that the key is preparing your business to run smoothly without you. If you’re in charge of every decision and your business depends on you to function, no one’s going to want to buy it. "Most business owners are the reason their company is successful, but they’re also the reason that the company gets stuck at a certain level."

The Key to Success: Preparation

So, how do you avoid the traps? It’s all about preparation. Matt stresses that if you don’t have the right team on your side—specialists in M&A—you’re not going to make it through the process unscathed. You can’t rely on your lawyer or accountant alone. The M&A world is too big and too complicated.

Through my journey of learning from Matt, I now understand the importance of building a team of professionals who know the ins and outs of M&A. It’s about creating a strategy that puts you in control of the deal, not the other way around.

Final Thoughts

Selling your business is no small feat. It’s a high-stakes game where the big players have the upper hand. But after hearing Matt’s perspective, I see now that it’s not impossible to win. The key is understanding the system, preparing for the challenges ahead, and surrounding yourself with the right experts.

If you’re thinking about selling your business, don’t go it alone. Get the right people on your team, prepare for the surprises, and learn from the experts like Matt who have navigated these treacherous waters. Don’t let the $3 trillion giants crush your dreams.

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