For brokers and intermediaries
Enough to screen me in a minute
You screen buyers so you do not waste a call. Here is what I buy, how I intend to pay for it, and what you get from me — stated plainly enough that you can rule me out in a minute if I am wrong for your listing.
The screen
- What I buy
- One independent P&C agency. Commercial lines, personal lines, or a mix. Not a roll-up, not a platform, not a minority stake.
- Size
- $500K to $2M in annual commission and fee income — the same band as What I look for, for the same reasons.
- Where
- Ohio and the neighboring states. I am licensed in Ohio and live in Columbus.
- Financing
- My own cash for the down payment and post-close runway. I intend to fund the balance with an SBA acquisition loan. I have had one conversation with a lender who does these deals — one, and no pre-qualification letter. If that rules me out for your listing, rule me out now.
- Structure
- Asset purchase. A seller note is fine. An earn-out is fine if it is really about retention, not about quietly lowering the price. I will not ask an owner to finance most of their own exit.
- What you get from me
- A no is still an answer. You will not have to chase me for a decision, and when I pass I will tell you why. A slow no costs you more than a fast one.
- What I am not
- Not a fund, not a search fund with committed capital, not an agent for anyone else. One buyer, buying one agency, to run it.
What working with me looks like
The things that usually make a first-time buyer expensive to deal with, and what I do about each.
I read the CIM before the call
You will not spend the first twenty minutes telling me what is in a document you already sent. Send it and I will come with questions.
I do not redline your NDA
No redlining a standard mutual NDA. If yours is unusual I will say which clause and why, once.
I tell you what would change my mind
If I pass, you get the actual reason — concentration, carrier mix, the owner is the book. That is worth something to you on the next buyer.
I will not use diligence as a price lever
That is a commitment, not a track record — I have not closed one of these yet. Findings that were knowable up front are my problem. If something material turns up that nobody knew, we talk it through once and openly.
Have a listing that fits?
Send it over. If it is wrong for me you will hear back with a reason, not silence.