Services

Packaged Engagements

M&A Advisory

Navigating a merger or acquisition isn't just about numbers—it's about clarity, confidence, and minimizing surprises. Aspen Tree Advisors provides expert guidance throughout the M&A lifecycle, aligning strategy, execution, and financial insights to ensure your transaction delivers lasting value. We help clients prepare for transactions, conduct due diligence, negotiate key terms, and manage integration post-close.

Every deal carries a unique set of challenges—from cultural mismatches and valuation gaps to earn-outs and carveouts. Our team draws on experience from 450+ transactions to mitigate risks and improve deal outcomes. We tailor our advisory to match the needs of private equity, founder-led businesses, and middle-market firms, ensuring nothing gets missed in the details.

Whether you're selling, acquiring, or restructuring, we act as your financial compass—bringing precision, perspective, and a playbook that minimizes disruption while maximizing value.

Let's Talk
What does a successful M&A process look like?

Sellers fear leaving value on the table. Buyers worry about what they don't see. We get it—and we've built processes that remove the unknowns. From prep to close, we help you spot the risks, surface the value, and control the outcome.

PHASE 1.

Prepare & Evaluate
Readiness Assessment
We begin by assessing your operational, financial, and strategic readiness to acquire—identifying gaps, risks, priorities, and resources.
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Pre-LOI Diligence
Before a LOI is signed, we validate the target's key financial and operational assumptions to reduce surprises and strengthen your negotiating position.
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PHASE 2.

Due Diligence
Quality of Earnings
Our team leads and coordinates the financial due diligence process—examining revenue, gross margin, management add backs, and potential red flags.
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Net Working Capital Target
We establish a defensible NWC target to ensure alignment between buyer and seller to minimize post-close disputes.
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Debt-Like Items
We document debt-like items to support the closing schedules and debt payoffs at close to ensure a debt-free transaction.
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Tax and IT Diligence
Our team coordinates the tax and IT due diligence process to identify potential red flags.
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PHASE 3.

Execute & Integrate
Integration Planning
Pre-close, we collaborate with your management team to share integration insights and planning stages, so Day 1 is smooth, and value creation starts immediately.
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Transaction Close
We provide negotiation support, QoE and NWC roll forwards, disclosure schedule accuracy checks, and coordination to support a timely close.
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PHASE 4.

Post-Close Optimize
Opening Balance Sheet Setup
We help establish the post-close opening balance sheet with accurate purchase accounting entries.
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Purchase Price Adjustments
We validate post-close adjustments, such as NWC true-ups and escrowed liabilities, to ensure the integrity of the Purchase Agreement and protect your investment.
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Earnout Analysis
Earnouts can be complicated and messy. We model and monitor performance against the earnout's terms to ensure fair evaluation and compliance.
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PHASE 5.

Ongoing Support
Interim & Fractional CFO
Need to professionalize the financial reporting? Our CFOs seamlessly step in to stabilize, establish and guide the financial function post-close.
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Search
Your recent acquisition may need a new CFO, controller, or others. We work to understand your hiring criteria and use our network and resources to engage in a search to find the right person with a placement guarantee.
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PHASE 1.

Prepartion
Financial Reporting Cadence
We standardize and streamline your financial reporting processes to ensure consistent, GAAP-aligned outputs that withstand buyer scrutiny. This establishes credibility early and reduces delays during diligence.
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Add-back Identification & Validation
We identify and substantiate non-recurring or discretionary expenses to accurately present adjusted EBITDA. These adjustments are supported with clear documentation to withstand buyer challenge and maximize valuation.
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Deal-Ready Databook
We build a comprehensive financial databook, including performance metrics, KPIs, and supporting schedules. This single source of truth becomes the foundation for marketing materials and buyer diligence.
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Offering Memorandum Support
We work hand-in-hand with your investment bank or sell-side advisor to ensure the financial sections of the OM are clean, defensible, and compelling—highlighting your company's value drivers.
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Data Room Prep & Management
We organize, populate, and maintain a structured data room tailored to buyer expectations. Our team ensures version control, timely responses, and consistent formatting throughout the process.
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PHASE 2.

Execution
Diligence Management
We serve as the primary liaison for all financial diligence inquiries, coordinating responses, managing deliverables, and keeping communication aligned to reduce deal fatigue.
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Negotiation Support
We provide behind-the-scenes analytics and real-time input to your deal team—helping you evaluate purchase price adjustments, working capital targets, earnouts, and seller notes with confidence.
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Schedule Preparation
We compile and validate critical supporting schedules—revenue, margin bridges, customer cohorts, and more—to back up the narrative and reduce friction in buyer review.
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Transaction Close
We help finalize the working capital peg, confirm schedule accuracy, and support your legal and advisory teams during final negotiations—ensuring a smooth close with no last-minute surprises.
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PHASE 3.

Post-Close
Net Working Capital / PPA
We reconcile closing working capital, defend seller positions, and support the Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) process—ensuring post-close adjustments are accurate and fair.
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CFO Transition Support
We work alongside your successor finance team—interim or permanent—to transfer institutional knowledge, maintain continuity, and avoid disruption during leadership transitions.
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Earnout Calculations
We track earnout metrics, model scenarios, and calculate payments as defined in the agreement, ensuring alignment between buyer and seller and reducing the risk of disputes.
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Starting the conversation doesn't cost a thing—but it could open up real opportunities for your business.

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