M&A advisory · Portland, Oregon & SW Washington
Portland M&A advisors for owners selling a privately held company.
I represent Portland-area business owners through the sale of their company — valuation, confidential buyer outreach, a competitive auction process, and negotiation through closing. If you have been searching for business brokers in Portland but your company is too large or too complex for a public listing, this is the alternative.
What a Portland M&A advisor actually does.
Valuation grounded in real deals
Your range comes from comparable Pacific Northwest transactions and current buyer appetite — not a rule-of-thumb multiple. See the Oregon and SW Washington deal tracker for what is actually trading.
Confidential buyer outreach
Strategic acquirers, private equity groups, and family offices are approached under a blind profile and NDA. Nothing is listed publicly, so employees, customers, and competitors stay undisturbed.
A competitive auction, not one buyer
One buyer is no buyer. Running multiple credible parties to indications of interest at the same time is what creates leverage — historically a meaningful premium versus a single-buyer negotiation.
Negotiation and diligence management
Term sheets, quality of earnings, working capital pegs, escrow, and purchase agreement mechanics — managed alongside your CPA and attorney so the price you agreed to is the price you close on.
Business brokers in Portland vs. M&A advisors.
Both help owners sell. They serve different sizes of company and run very different processes.
| Business broker | M&A advisor | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical company size | Under $2M in value; main-street businesses | $2M–$100M enterprise value; lower middle market |
| How buyers are found | Public listing sites and walk-in inquiries | Targeted, confidential outreach to strategic and PE buyers |
| Confidentiality | Business is advertised for sale | Blind profile and NDA before anything identifying is shared |
| Process | First acceptable offer | Managed auction with simultaneous competing bids |
Not sure which fits? Read the step-by-step guide to selling a business in Portland or browse the insights library.
Serving Greater Portland and Southwest Washington.
- Portland
- Beaverton
- Hillsboro
- Lake Oswego
- Tigard
- Tualatin
- Gresham
- Oregon City
- Vancouver, WA
- Camas, WA
- Washougal, WA
- Ridgefield, WA
Frequently asked questions.
- What do Portland M&A advisors do?
- A Portland M&A advisor prepares a privately held company for sale, values it against real comparable transactions, confidentially approaches a wide field of qualified strategic and private equity buyers, runs a competitive process, and manages negotiation and diligence through closing. The goal is a better price and cleaner terms than an owner would reach negotiating with a single buyer.
- What is the difference between a business broker and an M&A advisor in Portland?
- Portland business brokers typically list smaller main-street businesses on public marketplaces and work with individual buyers. An M&A advisor runs a confidential, targeted auction for lower-middle-market companies — usually $2M to $100M in enterprise value — approaching institutional and strategic acquirers directly rather than advertising the business for sale.
- How much does an M&A advisor cost in Portland?
- Most sell-side engagements combine a modest monthly or upfront work fee with a success fee paid at closing, generally in the 3% to 10% range depending on deal size. Smaller transactions carry higher percentages. The fee is earned on the improvement a competitive process produces, not on the sale itself.
- How long does it take to sell a business in Portland?
- A well-prepared lower-middle-market sale typically takes six to nine months from engagement to close: four to eight weeks of preparation and materials, six to ten weeks of confidential buyer outreach and management meetings, then sixty to ninety days of diligence and legal documentation.
- Will my employees and competitors find out my business is for sale?
- Not if the process is run properly. Buyers are approached under a blind profile, sign a non-disclosure agreement before receiving any identifying information, and are screened for financial capability before management meetings. Nothing is publicly listed.
- What areas do you serve?
- Greater Portland — including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Tigard, Tualatin, Gresham, and Oregon City — plus Southwest Washington: Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, and Ridgefield.
Start the conversation
Get a confidential read on what your company is worth.
Tell me a little about your business and I'll come back within one business day with an honest view of value, buyer interest, and whether now is the right time to run a process.
- No cost and no obligation
- Nothing is listed publicly — ever
- Direct reply from John Norton, not a call center
Prefer email? jnorton@actcapitaladvisors.com
Next step
Talk to a Portland M&A advisor.
No pitch and no obligation — a candid read on what your company is worth today and what a competitive process would look like.