Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Consulting – the Reese CPA Firm.
CPA-Led Deal Support for Minnesota Businesses
Buying or selling a business is one of the highest-stakes financial decisions a business owner will ever make. At the Reese CPA Firm, we provide CPA-led M&A consulting services for businesses in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, the Twin Cities Metro, and Greater Minnesota. Our focus is practical and disciplined: clear financial analysis, defensible documentation, and decision-ready insights—so you can evaluate risk, protect value, and move through a transaction with confidence.
Whether you are considering your first acquisition, preparing to sell a business you built over decades, or evaluating a strategic merger, we help you understand what you are buying (or selling) and why it matters.
Who We Help
We support:
- Business owners exploring an exit or partial sale
- Buyers pursuing a first acquisition or roll-up strategy
- Management teams planning succession or ownership transitions
- Companies pursuing strategic add-on acquisitions
- Organizations needing clean financial readiness before going to market
M&A Services We Provide
Buy-Side Due Diligence (Before You Buy)
We help buyers confirm the financial story and identify risks that affect price and deal terms:
- Financial statement analysis and normalization
- Revenue and margin trend review
- Working capital considerations
- Customer concentration and key risk areas
- Expense classification review and reasonableness testing
- Identification of red flags that impact valuation or deal structure
Sell-Side Readiness (Before You Go to Market)
A clean, well-prepared financial package can materially improve outcomes. We assist sellers with:
- Financial cleanup and documentation organization
- Normalized earnings presentation support
- Add-back support documentation
- Identification and correction of common financial reporting issues
- Preparation for buyer questions and lender diligence
Deal Structuring & Tax-Smart Transaction Support
The structure of a transaction can affect taxes, cash proceeds, and long-term risk. We help you evaluate:
- Asset sale vs. stock sale considerations
- Working capital and purchase price mechanisms
- Allocation support and documentation readiness
- Coordinating with your attorney and other advisors to align business goals with financial realities
(We provide financial and tax consulting support; legal structuring decisions should be finalized by legal counsel.)
Quality of Earnings (QoE) Support (Practical, Owner-Operated Focus)
For many privately held companies, the goal is not a massive formal report—it’s a clear, defensible understanding of:
- sustainable earnings
- one-time/non-recurring items
- owner compensation issues
- personal expenses in the business
- operational dependencies that affect value
We deliver decision-ready analysis built for real buyers and real sellers.
Post-Transaction Support (After Close)
After the deal closes, the work continues. We assist with:
- Transition planning and financial continuity
- Reporting alignment and budgeting support
- Financial process improvements and controls
- Coordination with your accounting team and systems
Why Work with a CPA for M&A?
M&A is not just about price—it’s about risk, documentation, and what the numbers really mean.
A CPA-led approach helps you:
- avoid surprises after closing
- strengthen documentation used in negotiation
- understand true cash flow and sustainability
- identify tax and reporting issues early
- support lenders, investors, and auditors with clean records
At the Reese CPA Firm, our approach is disciplined and practical—built around financial integrity and real-world decision-making.
Common M&A Issues We Help Clients Address
- Financial statements not reflecting normalized operations
- Owner compensation and related-party transactions
- Working capital confusion and post-close disputes
- Inconsistent expense classification and documentation gaps
- Customer concentration risk and margin volatility
- Overstated “add-backs” without support
- Weak internal controls that increase buyer skepticism
Our M&A Consulting Process
- Discovery call (goals, timeline, deal context)
- Document request and review (financials, tax returns, key reports)
- Analysis and findings (risk, sustainability, decision drivers)
- Decision support (pricing/terms considerations, diligence questions)
- Coordination with your attorney, lender, and advisors
- Close support and post-close planning (as needed)
Serving Eden Prairie, the Twin Cities Metro & Greater Minnesota
We provide M&A consulting support for businesses across: Eden Prairie, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnetonka, Edina, Bloomington, Plymouth, Maple Grove, and throughout Greater Minnesota.
If you’re searching for:
- “M&A consulting Eden Prairie MN”
- “financial due diligence CPA Minnesota”
- “quality of earnings Twin Cities”
- “business acquisition consulting Greater Minnesota”
…we’re ready to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you represent buyers or sellers?
Both. We support buy-side diligence and sell-side readiness depending on your needs.
Do you provide business valuations?
We can provide valuation support and transaction analysis; whether a formal valuation is needed depends on the purpose and stakeholders involved.
Will you work with my attorney and banker?
Yes. We coordinate with legal counsel and lenders to ensure the financial story and documentation align with transaction requirements.
Can you help if my books are not clean?
Yes. Sell-side readiness often begins with cleanup, reconciliation, and building defensible documentation.
Talk with a CPA About Your M&A Transaction
If you are buying or selling a business in Minnesota and want disciplined financial diligence, clear documentation, and CPA-level deal support, contact the Reese CPA Firm.
Disclaimer
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. M&A transactions involve legal, tax, financial, and regulatory considerations. Please consult qualified legal counsel regarding legal structure and agreements.