Unlock Your Business Potential: 5 Essential Mergers & Acquisitions Tips

Michael Stansbury (05:35.58)
Hello everybody, welcome back to the Real Estate Pros podcast. I’m Mike Stansbury. Today, I have a special guest, Heather Valeri. How are you, Miss Heather?

Heather Valeri (05:51.589)
Wonderful, I’m happy to be with you here today, Michael.

Michael Stansbury (05:54.582)
I’m excited for it too guys. There’s Real Estate Pros podcast brought to you by Investor Fuel where we help real estate investors, service providers, and real estate entrepreneurs 2 to 5X their business to allow them to build the businesses they’ve always wanted and to allow them to live the lives they’ve always dreamed of. Heather, it is great to have you today. I want to know what your origin story is and how you got into owning and being the CEO of a business advisory company.

So, tell me where that whole thing began, even as maybe as a child. Were you always kind of an entrepreneur? Did you always have that type of mindset? What did that look like?

Heather Valeri (06:32.983)
Yes, when girls my age were playing with Barbies, I was pretending to be Maddie from Moonlighting and pretending to be a CEO and detective. And I recruited my friends. had catalogs. I had money. We were doing deals. know, it’s just entrepreneurship’s always been in my DNA. had lemonade stands, Hallmark cards. I mean, I was just always had my little hustle as a kid.

I even started a newspaper newsletter delivery service for property management companies when I was a teenager. So I just always had this in me.

Michael Stansbury (07:07.78)
So from a very young age, you’re just like, hey, I’m gonna go out there and figure this out and try some stuff and see what sticks. So that’s great. yeah, tell me, how did all that happen as you were growing up and maybe into high school and college years? How did you navigate life that way? What did that look like for you?

Heather Valeri (07:13.826)
Yeah.

Heather Valeri (07:28.162)
Yeah, I would say my superpower, I realized at a young age was always bringing people together in marketing. And I was in business school and I was torn between economics and marketing. But I ended up working for corporations that were in the middle of mergers. So I kind of fell into it backwards. Because at the time I didn’t realize how all that wealth of knowledge and boring contracts was preparing me for this wonderful career I have today.

But basically I have, you know, I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 20 years, worked in corporate mergers and acquisitions. I’ve consulted with Fortune 500 companies, major brands. I’ve helped hundreds of startups and entrepreneurs as well, you know, probably thousands over the years. And at one point I got recruited by one of the world’s largest business brokerage companies. said, you’re already doing this. Come join us.

It was around 2012, 2013, I was getting a little burnt out and I was, I needed a shift, right? And the economy was shifting and I always liked to do new things. And I said, sure, why not? After a year and a half, they finally convinced me to come on board. And I loved it. It was a great company. But again, I love building things and I love building businesses and I could see there were some gaps in marketing and they’re like, we could get to market quicker. Why does that have to be three weeks to get?

a business to market. I’m like, this is ridiculous. This could be done better and faster. And I want to choose my own clients. And my broker wanted me to run the practice. So I did. And I just kept asking, why are we doing this? Why are we doing that? You know, we could be doing this better. And then my husband got transferred to Charleston, which I was happy to move back south. And I decided it was a perfect time for me to open my own brokerage. And I was excited. And I will tell you when I moved to Charleston,

the old company called me and said, you know, are you sure you’re going out on your own? And I said, yes. And they’re like, well, you’re foolish. How do you expect to compete against us big boys? And like, you just sit back and watch me and I will tell you, when I was at the awards event, they were not there. I was the only woman business broker there. I was the only independent broker getting awarded for my performance and, you know, adhering to excellence in the industry. And I’ve done over

Heather Valeri (09:46.28)
I’d probably say I’ve lost track, maybe 370 million in business transactions. And I just love serving business owners and I love working with investors.

Michael Stansbury (09:58.424)
Well, so that’s interesting. They did you a favor. They said, hi, yeah, you, good luck to you. But really, how do you, how do you expect to do anything? That is interesting that they would, that that kind of salvo would happen. Cause I, know, I don’t know. I’ve heard of people doing this before and it’s just, it’s like gasoline, isn’t it? It’s like, okay. It, takes you from like doubt to, there’s no doubt now. Now it’s going to happen.

Heather Valeri (10:01.246)
They did.

Michael Stansbury (10:25.806)
That is awesome. I love that you did that, Heather. That’s great.

Heather Valeri (10:29.311)
Yeah, exactly. There’s enough business for everybody, but I’m a competitive person by nature. So that was just like you said, throwing fuel on the fire. And as a Red Sox fan, Red Sox nation would not be what it is without the New York Yankees, right? Competition forces us to be better. It provides better service for clients.

Michael Stansbury (10:47.972)
Right, it absolutely does. Yes, as a Cardinal fan, the Cubs were always terrible, so we don’t have that. That doesn’t translate. But no, we always had the Mets, and we had the Mets in the 90s. They were really good. But yes, you’re right. You need competition. You need somebody to measure up to. And so I absolutely think that that’s a nugget for our folks. It’s one thing, you can get into this envy thing.

Heather Valeri (10:55.825)
you

Heather Valeri (11:15.134)
Now.

Michael Stansbury (11:15.416)
which is not good, but then if you go, okay, but they are here and I need to be here, and I can just take a portion of this pie, we can all win, but you can figure out where the gaps are in the marketplace and serve those people. So, Heather, were you, tell me, first of all, I always like to know, what was the first maybe deal that you brokered or something that you did early on that you felt like, okay, now I’ve got some traction?

and now I know exactly where I’m going. What was that moment like for you?

Heather Valeri (11:47.879)
Hmm, I’m trying to think of the first one that I’ve done. One of the first ones was a telecom company. But I’ve done a lot of small businesses. I’ve done childcare. That one, one of my first ones was a childcare business. The owner I had known because her company provided a unique service. You could go and leave your kids there for three, four hours while you went to meetings. And her top clientele were doctors.

So it was great. And she did curriculum. They had fun activities. So you could go shopping. You could do whatever. was very simple.

Michael Stansbury (12:22.404)
So this was not a regular daycare, this was a daycare for the upper echelon, a little more elite type of business. Okay.

Heather Valeri (12:30.498)
Exactly. And you know, they always tell real estate professionals, you should tell everybody what you do. And I always kept kind of those worlds separate, but she knew what I did and said, Heather, I need to talk to you. And she ensured with me that she had advanced stage thyroid cancer and she needed to sell her business. And I said to her, what about your daughter? Your daughter works here. She goes, unfortunately, Heather, she can’t run a business. She’s wonderful with children, but you know, she couldn’t run a business to save her life. And I said, okay.

So I helped her sell her business and I had, you know, I cared for this woman because I knew her personally and she cared for my children. But she really needed that white glove service. And I’m like, this is one thing when clients call me, they know they’re getting the white glove service. She needed old tax returns and stuff. She didn’t have a lot of help. So I had to help walk her through that process to get old copies of tax returns. I had to find the right buyer, not just any buyer, because we wanted to make sure those children in those medical

those doctor clients and everybody would feel like their children were still being cared for and that that legacy would continue because she really had built a unique business. So, you know, I sold that in a rapid time and it gave her time to spend with her grandchildren, you know, and focus on family.

Michael Stansbury (13:47.46)
So it’s very interesting. So it wasn’t about the the amount of money that she can make from the deal. was about, we got to we got to marry this business with a person that’s going to take care of these people. So that’s it’s that is that’s very interesting. And so your her solution was not just anybody, but somebody that can can run this business the way that I’ve done it. And it’s interesting. You said that I was talking to a friend of mine who’s in his mid 70s. He owns a plumbing company.

And I kept asking him, said, when are you, you are you selling this business? He goes, I can’t sell this business. I said, do have two sons? He said, and he just said, he looked at me and goes, you know, my sons, said, yeah. He said, they can’t run a business. So I understand the sentiment. And so, but that’s a great story, Heather, how you helped her. so yeah, you’re more than just a dealmaker trying to connect the money flow. So tell me where do most of your

Heather Valeri (14:26.394)
You

Michael Stansbury (14:45.764)
clients come from now, how are you procuring, how are you doing the marketing? Is it mostly local to South Carolina or are you kind of working all over? What does that look like?

Heather Valeri (14:55.39)
Yes, so my office is based in Charleston, South Carolina, but we have clients in most US states and I have worked with clients from South America, Australia, Canada, India as well.

Business ownership I love and for investors because it gives them the opportunity to get the American dream. it’s, you know, sure, a business is an asset, right? And homes are assets. But businesses bring communities together. It helps people build wealth, right? And then it can give those kids that aren’t cut out for business ownership, it can give them secure employment with benefits. You know, I’ve

Michael Stansbury (15:30.329)
Right.

Heather Valeri (15:41.72)
structured very complex deals to make sure those employees or family members had, you know, security after the parent retires, you know, because it’s more than just an asset, you know, it’s a livelihood. People put their blood, sweat, and tears into building that business and they want to, most of them want to make sure it’s going to be in their right hands afterwards. Sure, I get those people that want to sell it quick, hand me the check. That’s fine. I will do whatever my clients want. At the end of the day,

My goal is to serve my clients the best to my ability. I will always try to go above and beyond.

Michael Stansbury (16:17.102)
So you’re, yes, so what you’re saying is that there are some that are easy, there’s no complexity to it. It’s like, they wanna buy the business, it’s this price. But there’s other times, like you’re one of your first deals, but there’s other deals where you’re dealing with estates and planning, and planning for the future for some of the heirs of the folks that may not be interested in the business but can benefit from the sale of it. And those are the types of things that you put together.

Heather Valeri (16:44.178)
Yes, I’ve done a whole mix. had one client had called me. It was an estate. The gentleman had died and he owns partnerships in several businesses and properties and he knew my reputation. So they had me do the business valuation and help structure a partner buyout as well for them. I do get a lot of referrals and work closely with other real estate professionals, attorneys, banks.

You know, because it’s a community, but we’re all serving the same client base. You know, I’m collaborating and how can we work together?

Michael Stansbury (17:20.281)
Right.

Michael Stansbury (17:23.928)
Yes, so you know like, I can help you with the estate guy. I can take care of your business, but you piece it all together with all your, I guess your power team. Heather, well, that’s awesome. So let’s talk about, I love the story. I love the story that you talked about, the lady with the childcare business, but what is the latest one that you’re working on or maybe that you got in the pipeline that you’re trying to help move that’s not sold yet?

but like, this one’s interesting.

Heather Valeri (17:54.037)
Yes, so I have a couple from another state that own several med spa type businesses. So I am working with them to buy another type of day spa. Great location, help them negotiate the lease. I know the real estate market very well from a commercial side. And then

The complexities are some of the services are different and creating that transition plan. So there’s a smooth transition. I never want there to be an interruption of operations or any loss of revenue. And I want there to be a smooth transition with the employees and with brands. And I will help them negotiate with the landlord. Some deals are leases and some are property purchases.

Michael Stansbury (18:51.074)
Right, so okay, so that’s interesting. So they already own two MedSpots, but they’re looking to buy another one, but they want their systems and processes to kind of override what they’re doing now. And so that can always get kind of fun, right?

Heather Valeri (19:06.937)
Exactly, and they needed floor plans. You you would think with this day and age, everybody has a floor plan of their commercial property. They don’t. So fortunately, I have somebody on my team that drew a professional floor plans. Of course, we put on there that these are not official architectural drawings. These are not stamped, but I’m telling you, he’s just as good. And, you know, that’s just something that a complimentary service we provide to our clients because we want to help them get the deal done on time and provide that value.

So both parties can run their businesses, you know.

Michael Stansbury (19:40.3)
Right, yes, so I like that. So Heather, has there ever been a business come across your table and like, you look at your husband, you come to him and say, hey, this came across, this would be fun to do, we should do this, you know.

Heather Valeri (19:51.596)
Yes, there’s been a couple businesses. There is one that was a commercial power washing business and I really liked the owner and his wife. Just really nice people and he only worked eight to two every day and he also was a tennis pro and he would go off on these great vacations and I know how much my husband works as an employee. He’s an electrical contractor and I had a buyer.

I had a great buyer that owned tons of businesses and I had a contract. But at this one point, this seller meets my husband and he knew we had talked about him a lot, but he met him. He’s like, know, if your husband wants to buy the business, I’ll sell it to him for half because I like your husband so much and he works just like I am. He’s very anal and he’s meticulous and I would sell it to him for half. And I’m like, are you serious? I’m like, I’m like, you’re crazy. He goes, no, I’m dead serious.

Michael Stansbury (20:33.796)
Heather Valeri (20:48.721)
Because he didn’t really need the money. And he was another one that thought his business was worth X. And it was actually worth two and a half times what he thought it was when I did evaluations. So him and his wife loved me that I sold it for a lot more than he thought it was worth. And my husband didn’t want to buy it. And I kept telling him, I said, you sure your life could be easier? He goes, I would be bored to tears, He goes, I enjoy building buildings. He goes, I’m

Michael Stansbury (20:59.044)
Wow.

Heather Valeri (21:17.176)
I’ve built so many landmarks in Charlotte, know, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, know, Whiskey River, the Epi Center, you know, he can name all these projects. He goes, I like that. can, there’s something to be shown for my hard work. He goes, power washing, that’s not sexy. And then, you know, and then the other thing that we always joke about, someday I think we will buy an ice cream business because it’s low stress.

Michael Stansbury (21:17.432)
Yeah.

Michael Stansbury (21:36.237)
Yeah.

Heather Valeri (21:45.185)
It’s a great cash flowing business and people are just happy and you can make your own hour.

Michael Stansbury (21:49.144)
Yeah, your Fenton Ice Cream. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely, by the beach. Yeah, if you find something near Santa Rosa Ice Cream Place, let me know. I probably would do that. That’s great. That’s something I was always curious of is because you see a lot of deals come across your desk. I mean, I’m sure you look at other people, what other people got. so that’s a great story. So Heather, let me ask you this.

Heather Valeri (21:58.721)
For sure.

Michael Stansbury (22:19.254)
You how do most people, you you probably do get a lot of referrals from people in Charleston, but do you do anything other marketing besides kind of referrals and you have a power team? What does that look like?

Heather Valeri (22:33.166)
Yes, I would say 90 % of my business comes from client referrals. I had one client was so happy she gave me nine referrals. I’m like, do want to come work for me?

Michael Stansbury (22:43.832)
Yes. Take a commission? Absolutely.

Heather Valeri (22:47.918)
Yeah, and I always laugh too because one of the clients she referred, well actually the other side of that deal was the buyer and the buyer was very high maintenance, like almost bipolar. She was a very difficult person to work with, but I always made it smooth and pleasant for my seller. She never knew of all the headaches I had to deal with after hours and mood swings and everything else. And I love the fact that when the buyer was ready to sell that business years down the road, she called me.

Michael Stansbury (23:16.418)
Right. Yeah.

Heather Valeri (23:16.462)
Even though we butted heads, she knew how detail-oriented it was and how much service I provided and she respected me. I’m like, if the worst buyer has respect for me, I shouldn’t say worse. But you know what I’m saying? When people on both sides referring to you, you know you’re doing a good job, you know?

Michael Stansbury (23:30.7)
Right, right, so it, yeah, right. Like hey, yes, it’s the utmost respect. It’s like, okay, if this has to get done, I know the person that has to do this, no matter how I feel about it. So yeah, that is great. All right, so Ms. Heather, I always like to ask people, what does family look like? What does fun look like? You and your husband live there in the South now. What do you guys do to kind of relax and have fun?

Heather Valeri (23:57.835)
Yes, our favorite activities are kayaking. We love kayaking in the salt marshes around the low country. I grew up in the southwest, so I love making New Mexican food, which is different. New Mexican food is different than Californian Mexican food. It really uses my black and green chilies. And I love bike riding and traveling and just camping. Like when I was young, I camped out and slept in a

Michael Stansbury (24:15.212)
Okay, yes, okay, fair enough.

Yes.

Heather Valeri (24:27.788)
and a sleeping bag on the ground in the Rocky Mountains when I was 14 years old, no tent, nothing. No tent, nothing. like, I was crazy because now I wouldn’t do it thinking of the rattlesnakes, the scorpions, just all the things out there. I would never do that again.

Michael Stansbury (24:33.902)
No tent nothing.

Michael Stansbury (24:44.42)
You took a lot of risk when you were a kid. That’s awesome. Yeah, that prepared you for what you’re doing. That’s great. Well, so how can people find you? Let people know exactly where Heather Valeri is located on the socials and all that. Where can they find you?

Heather Valeri (25:02.121)
Yes, Instagram, Facebook would be at Meridian Biz Advisors or LinkedIn would be at Heather Valeri. And my new website is being built right now. It should be done in a couple of weeks. It will be meridianbusinessbrokers.com.

Michael Stansbury (25:19.914)
and buyers and sellers need to contact you because you can find what, if a buyer contacts you, how does that consultation work? If somebody’s like, hey, I’m interested in buying a business, what does that look like for you?

Heather Valeri (25:31.37)
walk through every step of the process with them. I’ll find out what their goals are. Is it purely financial? Is this something that they want to manage full time or is it a passive income stream for them? So I’ll do that and then I get entrepreneurs they don’t know what they want to buy. So I’ll walk them through an assessment process and say here and a scientific report saying here’s the best industry and business type matches for you where you will thrive at most likely. Then I will help them with their search.

For a business purchase, I am one hell of a shrewd negotiator. I will always save my clients money on the business purchase and on the real estate. I had saved a construction company $86,000 on their real estate, and then I saved another company, I wanna say $200,000. I had a buyer that wanted to buy a liquor store and it was overpriced. And I’m like, that thing is overpriced by 150 grand.

So people say to me, well, why do you charge a fee? Well, I have 20 years of experience. I have a lot of certifications. I have my real estate license. And I said, you know what? Even though you’re paying me a fee, I will probably 2X the value that I’m giving you with my negotiation and all the other things that we do for you. And you know, if I help you buy something, it’s a good investment because I will not hesitate to tell a buyer, run for the hills.

Michael Stansbury (26:29.816)
Yes. Yeah.

Michael Stansbury (26:50.967)
Absolutely, yep.

Heather Valeri (26:58.173)
this is a bad freaking deal. I always put my hands first, seller or buyer.

Michael Stansbury (27:03.268)
Yeah, you get in the real-ville real quickly and say, hey, this is actually what it is and here’s what you need to be aware of. That’s a beautiful thing that helps people out a lot, especially when they’re entrepreneurs and they’re like, yeah, I sold a business, now I need a new one. And you don’t know what you don’t know. You know a lot about your old business, but about something else. It takes somebody with the pedigree that you have to know something. So guys and gals that are watching,

Heather Valeri (27:26.119)
Okay.

Michael Stansbury (27:31.3)
If you need Heather’s expertise, if you’re looking to buy a business or sell a business anywhere in the country, go contact her, see if you get a consultation with her and see if she can help you. Heather, thank you for being on the Real Estate Pros podcast. It was an education. Really appreciate your time with us today. And so guys, we’ll have it in the show notes where you can find her and see her and call her if you need her services. Thanks for watching. Like and subscribe and we’ll see you next time.

Heather Valeri (27:58.496)
Thank you, Michael.