Sell-side
M&A advisors
Owner conversations that turn into engagements, sourced to the sectors and size range your firm covers.
Off-market deal flow for M&A advisors and business brokers
Be Leaded finds owners of privately held companies who may be open to a sale, a recapitalization or a valuation, and starts confidential conversations in your firm's name. You get meetings with owners who want to talk. We don't advise on transactions. Your team does.
| Business | Signal | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial HVACOhio, 26 years, $8M-$12M revenue | No successor named | ResearchingMeeting booked |
| Food distributionNew Jersey, 19 years, $15M-$20M revenue | Owner stepped back from daily operations | ResearchingReplied |
| Precision machiningMichigan, 31 years, $5M-$8M revenue | First general manager hired | ResearchingOpen to valuation |
| Dental labTexas, 22 years, $3M-$5M revenue | Opened a second site | ResearchingIn sequence |
| Landscape servicesGeorgia, 17 years, $6M-$9M revenue | Founder still runs sales | ResearchingIn sequence |
The best deals are rarely listed.
Many owners of solid businesses never put them on the market. When they do sell, it's often to the advisor or buyer who reached them first and treated the conversation with care. That's the conversation we start for you.
The list
What usually happens
A database export filtered by industry and headcount. Half the owners already sold, retired or never owned the company.
What we do
Owners researched against your mandate: revenue band, tenure, ownership and signals that a conversation could be timely.
The approach
What usually happens
"We have a buyer for your business." Owners hear it every week and delete it on sight.
What we do
A short, respectful note from a real person at your firm, with something true about the business and no pressure.
The follow-through
What usually happens
Every reply lands on an advisor's desk, including the curious, the unqualified and the angry.
What we do
We screen replies for intent and book meetings only with owners who asked for one and fit your mandate.
What we deliver
Everything between your mandate and a first meeting with an owner. You don't need to buy data, tools or inboxes.
Owner lists built to your mandate
Industry, geography, revenue band, years in business and ownership, researched and verified before a single email goes out.
Outreach in your firm's name
Email and LinkedIn from sending domains tied to your brand, written in your voice. You approve every message.
Timing signals
We prioritize owners where timing may be right: long tenure, no named successor, a first general manager, a second site.
Replies screened for intent
Serious owners are separated from curiosity before anything reaches your calendar. Every reply is visible to you.
Meetings on your calendar
Valuation calls and introductions with owners who asked for them, booked directly with your advisors.
Confidential by default
No listings, no public owner names, and no mention of a client or buyer unless you approve it.
How we approach owners
Short, specific and respectful.
Owners of good businesses are approached constantly. The ones who reply are answering a person who clearly knows their business and isn't in a hurry.
- A short note from a real person at your firm
- Curiosity about the business, with no claim that a buyer is waiting
- An offer of a confidential valuation or a short conversation
- Easy to decline, and opt-outs honored right away
- From
- alex@haldenpike.co
- To
- Owner, precision machining, Michigan
- Subject
- 31 years
Karen, thirty-one years is a long time to keep a machine shop busy through every cycle.
I work with owners of manufacturing businesses in the Midwest. Most aren't selling. Some would like to know what the business is worth, or what their options look like when they're ready.
If that's ever useful, I can put together a confidential view. No listing, no obligation.
Alex
Halden & Pike Advisors
Who we work with
Main Street and lower middle market
Business brokers
A steady flow of owners open to a valuation, so listings come from conversations instead of referrals alone.
Buy-side
Buyers and sponsors
Independent sponsors, search funds, family offices and platform companies looking for add-on acquisitions.
How it works
From your mandate to owner conversations in about three weeks.
- Day 1
Mandate call
Sectors, geography, size range, deal types and what a qualified owner conversation means to your firm.
- Days 2 to 14
Build
Owner research, verification, sending domains, warmup and the first sequences for your approval.
- Week 3
Outreach
Email and LinkedIn go live at a careful pace. Replies are screened and meetings booked.
- Every week
Report
Owners contacted, replies, meetings and the conversations in progress.
Clear lines
We start conversations. Your team runs the deal.
Our job ends when an owner is on your calendar. Everything after that belongs to your advisors.
- We don't advise on transactions, value businesses or negotiate terms
- We don't list businesses or publish owner names
- We don't claim a buyer exists when one doesn't
- We don't contact an owner again after they opt out
Questions about deal flow
Ask anything else on the call.
What is off-market deal sourcing?
Off-market deal sourcing means finding companies that aren't listed for sale and reaching their owners directly. Many privately held businesses are never formally marketed, so an advisor or buyer who starts the conversation early can talk to the owner before a formal process begins.
How do you find owners who might sell?
We research companies that match your mandate by industry, geography, revenue band, tenure and ownership, then prioritize owners showing signals such as no named successor, a first general manager hire or a founder who still runs sales. Every contact is verified before outreach.
Do you reach out in our firm's name?
Yes. We set up sending domains tied to your brand and write in your voice. You approve every email before it sends, and meetings are booked directly with your advisors.
Is the outreach confidential?
Yes. We never name a client or a buyer without your approval, we never publish owner names, and owner data stays private to your engagement.
Which industries do you cover?
Any industry with privately held companies in your size range. Common mandates include home and commercial services, manufacturing, distribution, healthcare services and business services.
Do you work with buyers as well as advisors?
Yes. Independent sponsors, search funds, family offices and platform companies use the same process to source add-on acquisitions directly from owners.
What does it cost?
Programs start at $2,000 a month. The exact number depends on the size of your mandate and the channels we run, and you'll have it after a 30-minute call.
Tell us who you want to meet.
Thirty minutes with the founder. You'll leave with a clear picture of your market, what a campaign would look like and what it would cost.
Book a 30-minute call
Or email sales@beleaded.com