You’ve Sold Your Business. Now What?

After the exit dust settles, a new question emerges: What’s next?

You’ve built something from scratch, scaled it, and sold it. You’ve learned firsthand what makes a business work—and what it takes to sell it. That experience puts you in a unique position. Now, it might be time to turn that insight into something new: a career helping others do the same.

If you’re wondering how to become an M&A advisor after selling your business, this guide walks you through how to make the shift, why your background is a superpower, and how Merge makes it easier than ever to start strong.

Why Founders Make Great M&A Advisors

Most traditional M&A advisors come from finance or investment banking backgrounds. But more and more founders are realizing that they’re uniquely qualified to guide others through the sale process.

Why? Because you’ve been in the founder’s shoes. You know how hard it is to:

  • Decide it’s time to sell

  • Clean up the financials

  • Package the story

  • Find the right buyer

  • Protect your team and your legacy

This kind of empathy and experience builds instant trust—and often leads to better outcomes for sellers. You’re not just running a process. You’re offering perspective, clarity, and confidence during one of the most emotional chapters of their journey.

What M&A Advisors Actually Do

Before you dive in, it helps to understand what the work involves. As an M&A advisor (especially at the founder-led level), your role typically includes:

  • Educating sellers on valuation and process

  • Reviewing and adjusting financials

  • Preparing marketing materials (like a prospectus)

  • Running buyer outreach

  • Qualifying interest and offers

  • Navigating due diligence

  • Supporting negotiation and closing

The goal isn’t just to get a deal done. It’s to get the right deal done—with clear communication, strong positioning, and a smooth process.

What You Need to Get Started

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel or go back to school. What you do need is:

  • Credibility (which you already have)

  • Structure and tools (to run a clean process)

  • Buyer access (so you’re not starting from zero)

  • Support and community (so you’re not doing it alone)

That’s where a platform like Merge comes in.

Why Merge Is Built for You

The Merge license gives you everything you need to launch and grow your own M&A advisory business—without building it all from scratch.

As a former founder, you bring the trust, empathy, and instincts. Merge gives you:

🛠 Tools & Templates

  • CRM and pipeline tracking

  • Valuation framework and comps

  • Prospectus templates

  • Buyer outreach scripts

  • Legal docs and checklists

🎓 Training & SOPs

  • Step-by-step onboarding

  • Recorded trainings on every part of the deal

  • SOPs for valuations, diligence, data rooms, and more

  • Monthly group strategy sessions

📈 Buyer Ecosystem Access

  • Internal database of active buyers

  • Inclusion in HQ outreach campaigns

  • Verified Buyer Matching (optional add-on)

💬 Community & Support

  • Curated Slack channel of licensees

  • 1:1 office hours with HQ (optional)

  • Live events and workshops

💰 Revenue Model

  • You keep 75%+ of all deal revenue

  • You control your brand, clients, and pricing

  • You pay a flat license fee and platform share (no hidden cuts)

This isn’t a franchise or a course. It’s a full-stack platform designed to help people like you build a lean, high-leverage advisory business—on your terms.

How to Make the Shift

Here’s how most former founders ease into this new role:

1. Start with Conversations

Reach out to your network. Let them know you’re helping founders think through exits. Offer to review their financials or talk through options—no strings attached. You’ll be surprised how many are already curious.

2. Use the Tools to Look Polished

First impressions matter. Use Merge’s tools and templates to look organized, professional, and ready. You’ll build confidence quickly when you’re not guessing what comes next.

3. Lean on Training When You Need It

You don’t need to know everything right away. Merge’s recorded trainings and SOPs walk you through each part of the process. And if you ever get stuck, the Slack community or HQ office hours can help.

4. Run Your First Deal

Many licensees land their first deal within 30–60 days—often just by reconnecting with past founder contacts. That first win builds momentum fast.

5. Build a Repeatable, Referral-Based Business

Once you help one founder exit, word spreads. Your second and third deals often come from referrals, and soon you’ll have a pipeline built on trust—not cold outreach.

Final Thoughts

If you’re wondering how to become an M&A advisor after selling your business, the answer is simple: start with what you already know.

You’ve done this before—from the founder’s side. Now, you can do it from the advisor’s side, with empathy, strategy, and support behind you.

Merge makes it easier. You bring the relationships—we’ll help you bring the structure.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re ready to turn your founder experience into a scalable business, Merge might be exactly what you’re looking for.

👉 Explore the Merge License
👉 Book a Call to Learn More