Exit Preparation for Specialty Distribution Independent Sponsors
Preparing Exit Preparation on specialty distribution deals, with the structure protection and capital connectivity an independent sponsor actually needs.
Specialty Distribution deals in the lower middle market run a specific playbook. Exit Preparation is where the structure either holds or starts to leak.
The typical specialty distribution platform sits at $10M to $100M EV with EBITDA in the $2.5M to $18M range. The thesis runs on vertical buy-up of niche product distributors. Most distribution multiples are wrong by half a turn until the rebate accounting gets normalized.
How Exit Preparation actually gets structured.
Clean the cap table 18 months before the planned exit window.
Refresh the IP, employment, and customer contract files for diligence readiness.
Build a quality-of-earnings ready financial package well before bankers come in.
Coordinate sponsor exit economics with the LP waterfall and any rolled-equity holders.
In specialty distribution, layer in supplier reaffirmation letters before LOI signs as part of the Exit Preparation workstream.
Starting exit prep when the banker calls. By then, every fix costs price.
"Exit prep is what separates a 6x outcome from an 8x outcome. The work starts before the banker."Jason Powell · Exit Preparation
The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.
Capital after close is where the IRR actually gets made. The right introductions at month nine through month thirty are where this practice works as hard as it does at the LOI.
Related deal pages.
Transaction Fee Structuring for Specialty Distribution
The fee paid at closing to the independent sponsor for sourcing, structuring, and closing the platform deal a…
Working Capital Adjustments for Specialty Distribution
The closing-date true-up that protects the buyer from receiving a business stripped of normal-course working …
Representation & Warranty Insurance for Specialty Distribution
A buyer-side insurance product covering breach of seller representations, reducing seller escrow and indemnit…
Indemnification for Specialty Distribution
The seller's contractual promise to compensate the buyer for breaches of representations, covenants, and spec…
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Bring the specialty distribution deal. Get Exit Preparation done right.
Direct counsel from a securities and M&A attorney with billions in structured transactions, the independent-sponsor-native playbook, and the capital markets network that opens up post-close.