Built for owners,
not for listings.
Atlantic Coast Business Advisors is a boutique M&A advisory firm built for owners of lower middle market businesses. We work with companies in the $2M to $20M enterprise value range and regularly handle transactions north of $50M when the fit is right.
We operate nationally across all 50 states with international transaction experience and an established cross-border buyer network. Our team includes brokers, deal counsel, in-house M&A attorneys, marketing staff, and financial analysts. The firm is led by our Founder, Kégan English, a Certified Merger and Acquisition Professional (CM&AP).
We are selective by design. At any given time, we carry only 8 to 10 active engagements. Every client gets real attention, real strategy, and real partnership from a firm with the bandwidth to do the work properly.
Experience
Valued
+ International Network
Client Roster
A firm built by sellers, for sellers.
Atlantic Coast didn't start as a brokerage. Our founder ran an advisory firm focused on sales and marketing. One of our early clients wanted to sell. After eighteen months of broken promises, upfront fees, and three different brokerage firms, we stepped in and sold the business ourselves in a matter of months.
That experience told us something the industry didn't want to admit: brokerage comes down to sales and marketing, and we were already good at both. We took a hard look at the industry. The conferences. The big firms. The top lenders. What we saw was outdated. Upfront fees. Generic pitches. Brokers who treated sellers like inventory. We built the opposite.
A decade later, we are still doing it. Every time a client comes to us from a bad experience elsewhere, we listen, learn, and use it to make the firm better.
Not another brokerage.
Owners come to us after working with firms that left them frustrated. The themes are always the same: upfront fees with no accountability, inflated valuations, generic pitches, and brokers who disappeared once the contract was signed. We built our firm to do the opposite.
Real partnership, not another listing.
We carry 8 to 10 clients at a time, not 80. If we are going to spend six to nine months working together, we both need to want to be in the room.
Success-based engagement.
We do not charge retainers, marketing fees, or packaged onboarding costs. If we take on your business, we earn when you do. That keeps everyone aligned.
Legal costs covered.
M&A legal bills can run wild. We cover legal fees up to a fixed threshold tied to your deal. No surprises, and no pressure to use a partner attorney you didn't ask for.
Honest valuations.
Some firms inflate valuations to win listings, then quietly recommend price cuts later. We don't. You will know what your business is worth and how the market will see it before signing.
A real buyer network.
Our domestic and international network of buyers, private equity firms, strategic acquirers, and lenders is built on actual relationships. When we bring them a deal, they pay attention.
Education-first approach.
Most sellers go through one transaction in their lifetime. Buyers and PE firms do this every day. Part of our job is evening out that asymmetry so you can make informed decisions.
Want to know what your business is worth?
Our free valuation tool gives you a market-grounded benchmark in minutes. No call, no email gate, no obligation. A real starting point before any conversation.
The seller is the client, not the listing.
Transparency is the standard, not the exception.
Reputation outlasts any single deal.
A clear path
from intake to close.
A full engagement typically runs six to nine months. Here is how it moves.
Initial Consultation
We learn the business, your goals, and what an exit could look like. You leave with a preliminary valuation. No commitment.
NDA & Deeper Review
Mutual NDA, then a closer look at financials, P&L history, tax returns, and operations. You see how we work. We see how the business runs.
Engagement & Onboarding
Two-hour onboarding call, custom client portal, internal Quality of Earnings, CIM and teaser, marketing plan. You approve everything before it goes live.
Marketing & Buyer Outreach
A blind teaser goes out first. Vetted buyers sign an NDA, complete a virtual call with us, and only then see the CIM. Access stays stage-gated throughout.
Meetings, Offers & LOI
Qualified buyers meet with you. We negotiate IOIs and LOIs alongside you and advise on what to accept, push back on, or walk away from.
Diligence & Closing
We manage the data room, coordinate buyer requests, and keep things moving. Our in-house M&A attorney is involved throughout. We stay engaged through closing and beyond.
Industries we have served.
The right firm is worth the conversation.
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