Accounting firm sales & succession · The Midwest
You built the firm.
Make the next
chapter count.
Clear, considered guidance for buying or selling an accounting practice. Understand the value. Know the risks. Plan the transition.
Jason Taken · HedgeStone Business Advisors
Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Nebraska · North Dakota · Ohio · South Dakota · Wisconsin
Start with the decision in front of you
A good deal starts
with better questions.
Whether you're planning an exit or stepping into ownership, get the substance before you make a commitment.
For practice owners
What comes after
your last busy season?
Prepare for an exit, understand what buyers will test, and build a transition that respects your clients and your team.
Explore the seller's pathFor practice buyers
Buy a practice.
Understand the business.
Work through diligence, financing, and client retention. Know what you're acquiring and how you'll operate it.
Explore the buyer's path
Look beyond the headline multiple
The price is only
part of the story.
A firm is more than a revenue number. Client relationships, owner dependence, deal terms, and the handover shape what an offer is really worth.
Build your understanding
Five paths. One clearer picture.
Practical guidance across the decisions that shape an accounting firm transaction.
Sell your practice
Prepare your firm, compare buyers, and protect the transition.
02Buy with conviction
Test the earnings, finance the purchase, and retain the clients.
03Understand the value
Look beyond the multiple to cash flow, terms, and risk.
04Build a stronger firm
Make revenue, relationships, and systems more transferable.
05Read the market
Understand succession, buyer types, and Midwest deal dynamics.
Turn terms into numbers
Put your deal
through its paces.
Estimate closing proceeds, plan acquisition cash, and compare offers. Change illustrative inputs without saving or submitting any information.
Accounting practice seller net proceeds calculator
Put the offer into cash buckets. Change the illustrative inputs to see what might be available at closing and what still depends on future payment.
Accounting practice acquisition budget calculator
A purchase price is only one use of funds. Model the initial cash need and the cash left after owner compensation and an amortizing acquisition loan.
Accounting practice offer comparison calculator
Compare two offer structures using the same assumptions. Change the collection scenario and discount rate to see whether a larger headline price changes the cash picture.
Tools for a more considered decision
Put the guidance to work.
Compare the options
Revenue vs. earnings. A local buyer vs. a platform. A clean exit vs. a transition role.
Make the next step concrete
Working checklists for preparation, diligence, closing, and the first year.
Understand your market
State rules and regional context for an accounting practice transaction.
Know the deal language
Deep explanations of retention, realization, seller financing, and more.
Follow the math
Illustrative transaction examples with explicit inputs, assumptions, and downside cases.
Use a decision framework
A repeatable way to organize value, confidentiality, and transition questions.
Your next chapter starts with a conversation
Talk through the deal.
Before you make the decision.
Bring your questions about value, timing, buyers, or what comes next. Start with a confidential intro call with Jason Taken.