Business acquisitions
Greywood CPA helps buyers acquiring a small business, often with an SBA 7(a) loan, understand what they are really buying. Lenders underwrite an acquisition largely on the seller's historical financial statements and tax returns, so the buyer needs to know those numbers hold up.
We review the seller's financials, test the add-backs in the listing, analyze working capital and cash flow, and after closing set up the books and statements your lender will require. We are a licensed CPA firm working nationwide, at a fixed fee.
Last reviewed: November 2026
Business listings usually show seller's discretionary earnings or adjusted EBITDA, built by adding owner expenses and one-time costs back to profit. Some add-backs are real; others disappear once you own the business. The purchase price, the loan amount and your ability to repay all rest on that number.
The lender looks at historical cash flow after reasonable add-backs and the buyer's replacement salary, compared with debt payments on the new loan and any seller note. If our review supports the numbers, it helps the loan; if it doesn't, you'd rather know before closing.
The deal, the LOI terms and your closing date.
Scope and one fixed fee.
Seller financials, add-backs and working capital analyzed.
A written summary and a call with you and your lender if helpful.
The lender protects the loan, not your investment. A buyer-side review tests whether the earnings and add-backs that set the price are real.
An expense added back to profit to show the business's earnings to a new owner, such as the seller's personal expenses or a one-time cost. Each one should be documented and genuinely non-recurring.
An analysis of how sustainable a business's reported earnings are, adjusting for one-time items, owner expenses and the costs a new owner will face. It is not an audit.
The IRS form buyers and sellers of a business file to report how the purchase price was allocated among asset classes, including goodwill. Both sides should use consistent allocations.
We quote one fixed fee in writing before any work starts, based on the size of the business and the closing timeline.
Tell us about the deal and your closing date. A senior CPA will send a fixed-fee proposal within 1–3 business days.