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Mergers and Acquisitions

Lower Middle Market / Mergers & Acquisitions

Lower Middle Market / Mergers & Acquisitions with Murphy Business

Whether you aim to sell, acquire, or enhance the performance of a middle-market enterprise, we possess the expertise to support you.

What sets us apart? We are a client-centric organization, dedicated to deeply understanding our clients' distinct needs and crucial objectives. We provide honest assessments and unwavering integrity. Our approach involves creativity and a relentless pursuit of our clients' goals, delivered in a collaborative, attentive, personalized, experienced, and trustworthy manner.

If the buyer of your business is likely to be another company or a private equity group, then our Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Division can be of most help to you. Most of these buyers have people with significant experience acquiring privately-held companies such as yours. Having our team on your side helps steady the negotiating table and levels the playing field.

Private Equity Groups

Private Equity Groups

Our  Lower Middle Market (LMM)  and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Division is focused upon companies with enterprise value from $5 Million and up. Our team maintains contact with many Private Equity Groups who have raised many millions of dollars from pension funds and institutional investors for the sole purpose of investing in privately-held businesses such as yours. In addition to looking for Platform Companies that fit their published investment strategies, they are also looking for add-on acquisitions for the companies already in their portfolio. While many of the Private Equity Groups may have raised several hundred millions in capital, some have raised billions and eclipse some “Fortune 500” companies in size.

Although many Private Equity Groups are primarily interested in purchasing 100% of companies, some also make recapitalization investments where the present owner sells only a portion of their stock and remains as top management of the company with a planned future retirement. This allows you to take some cash out of your business now and sell the balance of your ownership when you retire.

Corporate Buyers

Corporate Buyers

In addition to the many corporate buyers who maintain contact with our Lower Middle Market and Mergers & Acquisitions advisors, we bring you the training and experience to know how to identify other corporate buyers who may be interested in acquiring your business. We know how to make confidential inquiries to corporate buyers without disclosing your company’s identity.

Our experience leads us to believe an auction process does not maintain the confidentiality most sellers like yourself desire. It can reduce the implicit value of your company if so many buyers look at your business that it becomes over-shopped. We prefer to help even the most jaded corporate buyer discover the untouched diamond in your business. Only experienced business mergers and acquisitions experts can accomplish this in an effective manner.

Although most corporate buyers are interested only in purchasing 100% of businesses such as yours, some are interested in forming strategic alliances that may also involve an equity investment with a formula agreed to in advance which allows them to purchase 100% at a later time. Our team of advisors can help you make contact and negotiate a strategic alliance.

Wealthy Individual Buyers

Wealthy Individual Buyers

Many wealthy individuals band loosely together with others to form what appears similar to the organized private equity groups. Many wealthy individuals bring significant management skills as well as access to capital beyond their own financial capacity. Most are interested in making investments in privately-held businesses such as yours and being involved at the board level to help the company with financing, strategy and marketing issues. They frequently have significant experience acquiring businesses. Having our Lower Middle Market and Mergers & Acquisitions advisors involved helps you level the playing field.

Take the First Step Towards Your Business Success!

Contact your local Clearwater Murphy office for expert assistance in preparing your Lower Middle Market/M&A business for sale.

Our team is here to provide comprehensive guidance throughout the entire process.


The Clearwater, FL office services Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Brandon, Lutz, Oldsmar, Riverview, Valrico, Seffner, and Plant City.

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