Your business. Your decision.
Owner Control helps you compare a sale, a partner, funding, or a stronger business you keep. We prepare you and connect you. You decide.
Every buyer is vetted by ACE Capital before they can reach an owner.
No exclusives. Every listing is placed by its owner, and no one speaks for you.
Straight answers
Not from Owner Control. Your identity stays hidden until you approve a specific buyer, and every buyer signs a confidentiality agreement before seeing detailed information. Most owners tell key staff only when a transaction is close and the rest after closing. We help you decide who needs to know and when, and you make that call.
No one can give you a reliable number from a website form, and Owner Control does not produce valuations. What we give you is what a buyer or lender looks at first: normalized earnings, the completeness of your records, how much the business depends on you, and the equity in any property you own. Your assessment scores those areas so you know what would raise or lower a buyer's number before you hear one.
You set the pace, and we do not promise a timeline. Once terms are agreed and signed, simpler transactions have closed in about 30 days. Complex ones, or ones where the business and the property transfer together, have taken 90 to 180 days. If you want a faster exit, we prepare for that. If you want a slower path that builds more value first, we prepare for that instead.
Three years of tax returns and financial statements, a trailing twelve month profit and loss, a debt schedule, a customer and revenue breakdown, key contracts, an equipment list, and property or lease documents. Your assessment already asks which of these you have, so your 30-day plan starts with the ones that are missing.
You stop. There is no listing agreement and no exclusivity, so nothing binds you to continue. If an ACE Deals consultant, called an ACE Specialist, has been working with you, the success fee is owed only when a transaction closes; if nothing closes, nothing is owed. You keep the readiness work you completed.
Yes, before you sign anything. Owner Control is not a law firm or an accounting firm. We coordinate with your CPA on the financial file and with your attorney on the agreement, and if you do not have either, we tell you what to look for in one.
You and the buyer decide that in the agreement, and you can make it a condition. Many owners negotiate retention terms for key staff. Buyers usually want your team to stay, because the business runs on them.
Yes, if you want to. Your assessment asks what role you would consider: exit at closing, a short or longer transition, an advisory seat, or keeping control alongside a partner. Buyers often pay more for a transition period, so staying involved is a negotiating point, not a concession.
We treat them as two assets with one plan. Property equity is scored separately in your assessment, and the transaction is structured so you can sell both, sell the business and keep the building as its landlord, or refinance instead of selling. ACE's published transactions all involve property, so this is familiar ground.
Then you are like most of the owners we meet. Take the assessment anyway. An ACE Specialist can connect you to the Wavves Capital funding resource, the Tax Hive tax-planning resource, the Estate Guard estate-planning resource, and specialized property management. You also receive a 30-day plan to strengthen your position. You keep the relationship and list later, or never.
No. Every listing on Owner Control is placed by the owner. A broker who knows you can refer you and be paid at closing for the introduction, but no one holds an exclusive on your listing and no one speaks for you. That is the point of the platform.
Sample business: Commercial HVAC company, Texas
Your biggest opportunityTurn technician knowledge and customer relationships into repeatable systems.
Potential resultA buyer can see durable earnings that do not depend on one owner.
Sample illustration. Not a valuation or a funding decision.
Two starting points
For owners who want out. We prepare what already exists, verify what can be verified, and connect you with buyers who are ready to act. You control what is shown and to whom.
For owners who want a stronger result. An ACE Deals consultant, called an ACE Specialist, works with you over roughly 90 to 180 days to accelerate your equity position before the business goes to market. You decide when it is ready.
Most owners lose more of a sale to taxes than to fees. Tax Hive plans that before you sign.
Tax Hive resource →Either way, you decide. We prepare you and connect you. We never take the decision out of your hands.
Some owners should sell by owner. If you have sold a business or a property before, know how to read a buyer's financials, and have a CPA and an attorney you trust, dealing directly with buyers keeps every dollar of the fee in your pocket. Owner Control supports that choice fully; Option 2 exists for exactly this owner.
Most owners are selling for the first time. The paperwork, the buyer vetting, the due diligence, and the closing are new, and each one is a place where a deal goes sideways. Many of those owners do what a homeowner does: sign with a licensed broker, hand over the process, and accept a large fee for the relief. What they rarely realize is that the broker's job is to list and market, not to vet. Serious buyers get lost in the noise, weak buyers waste months, and the exclusive agreement they signed binds them to pay the fee no matter who finds the buyer.
There is a third path. An ACE Deals consultant who sits on your side of the table, prepares you and your records, brings vetted buyers to you, and structures the process so you make every decision with full information. ACE Deals does not broker your transaction and does not make the decision for you. Its role is to make the direct conversation with a buyer work the way a first-time owner hopes it will.
What it costs
For owners. The assessment, the plan, the listing, and every introduction.
What a traditional broker typically charges, plus an exclusive listing agreement.
Typical range; brokers set their own fees.ACE Specialist success fee, Option 3 only, paid at closing. Adjusted by transaction size and complexity.
How the fee is paid: In every ACE transaction the success fee is agreed in writing before work begins and is paid at closing from the transaction, never as a deposit or an upfront charge. One recent example: an industrial property in Topeka, Kansas, that three commercial brokerages had listed without a sale. ACE found the buyer, structured the transaction, and it closed and funded at $5.5 million. ACE's success fee and the referral partner's fee were each paid at closing. Every transaction is different; this is one example, not a promise.
Owner questions
Learn how private deal search, value planning, business improvement, succession, and sale preparation work.
Broker search starts with a represented sale process. Proprietary search starts with the owner’s goals and a private introduction process.
See our partners
A licensed business or real estate broker usually represents the seller under an engagement agreement.
The broker manages marketing, confidentiality agreements, buyer screening, bids, indications of interest, letters of intent, negotiations, and deadlines.
Broad or targeted marketing attracts multiple buyers and supports competitive bidding. Listed opportunities often receive attention from many buyers.
Broker commissions, legal expenses, administration, and other professional fees form part of the transaction economics.
See our platform
The process begins with the owner’s preferred outcome: grow, recapitalize, add a partner, plan succession, take partial liquidity, or sell.
No public listing is required. The owner approves each qualified buyer or searcher before a direct conversation begins.
The platform connects approved owners and buyers without taking control of their relationship or forcing a represented sale process.
Underwriting, deal structure, financing, tax planning, legal work, diligence, and closing support enter when requested.
Option 3. Consultant guided
Choose Option 3 before meeting buyers, or after an initial conversation, when you prefer professional guidance instead of managing the process alone.
An ACE Specialist is an ACE Deals consultant and Business Strength Specialist, short for Accelerated Commercial Equity Specialist. Your specialist leads the strategy on your behalf and develops practical scenarios around your immediate needs and long range goals. Paths include strengthening and keeping the business, adding an operating or equity partner, transferring ownership to family or management, taking partial liquidity, or completing a sale.
ACE Deals consultants called ACE Specialists understand the financial, operational, and structural qualities qualified buyers, lenders, and private equity partners seek. Your specialist coordinates qualified partners, strengthens bankability and transferable value, and shapes the exit or legacy strategy around your goals.
You approve every introduction, every term, and every final decision.
Your information. Your timing. Your introductions. Your terms. Your decision.
The difference is the assignment you give the professional, how your business reaches buyers, when compensation is earned, and how much control you retain. Owners with transaction experience often prefer the direct owner path. Owners who want guidance without beginning with a traditional listing process often select Option 3.
Choose the broker path when you want a licensed broker to recommend a listing strategy, market the opportunity, manage buyer inquiries, and organize offers. Compensation, representation, and any exclusivity requirements are defined in the broker agreement and vary by engagement.
Choose the consultant-guided path when you want private preparation before, or instead of, broad market exposure. Your ACE Specialist reviews operations, financial quality, ownership goals, related real estate, bankability, and transferability.
Your specialist identifies practical steps to improve EBITDA or NOI, reduce owner dependence, organize documents, clarify the capital structure, and position the opportunity for a suitable buyer or equity partner.
Option 3 does not require a traditional exclusive broker listing. You approve the resources, introductions, structure, and final terms. Consultant compensation is normally a 3% success fee for a completed transaction. The exact rate, services, and payment trigger are adjusted for transaction size and complexity and documented in writing before work begins.
Choose Option 1 for a managed listing. Choose Option 3 for owner-controlled preparation, private matching, and success-based transaction support.
Each has a defined role. Owner Control is the independent platform organizing readiness, information access, and introductions. ACE Capital is ACE Deals' buyer vetting function. An ACE Specialist is an ACE Deals consultant who advises the owner when the consultant-guided path is selected. These separate responsibilities keep your decision authority clear.
Owner Control provides the private platform where owners meet approved buyers or equity partners. Its core role is limited to organizing readiness, information access, and introductions unless you request additional support. Before an opportunity goes live, the owner furnishes the requested financial, operating, ownership, and property information. You decide who receives access and when each conversation begins.
Document indicators: A check beside a requested financial item means the document is available. The check does not represent an audit, valuation, or guarantee of accuracy.
ACE Capital is ACE Deals' buyer vetting function. It reviews the prospective buyer or partner at the appropriate stage. Depending on the transaction stage, the review includes identity, acquisition criteria, proof of funds, lender or equity support, proposed transaction range, and source of capital.
Capital readiness: Financing, capital expenditure planning, and final funding remain subject to underwriting, due diligence, documentation, and approval by the parties and funding sources.
The ACE Specialist serves as an ACE Deals consultant and the owner’s Business Strength Specialist under Option 3. Your specialist reviews financial quality, operations, business value drivers, capital structure, and exit goals, then coordinates appropriate professional resources and transaction scenarios.
Owner authority: The specialist guides and coordinates the process without limiting your choices. You approve the strategy, prospective parties, disclosures, structure, and final decision.
One private platform. Three defined roles. Your approval controls every major step.
Start before you list. We review where your business stands today, what drives value, what limits financing, and which changes support a stronger exit. You receive initial recommended actions at no cost, whether you plan to sell, transfer ownership, add a partner, or keep growing.
Review revenue, normalized earnings, debt, working capital, customer concentration, owner dependence, contracts, systems, management, and any real estate connected to operations.
This produces a preliminary planning range. A qualified valuation professional completes any formal valuation required for financing, tax, legal, or transaction purposes.Build cleaner financials, predictable cash flow, documented operations, management depth, customer stability, and lender readiness.
For an operating business, strengthen transferable EBITDA or seller’s discretionary earnings. For income property, strengthen net operating income, or NOI.Compare a family or friend transition, an operating or equity partner who assumes control, a partial sale, or a complete sale.
Your structure might provide proceeds at closing, scheduled monthly or annual seller payments, retained ownership income, or a combination.Improve performance and financing readiness while preserving ownership.
Prepare a family member, friend, or operator to assume responsibility under a planned transition.
Match with capital and operating talent while defining control, income, and timing.
Present a stronger, transferable business to qualified buyers under terms you approve.
Prepare early. Improve transferability. Choose the exit on your terms.
A direct sale should never mean an unverified buyer. Technology gives us faster access to business history, public records, professional experience, references, financing relationships, and acquisition activity. Online information is only the starting point. Owner Control uses a staged review before a buyer receives sensitive information or enters serious negotiations.
Confirm the buyer’s identity, business entity, ownership, operating history, relevant industry experience, acquisition record, professional references, and required credentials.
Match evidence to the proposed structure. Review proof of funds, lender prequalification, equity support, acquisition budget, and the source of any outside capital.
Require a signed confidentiality agreement, clear acquisition criteria, a realistic timeline, an operating plan, and direct answers about financing and decision authority.
You approve each introduction and each level of information access. Speak directly with the buyer, or ask your consultant to organize and guide the conversation.
ACE Capital support letter
Where appropriate, ACE Capital plans to provide a structured letter describing the buyer relationship, proposed transaction range, and stated financing path. The letter helps establish context and intent.
A letter of support or interest does not equal proof of funds, loan approval, or committed capital unless the document states a firm commitment. Separate financial verification still applies before major transaction milestones.
Direct path. You meet an approved buyer one on one after confidentiality and initial qualification.
Consultant guided path. Your ACE specialist coordinates the review, structures the strongest owner outcome, and prepares the buyer conversation.
Evidence before access. Verification before commitment. Your approval before every next step.