Middle Market Smart – Episode 3 (Part 1 of 2): The M&A Playbook for Middle Market Leaders
The M&A Playbook for Middle Market Leaders | Mark Ianni & Mark Beliczky (CXO Partners)
Middle market M&A activity is at an all-time high, and for most founders and CEOs, the conversation starts the same way: an unexpected call, an attractive number, and a process they were not prepared for. The headlines focus on billion-dollar transactions, but the real action lives in the 200,000 businesses between $10M and $100M in revenue, where private equity and strategic buyers are most active, capital is abundant, and generational ownership transitions are happening at a scale this country has never seen.
In this episode of Middle Market Smart, our team sat down with Mark Ianni and Mark Beliczky of CXO Partners, two executives with decades of experience on both sides of the deal table. In Part 1, they cover what is actually driving middle market deal activity right now, what sellers should be asking beyond valuation, how to qualify a buyer before you open a data room, and why culture and people derail more transactions than financials ever do.