Weeks Weekly with Ed Weeks Jr.

Ed Weeks, Jr.
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Weeks Weekly with Ed Weeks Jr. Most owners do one major deal. The other side does it for a living. Weeks Weekly with Ed Weeks Jr. is about the decisions that can materially change what a business is worth — growth, capital, acquisitions, succession and M&A. Ed Weeks Jr. is the founder of Weeks Consulting Group and works with owners of established $2M–$20M+ businesses navigating consequential decisions about their companies and what comes next. Drawing on 30+ years across Wall Street, operating companies, sales, marketing, entrepreneurship and M&A, Ed looks at what actually happens when ownership, money and deals collide. Episodes explore the questions established business owners eventually face: - Is growth actually making the company more valuable? - What would the business be worth without the owner? - When does outside capital make sense — and when doesn't it? - Should you buy a competitor instead of building organically? - What do buyers, lenders and investors see that owners often don't? - How do you evaluate an unsolicited offer? - What makes a business transferable? - When should you hold, grow, acquire, recapitalize, bring in a partner or sell? Some episodes are Ed breaking down a real owner problem or market dynamic. Others are conversations with owners, buyers, capital providers and professionals who spend their careers on the other side of these decisions. This isn't a show about rushing owners toward an exit. It's about optionality. Build a stronger company. Understand what it's worth. Know what choices are available to you before you need to make one. New episodes weekly. Not sure what your next move should be? Take the Business Optionality Assessment: edweeksjr.com/assessment Weeks Consulting Group: edweeksjr.com Weeks Weekly newsletter: weeksweekly.substack.com Build a more valuable company. Create more options.

  1. 5h ago

    Same EBITDA, Different Price: What Actually Sets Your Multiple

    Why two companies with the same $2 million of EBITDA can sell millions apart, and the five things buyers actually price. Two companies each earn about $2 million of EBITDA. One sells for $8 million. The other sells for $14 million. Same earnings. A $6 million difference in value. Why? In this episode of Weeks Weekly, Ed Weeks Jr. breaks down what actually determines the multiple a buyer is willing to pay, using current M&A market data and lessons from real business transactions. You'll learn: The five factors buyers evaluate: recurring revenue, management depth, EBITDA add-backs, customer concentration, and financial quality. Why business size and buyer type influence valuation multiples. How owner dependency can reduce what buyers are willing to pay. Why the headline purchase price and the cash you receive at closing can be very different. What business owners can do now to improve value, even if they aren't planning to sell. The two-company comparison is illustrative, but the underlying valuation principles have real financial consequences. 00:00 Intro 00:19 Two $2 Million Companies: $8 Million vs. $14 Million 01:15 What the Market Is Paying 02:39 Five Questions Every Buyer Asks 05:03 What Makes a Business Worth More 05:41 Headline Price vs. Cash at Closing 06:41 What Business Owners Should Do Now 07:44 Outro Read the full article: https://edweeksjr.com/same-ebitda-different-price/ Research and sources: TagniFi PowerComps Q2 2026: https://peprofessional.com/2026/08/private-equity-buyers-pay-up-for-small-add-ons-as-middle-market-multiples-climb-to-6-9x/ GF Data Q2 2026: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gfdata_acg-privateequity-pe-activity-7506424956235333632-1Q8H PitchBook, Construction & Engineering: https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/ai-data-center-boom-private-equity-deals-electrical-hvac SRS Acquiom Deal Terms Study: https://www.srsacquiom.com/our-insights/deal-terms-study/ SRS Acquiom Earnout Trends: https://www.srsacquiom.com/our-insights/ma-earnout-milestone-trends/ IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-market-pulse-survey-q2-2026-reports-the-latest-trends-in-business-sales-up-to-50m-302858664.html About the host Ed Weeks Jr. is the founder of Weeks Consulting Group, advising business owners, buyers, and capital partners on valuation, acquisitions, exits, and strategic decisions. https://edweeksjr.com General education only. Not legal, tax, or investment advice.

    Same EBITDA, Different Price: What Actually Sets Your Multiple

  2. 5h ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

    Introducing Why Is America Different Than Every Other Country When It Comes to Guns? from The Oprah Podcast. Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast BUY THE BOOK!  The American Way of Killing by Malcolm Gladwell ⁠https://amzn.to/4jvQMuE⁠  Malcolm Gladwell - one of America’s foremost thought leaders - examines our country’s obsession with guns and the devastating toll gun violence has taken on our communities. In his new book, The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic, Malcolm challenges some of our most deeply held beliefs about American gun violence: what we’re missing about the root cause of most violence, how modern medicine is obscuring the reality of the problem, why the answer might be more police—not less—and how we’ve lost sight of the historical context surrounding the Second Amendment. Oprah and Malcolm speak with a Chicago based E.R. doctor who lost 15 close friends and family members to gun violence. He teaches students as young as fourth grade how to treat a gunshot wound. This episode also offers some common sense solutions to a seemingly intractable problem. 00:00:00 - Welcome Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The American Way of Killing” 00:04:20 - European vs. American police 00:08:50 - Stats around more police 00:09:50 - Malcolm’s experience with guns 00:13:30 - Welcome Dr. Pratt 00:16:33 - Talking to kids about gun violence 00:19:15 - Changing gun violence 00:21:00 - Treating gun shot wounds 00:25:13 - The 2nd amendment 00:29:00 - Crime vs. violence 00:33:45 - Instrumental vs. expressive violence 00:40:00 - Are we learning from our mistakes? 00:43:00 - The gun problem is not unsolvable Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

  3. Sep 28

    Paper Before Price: New SBA Rules, a Rate Hike, and Your Exit Options

    New SBA acquisition lending rules take effect October 1, and they put a seller's last fiscal year or two at the center of whether an SBA buyer can get financed. Add a September rate hike and tighter private equity leverage, and deal structure matters more than it did a few months ago. Ed covers three ideas for owners of established companies. Historical performance increasingly decides financeability. Structure matters more when debt is tighter. And your financials and diligence materials need to be ready before a buyer puts a price in front of you. He also talks about the household clock and the company clock, and why the owners with the most options are the ones whose company clock is ahead. General education, not legal, tax, or lending advice. Confirm SBA specifics with your lender. Host: Ed Weeks Jr. Weeks Consulting Group https://edweeksjr.com Sources: - U.S. Small Business Administration, SOP 50 10 8.1, Lender and Development Company Loan Programs with Technical Policy Updates, effective October 1, 2026 (Appendix 15, 7(a) Changes of Ownership): https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-10-lender-development-company-loan-programs - SBA Information Notice 5000-882227, Issuance of Technical Updates to SOP 50 10 8.1 (published September 25, 2026): https://www.sba.gov/document/information-notice-5000-882227-issuance-technical-updates-sop-50-10-81 - NAGGL, "SBA Publishes SOP 50 10 8.1 with Technical Policy Updates" (September 25, 2026): https://www.naggl.org/sop-update-sba-publishes-sop-50-10-8-1-with-technical-policy-updates/ - Federal Reserve, FOMC statement (September 16, 2026): https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20260916a.htm - CNBC, "Fed approves interest rate hike, signals one more to come this year" (September 16, 2026): https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/16/fed-rate-decision-september-2026.html - GF Data Q2 2026 M&A and Leverage Reports, via ACG (August 27, 2026): https://www.acg.org/news-trends/news/gf-data-reports-show-steady-middle-market-deal-flow-amid-more-selective - IBBA and M&A Source, Market Pulse Survey Q2 2026 (August 25, 2026): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-market-pulse-survey-q2-2026-reports-the-latest-trends-in-business-sales-up-to-50m-302858664.html - BNY Wealth, Structuring the Sale, survey of 354 deal advisors conducted by The Harris Poll, via InvestmentNews (September 25, 2026): https://www.investmentnews.com/practice-management/private-business-owners-selling-now-are-often-unprepared-bny-survey-says/268367

    Paper Before Price: New SBA Rules, a Rate Hike, and Your Exit Options

  4. Sep 22

    A Handshake is not Economics.

    Owners get burned when introductions go out before four answers are on paper: 1. Who owns the relationship after the intro? 2. What is each party responsible for? 3. How is everyone compensated if something real happens? 4. What happens if progress stops? Good intent is not commercial infrastructure. When social agreements get treated like process, three things tend to follow: - money shows up and memory gets creative; - nothing shows up and reputation was already spent; - or the path stalls and the owner is parked with no written way back to a decision. Operating standards from this episode: - Write the economics before the introductions. - Agree the floor before shared work or shared lists. - Protect the return path before a soft handoff. Owners do not need more introductions. They need introductions that can still produce a decision if the first path fails. Host: Ed Weeks Jr. Weeks Consulting Group https://edweeksjr.com

    A Handshake is not Economics.

  5. Sep 16

    Sell, Grow, or Take Capital?

    A business owner is deciding whether to sell his company or keep growing it. But what if those aren't the only two choices? In this episode of Weeks Weekly, Ed Weeks looks at the decision that should come before the transaction. An owner might sell. But they might also bring in capital, recapitalize, acquire a competitor, build a management team, take some liquidity off the table—or simply keep the damn company. The real question isn't "Should I sell?" It's: What am I actually trying to accomplish, and which choices do I need to preserve to get there? Ed also explores why financial reporting, owner dependency, access to capital and management depth aren't merely "exit readiness" issues. They determine how many good choices an owner has while they still own the business. Plus, why the experience gap matters when a transaction finally does happen: Most owners will do one major transaction in their lifetime. Everyone else at the table does this for a living. Weeks Consulting Group works with established business owners navigating growth, acquisitions, capital, succession and M&A. Better decisions for business owners.

  6. Sep 11

    Your Best Year Could Be Your Most Dangerous Year

    Your best year in business might also be your most dangerous. Revenue is up. Sales are strong. The backlog is full. You're hiring, buying equipment and taking on bigger customers. So why is there less cash in the bank? In this episode of Weeks Weekly with Ed Weeks Jr., Ed breaks down one of the most misunderstood problems in a growing business - growth consumes cash before it produces cash. Using the example of a $5 million business growing toward $6 million, Ed explains how payroll, equipment, materials, receivables and customer payment terms can create a working-capital squeeze even while the income statement looks great. You'll hear why owners should pay attention to: • The cash conversion cycle • Working-capital requirements • Receivables and payment terms • Customer concentration • Margin quality • Owner dependency • The difference between growing revenue and growing business value Because the real question isn't simply whether your company is getting bigger. Is it becoming a better business — and is it creating more options for you as the owner? Ed also explains why these issues matter long before you're thinking about selling. Lenders, investors, partners and eventual buyers all evaluate the quality of growth differently than an owner looking at top-line revenue. Weeks Weekly with Ed Weeks Jr. is for owners of established $2M–$20M+ businesses navigating growth, capital, acquisitions, succession and M&A. Most owners do one major deal. The other side does it for a living. Not sure what your next move should be? Take the Business Optionality Assessment: edweeksjr.com/assessment Weeks Consulting Group: edweeksjr.com Weeks Weekly: weeksweekly.substack.com Build a more valuable company. Create more options.

  7. Jun 17

    Stop Pretending "Sell and Stay" Is the Safe Play

    Thinking about what's next for your business? See what it's worth to a buyer with the free Exit Readiness Scorecard: edweeksjr.com/scorecard Most founders selling a $2M to $20M business think the headline number on the page is the win. It isn't. The real money lives in the parts that come later: the earnout, the rolled equity, the so-called second bite. And later only pays if the business keeps performing after you've stopped running it the way only you knew how. This week, Ed breaks down "the vacation tell," the pattern one acquirer noticed after buying up ten small companies and keeping the old owners on. About a year after each deal closed, those owners started taking the vacations they'd sworn for fifteen years they could never take. They weren't slacking. They'd exhaled. The weight was somebody else's now. As the buyer put it: they were cooked without telling me they were cooked. Ed connects that to the brutal math nobody puts in front of you at closing. SRS Acquiom found that of all the earnout money that could have been paid out across a pile of recent deals, only about 21 percent actually was. One dentist hit 97 percent of her revenue targets and collected 60 percent of her earnout. Miss the line by a hair and the box stays shut, in a business you no longer control. The trap is the cruel part: the exact engine that makes the back half of your deal pay at full power is the exact thing closing is designed to switch off. This episode is about seeing that clearly before you sign, and being honest about which version of the deal you're really walking into. Inside this episode: Why the relief you feel at closing is a leading indicator your number is about to shrink The 21-cents-on-the-dollar reality of earnouts most advisors won't say to your face Why "sell, stay, and ride it out" is the riskiest plan, not the safest What founders actually want when they stop chasing top dollar The only homework that matters this week if you're 54 to 58 and quietly thinking about it Legacy lasts longer than the wire transfer. Read the structure, not the headline. This isn't legal or financial advice. Use your own counsel. Every deal is its own animal. Ed Weeks Jr. is a buy-side M&A advisor and the principal of Weeks Consulting Group. Book an introductory call: https://calendly.com/ed-edweeksjr/introductory-call

  8. Jun 10

    We Hated PE. So We Became the Buyer.

    Thinking about what's next for your business? See what it's worth to a buyer with the free Exit Readiness Scorecard: edweeksjr.com/scorecard Two guys hated private equity so much they built the thing that hunts you. I got one of them on a call this week, and about ten minutes in he said something that rearranged how I think about founders, fear, and money. This is the story of an operator who started a managed IT shop in 2010, built it customer by customer to 75 people and $12M a year, and kept getting the same call once a month: some firm he'd never heard of wanting to buy his life's work so they could "optimize" it. Most owners do one of two things with that fear. They ignore it, or they cave. He picked a third door. He became the buyer. In this episode: The humility test: the one question to ask any buyer or capital partner, then shut up and listen Why "take the money, keep the controls" are two different products that come bundled, and how to buy them separately The vacation tell: the moment a seller checks out, even the ones who swear they're staying Operator vs checkbook, and why the best deals go to the most believable owner, not the highest bidder The second bite: why the quiet fortune is in the rollover, not the check at closing Free essay (Weeks Weekly): https://substack.com/home/post/p-201129131 The 7 contract terms playbook (paid issue): https://substack.com/home/post/p-201436597 If this one lands, send it to one operator who needs to hear it. That's the whole marketing plan. FIPO. F**k it, press on.

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About

Weeks Weekly with Ed Weeks Jr. Most owners do one major deal. The other side does it for a living. Weeks Weekly with Ed Weeks Jr. is about the decisions that can materially change what a business is worth — growth, capital, acquisitions, succession and M&A. Ed Weeks Jr. is the founder of Weeks Consulting Group and works with owners of established $2M–$20M+ businesses navigating consequential decisions about their companies and what comes next. Drawing on 30+ years across Wall Street, operating companies, sales, marketing, entrepreneurship and M&A, Ed looks at what actually happens when ownership, money and deals collide. Episodes explore the questions established business owners eventually face: - Is growth actually making the company more valuable? - What would the business be worth without the owner? - When does outside capital make sense — and when doesn't it? - Should you buy a competitor instead of building organically? - What do buyers, lenders and investors see that owners often don't? - How do you evaluate an unsolicited offer? - What makes a business transferable? - When should you hold, grow, acquire, recapitalize, bring in a partner or sell? Some episodes are Ed breaking down a real owner problem or market dynamic. Others are conversations with owners, buyers, capital providers and professionals who spend their careers on the other side of these decisions. This isn't a show about rushing owners toward an exit. It's about optionality. Build a stronger company. Understand what it's worth. Know what choices are available to you before you need to make one. New episodes weekly. Not sure what your next move should be? Take the Business Optionality Assessment: edweeksjr.com/assessment Weeks Consulting Group: edweeksjr.com Weeks Weekly newsletter: weeksweekly.substack.com Build a more valuable company. Create more options.

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