Seller Side Advisor – Competitive Process – Southeast Specialist
SELL YOUR CHILD CARE BUSINESSÂ –
WITH THE SOUTHEAST’S MOST CREDENTIALED ADVISOR.
One buyer gives you one offer. A competitive process gives you the market. There is a significant difference between the two — and you only get one chance to find out which approach you used.
Already received a call from a chain or PE-backed operator? Don’t continue that conversation before reading what to do when a buyer contacts you directly. The steps you take in the first 48 hours matter more than most owners realize.
When a PE-backed chain or regional operator contacts you directly, they have one opening offer. It reflects what their acquisitions team believes you will accept — not necessarily the full market value of your business. Without competing buyers, you have no leverage, no benchmark, and no way to know what you left on the table.
A properly structured competitive process changes that equation entirely. Your business is confidentially presented to a curated pool of qualified buyers simultaneously. Those buyers compete. That competition is the single most powerful force driving sale prices upward — and it is the primary thing Donna’s process creates for every seller she represents.
Why the process matters —–
The difference between one buyer
and a competitive process
Selling your childcare business is the largest financial transaction of your life. The difference between a single-buyer negotiation and a competitive process with multiple qualified buyers is not theoretical — it shows up in the final price, the terms, and your peace of mind at closing. You cannot undo a bad sale. This decision deserves a thorough, professional process
How it works —-
Donna’s process, step by step
Confidential consultation — no obligation
You and Donna discuss your business, your goals, your timeline, and your concerns. Everything is completely confidential. No listing agreement is signed at this stage. You leave the first conversation with a clear picture of your options and what the process would look like for your specific situation.
Credentialed CVA business valuation
Before any marketing begins, Donna produces a rigorous, NACVA-credentialed valuation of your business — not a broker’s rule-of-thumb estimate. This valuation drives the asking price, supports the competitive process, and holds up under buyer due diligence. It is also the document that tells you, with precision, what your business is actually worth to the market.
Confidential buyer outreach and qualification
Donna confidentially presents your business to a curated pool of qualified buyers — regional chains, national operators, PE-backed platforms, and qualified individual buyers — using a professional offering memorandum. Every buyer signs a non-disclosure agreement before receiving any information about your business. Your identity and the existence of the sale                    remain confidential throughout.
Competitive offers and negotiation
Qualified buyers submit offers within a structured timeline. You choose from competing alternatives — not from a single take-it-or-leave-it proposal. Donna negotiates every term on your behalf: price, earn-out provisions, real estate treatment, staff retention commitments, transition timeline, and buyer licensing coordination.
Due diligence, contract, and closing
Once you select a buyer, Donna manages the due diligence process — coordinating with your attorney, the buyer’s team, lenders, and state licensing agencies. Childcare license transfers are state-specific and complex; Donna has navigated them in NC, SC, GA, VA, TN, and FL and knows exactly how to protect the timeline and your closing date.
What a competitive process produces —–
Better outcomes across every dimension
A higher sale price
Buyers compete when they know others are evaluating the same opportunity. That competition produces prices that reflect the true market — not the first offer from a single motivated acquirer.
Better terms
Earn-outs, real estate treatment, staff retention, transition timelines — all of these are negotiable. Competition gives you leverage on every one of them.
Full real estate value
If you own your building, Donna handles the real property as part of the same transaction — assessing sale-leaseback options and ensuring the real estate is valued separately, not bundled at terms that benefit the buyer.
Confidence at closing
Knowing you ran a thorough, professional process — and chose the best offer from real alternatives — means you close without second-guessing yourself. That matters more than most sellers expect.
Who this is for —–
Three types of sellers Donna represents
The owner approaching retirement
You have built your center over 20–35 years. You want to sell well, protect your staff, and retire with confidence. This is exactly what Donna’s process is designed to produce.
The owner who received a call
A chain or PE-backed operator reached out directly. You are already in a conversation you did not plan for. Donna’s first job in this situation is stopping the momentum long enough to understand your options.
The multi-site operator
You operate two to ten locations and want a portfolio sale or a phased exit. The complexity of a multi-site transaction — earn-outs, PE buyer due diligence, real estate across sites — is exactly where Donna’s CVA credential and M&A experience separate her from general brokers.
Already been approached by a buyer directly? Read Donna’s guide to what to do — and what not to do — when a chain contacts you first.
READY TO FIND OUT WHAT YOUR BUSINESS IS ACTUALLY WORTH?
Start with a confidential conversation. No obligation, no pressure — just clarity about your options and what a competitive process would look like for your specific situation.
(336) 617-3181 donna@solutions4childcare.com
Every inquiry is completely confidential.