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When you are buying a business, trust in the numbers is everything. You need to know the revenue is real, the profits are legitimate, and the books reflect the true financial position of the company you are buying — not just the story you’ve been told.
Most small companies are not audited or reviewed, which makes independent financial validation critical. Without qualified third-party assurance, you risk basing your decision on information that may be incomplete or presented in the seller’s favor.
When you sell a business, the same principle applies — but from the opposite side. Buyers will scrutinize your financials, and any gaps, inconsistencies, or unclear adjustments can lead to price reductions, delayed closings, or even failed deals. A sell-side quality of earnings review helps you present clear, accurate, and defensible numbers, so you can justify your asking price, minimize buyer pushback, and move through due diligence with confidence.
At Blue Ledger, we deliver tailored M&A financial due diligence for both buyers and sellers — helping you assess risk, validate performance, and maximize deal value.
We focus on deal size under $10 million, a segment often overlooked by larger Accounting firms that charge $25K+ for a quality of earnings report alone. Our approach offers the same level of technical rigor at a more accessible price point, backed by the responsiveness and attention your deal deserves.
Our work is limited to the financial and accounting aspects of due diligence. We do not provide legal, operational, market, or valuation advice, and we do not opine on whether you should proceed with the transaction.
- If you are buying a business: Our goal is to evaluate the integrity of the target’s financials and assess the quality of its earnings. The deliverable is a detailed report outlining our findings, adjustments, and any areas of concern.
- If you selling a business: Our engagement focuses on assessing your financials for exit-readiness. Buyers will look for weaknesses and inconsistencies — and if they find them, it can lower your valuation or stall the deal. If your records aren’t ready, we’ll help clean them up and prepare a defensible financial package that stands up to buyer scrutiny.
To serve you, we need access to, including but not limited to, your (or your target's) accounting system, tax returns, bank statements, payroll records, and key contracts, and debt / lease agreements.
Once we have the necessary information, we’ll move quickly with our analysis and prepare your final deliverable. We stay in close touch throughout the engagement — keeping you informed and working with you to address any questions that may come up along the way.
Usually 2–4 weeks. Timing depends on the complexity of the business and the availability of documents. When clients provide complete, organized records up front, the process tends to fall on the shorter end of that range.
While pricing can vary depending on the size of the deal, complexity of the business, the quality of the accounting data, as well as the scope of the review, clients can generally expect to invest between $5K - $15K.
Our report is prepared solely for the client who engages us and are designed to support your own decision-making in the transaction. While you may choose to share our findings with other advisors, our report is not intended to serve as a substitute for an audit or to be relied upon by lenders, investors, or third parties.
- For buyers, engaging us right after signing a letter of intent (LOI) allows time to identify and address issues before they impact valuation or terms.
- For sellers, engaging us months before going to market gives time for financial clean-up and preparation, strengthening your position and reducing buyer pushback.