How I Fund Every Deal

TLDR: The Deal Stack is a way to buy any businesses with or wwithout using your own cash. It layers creative strategies, like seller financing, SBA loans, and earnouts, into a single, optimized offer. By analyzing key deal traits like cash flow, assets, seller goals, and timing, it unlocks structures that fund themselves and scale fast. It's how modern entrepreneurs acquire smarter. In today’s market, where motivated sellers and distressed opportunities abound, the Deal Stack functions as a negotiation blueprint, funding engine, and competitive advantage. It turns complex deals into win-win structures that unlock exponential growth without requiring massive capital.

Introducing the Deal Stack: The Art & Science of Structuring Creative Acquisitions

If you’re like most ambitious entrepreneurs I work with, you want to grow fast. Not incrementally, but exponentially. And there's one strategy I’ve used again and again to do just that, with almost no money out of pocket: the Deal Stack.

This isn’t just theory. It’s the exact method I’ve used to close hundreds of deals across dozens of industries. Whether you’re just beginning or scaling your acquisition empire, this is your roadmap.

What Is a Deal Stack?

At its core, a Deal Stack is the intentional layering of funding and value strategies to structure a business acquisition with the least amount of cash required from the buyer…often zero.

Think of it like building a custom cocktail, where each ingredient, seller financing, SBA loans, earnouts, consulting offsets, asset carve-outs, adds a different flavor, strength, and purpose.

The right stack isn’t just about funding the deal. It’s about building trust with sellers, aligning incentives, managing risk, and creating optionality. This is how we turn complexity into clarity.

How the Deal Stack Actually Works

Here’s how I think about it when I structure any deal:

1. I don’t ask "Can I afford this deal?"
   I ask, "How can I creatively fund this deal using what the business has, what the seller wants, and what I bring to the table?"

2. I start with a strategy core:
   In this example, something like: 60% SBA 7(a), 20% seller financing, 20% buyer/investor equity.

3. Then I layer in creative modifiers:
   A 10% earnout tied to performance. A working capital adjustment that reduces the price. A consulting agreement to offset the cash at closing. An asset carve-out to reduce purchase price. Maybe a “pipe wrench” that earns me equity without capital.

4. Finally, I prepare fallback stacks:
   If the seller won’t carry paper? Maybe we bring in a co-investor. If the SBA timeline is too slow? I might use a bridge loan or factoring to fast-track the close.

Each layer solves a specific challenge, financing, negotiation, seller objections, due diligence gaps, tax strategy. That’s the power of the Deal Stack. It’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s engineered for the deal in front of you.

The Strategic Framework

To create a winning Deal Stack, we look at some core factors:

• Cash Flow & Profitability: Can the business support debt service?

• Asset Base: Are there real assets (inventory, AR, equipment, real estate) we can leverage or carve out?

• Revenue Profile: Is revenue recurring, project-based, seasonal, growing, or flat?

• Seller Preferences: Do they want cash up front? Will they stay on? Do they care about legacy or just want out?

• Buyer Constraints: Are you using your own capital, partners, credit, or creative equity?

• Deal Timing: Are we pre-LOI (maximum flexibility) or post-due diligence (narrower path)?

This is your deal diagnostic, the framework that determines which of the creative funding strategies in the playbook make the cut.

What Goes Into the Stack?

There are several key elements I commonly combine in a Deal Stack to minimize out-of-pocket costs and maximize deal flexibility. These include seller financing strategies such as carrybacks, earnouts, and equity rollovers; debt instruments like SBA 7(a) and 504 loans, traditional bank financing, asset-based lending (ABL), and mezzanine debt; and equity participation through investor capital, special purpose vehicles (SPVs), and co-investors.

I also integrate internal financing options, for example, sale-leasebacks, accounts receivable factoring, and working capital adjustments. To further enhance structure, I often apply creative levers such as “pipe wrench” equity arrangements, earn-ins, consigned assets, deferred payments, and seller consulting offsets.

With over 220 creative funding strategies cataloged in our playbook, the possibilities are vast. The objective isn’t to memorize every tactic, but to be aware of the full toolkit so you can structure a stack that best fits the specific deal at hand.

Why This Matters Right Now

We are in the greatest buyer’s market in 50 years. Retiring Baby Boomers. Distressed owners. Debt-leveraged rollups looking to divest. If you’re not stacking deals creatively, you’re simply not competing.

You don’t need millions in the bank. You need a framework, creativity, and strategic execution. That’s what the Deal Stack gives you.

Your Next Move?

Whether you’re looking at your first deal or your fiftieth, the Deal Stack gives you a tactical advantage.

It’s your negotiation blueprint. Your funding engine. Your path to asymmetric upside with minimal downside.

Thinking About Exiting Your Business?
You’ve built something incredible—now it’s time to make sure you get the most from your exit. We’ve helped countless entrepreneurs maximize their business sales, ensuring they walk away with more than just a deal—they walk away with the best deal possible.

Want to see what’s possible for you? Schedule a complimentary call (click here) today to see how I can help you get the most out of your exit.

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