M&A advisory for owners exploring their options before they sell
We advise owners of accounting and advisory practices, RIAs and wealth management groups, and entertainment business management firms with timing, fit, and the decisions that come before a sale.
You don't have to be ready to sell to talk to us
Some of our conversations begin years before anything happens. An owner is not weighing a term sheet. He is working out what he has, what his options are, and whether now is even the right time.
Sometimes the right answer is a transaction. Sometimes it is to keep building the firm. We are comfortable with both, and we stay in touch either way.
THE INDUSTRIES WE WORK WITH
We understand the firms behind the financials
In professional services, a firm’s value goes well beyond the numbers. It comes from its client relationships, its people, its reputation, and the team clients trust to be there long after a deal is done. That’s why understanding the industry matters.
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Accounting and <br> Advisory Practices
Succession, combinations and ownership transitions, from boutique practices to regional firms. The market we have specialized in for over a decade.
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Entertainment Business Management Firms
Transactions involving firms that manage the financial affairs of talent, artists and entertainment professionals.
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RIAs and Wealth Management Groups
Ownership transitions and strategic combinations involving independent advisors and wealth management practices.
How an acquisition search works
From acquisition criteria to owner conversations, the goal is to create the right opportunities, not the longest list.
01
Define the acquisition criteria
We start with what you are trying to acquire and why. That can include sector, geography, capabilities and the strategic rationale behind the search.
02
Define the search area
We agree on the geography, niche and profile, then identify which firms are relevant to approach.
03
Contact the relevant owners
We work through the agreed search area directly rather than relying only on opportunities already available to buyers.
04
Understand interest
We determine whether an owner is genuinely open to a conversation and what is driving that interest.
05
Make targeted introductions
When there is enough alignment, we bring the parties together with context around why the conversation may make sense.
Two ways a firm grows. One view of the market.
Navigate M&A Advisors did not start as a plan to open a transaction business. In 2018 a firm owner Steve had worked with for many years called to say he was thinking about selling, and asked what he should do. The answer followed the same approach Steve had used in executive search for years: listen, understand what the person actually wants, know the market, and make the right introduction.
A firm grows in two ways. Organically, by adding the right people. Strategically, by combining with someone else. We work on both, which means we see these markets from the staff level to the partner level to the owner. We hear why people stay, why they leave, and where succession is quietly breaking down, and that comes with us into every conversation about a transaction.
THE PARTNERS
The conversation starts with a partner
Steve and John began working together in 2015 and founded Navigate in 2023.
Steve Silverman
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Steve entered recruitment in 2012 and has spent his career with professional services firms, with particular depth in CPA and public accounting. His work spans partner and executive search, firm growth, acquisitions and combinations, and the change in the accounting market before and through the arrival of private equity.
John Gaw
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
John began recruiting straight out of college and worked at four firms before co-founding Navigate. His experience covers public accounting, entertainment business management, wealth management and family office, and he works directly with owners and buyers across the United States.
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
Recent experience in the CPA & public accounting industry
Our work includes a range of transactions and advisory engagements across the CPA and public accounting market, from internal succession and boutique firm combinations to regional sales and private equity-backed transactions.
While client confidentiality limits what we can disclose, the examples listed highlight the types of situations we have helped clients navigate.
Acquisition of a boutique CPA firm by a new investment company, providing capital for expansion with the leadership team and client relationships intact
Merger of an established practice into a regional leader, broadening its service offering and market reach
Employee buyout of a 30-year-old CPA firm, allowing senior partners to transition out under internal succession
Merger of two boutique practices with complementary niches
Sale of a regional firm to a capital-backed accounting roll-up
Advised private equity firms on CPA market dynamics, talent strategy and post-transaction leadership retention
Thinking about what comes next?
Whether you’re planning for retirement, considering succession, responding to an offer, or just trying to understand your options, we’re happy to talk it through.
An initial conversation is not a commitment to pursue a transaction.
Looking to acquire?
We also work with accounting firms, private equity groups, capital-backed platforms, investment companies, wealth management firms, family offices, and individual buyers seeking acquisition opportunities nationwide.