Description

Most owners of middle market businesses will run a sale process or raise institutional capital a handful of times. The people on the other side of the table do it constantly. That asymmetry shapes everything about how these transactions go.

Completing the Deal is Matt Andersen’s account of what happens inside those processes. Drawing on decades of advising founder-owned companies, he walks through how buyers and lenders actually build their view of a business, what drives value beyond the multiple, where transactions stall or fall apart, and which terms end up mattering more than price.

The book is written specifically for the middle market, which are companies large enough to attract serious capital, small enough that the owner is still personally in every conversation. That’s a different set of problems than either a small business sale or a large-cap transaction, and it’s the segment Matt has spent his career in.

Practical rather than theoretical, it’s meant to be read before a process starts, not after you’re in one.

About the author
Matt Andersen is the founder and CEO of Westlake Securities, an Austin-based investment bank advising founder-owned companies on M&A, capital raises, and growth strategy. He is also the author of Intentional Growth (Fast Company Press, Fall 2026).

Ordering copies for a group? Volume pricing starts at 10 copies for CEO forums, conferences, and university programs. [See bulk orders →]