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Engagements & Fees

How We Work —
and What It Costs.

No mystery, no pressure. Start small with a fixed-fee engagement, or step into full sell-side advisory when a transaction is in play. Here's exactly how the relationship is structured.

For Owners Who Are Years Out

Owner's Compass

A low-commitment membership for owners of $500K–$2M firms who want to build value steadily and be ready when the time comes. Month-to-month — stay as long as it's useful.

Membership
$497 / month

Month-to-month. No long-term commitment. Cancel anytime.

Start a Conversation

What's included

  • Quarterly valuation snapshot
  • Monthly group office hours
  • Exit readiness scorecard
  • Resource library access
  • One ad-hoc advisory call per quarter
Fixed-Scope Engagements

Know Exactly What You're Buying

Clear deliverables, fixed fees, no open-ended meters. Most owners begin here — and many never need more.

Most Popular Starting Point

Valuation Snapshot

$2,500 one-time

An enterprise-value range built on EBITDA normalization and real security-industry comparables. The fastest way to learn what your business is actually worth.

  • EV range with normalization
  • Security-sector comparables
  • Delivered fast
Request a Snapshot
Two-Week Sprint

Exit Readiness Audit

$5,000 one-time

A buyer's-eye review of the things that decide your valuation — before a buyer's diligence team finds them. Ends with a 15-page report and a walkthrough.

  • Financials & contract risk
  • Customer concentration
  • Licensing transferability
  • 15-page report + walkthrough
Book the Audit
90-Day Sprint

Get Ready to List

$10,000 fixed

A focused 90-day program that ends with your firm genuinely market-ready — financials clean, risks addressed, story built. Designed to flow straight into a sale.

  • Everything in the Audit
  • Value-driver remediation
  • Market-ready in 90 days
Start the Sprint
AI Advisory

Adopt AI Responsibly

Advisory and training to help your security company use AI well — lower cost now, higher value at exit. Strategy and guardrails, not software. Full detail on the AI for Security Companies page.

Start Here

AI Opportunity & Risk Assessment

$4,500 one-time

Where AI saves cost and adds value in your operation, plus a responsible-use risk audit — ending in a vendor-neutral roadmap and a valuation-impact note.

  • Use-case prioritization for your ops
  • Responsible-use & data risk audit
  • Vendor-neutral roadmap
Request an Assessment
Train the Team

Responsible-AI Workshop + Policy

$3,500 one-time

A working session that teaches your team to use AI safely, delivered with a written acceptable-use policy tailored to a security operation.

  • Hands-on team training
  • Tailored acceptable-use policy
  • Reference materials your team keeps
Book the Workshop

Ongoing AI guidance is available as a $300–$500/mo add-on to Owner's Compass.

When a Transaction Is in Play

Retained Sell-Side Advisory

When you're ready to take your company to market, we run the full process as your advisor — from positioning through close. Engagements are structured around your transaction and your timeline, with a modest retainer that funds the work and a success fee aligned to the value of the deal. We earn the most when you do.

The structure is straightforward, in line with lower-middle-market norms, and explained in plain terms in our first conversation — never a surprise, never buried in fine print.

Engagement-based · discussed confidentially
Discuss an Engagement

What full advisory includes

  • Dedicated 1:1 advisory cadence
  • Financial normalization & KPI dashboard
  • Buyer universe mapping & peer benchmarking
  • Active, confidential buyer outreach
  • CIM & teaser preparation
  • LOI negotiation support
  • Diligence coordination through close

See the full path on the Sell Your Company page.

Fees, Plainly

What Owners Ask About Cost

How much does it cost to sell a security company?

Most owners start with a fixed-fee engagement — a $2,500 Valuation Snapshot, a $5,000 Exit Readiness Audit, or a $10,000 Get Ready to List sprint. Full sell-side advisory is engagement-based, structured around your transaction, and includes a success fee aligned to the deal. We walk you through the exact structure on the first call.

Do you charge upfront, or only when the deal closes?

Both, by design. The fixed-fee products and the membership fund the preparation work; retained advisory pairs a modest retainer with a success fee that ties our outcome to yours. You're never paying a large fee with nothing to show for it.

What's a fair advisory fee for a sale my size?

Lower-middle-market M&A advisory generally combines a retainer with a success fee scaled to enterprise value. Ours is in line with industry norms and explained plainly before anything begins — with no obligation to proceed.

I'm years away from selling. Is it too early?

No — that's the ideal time. The Owner's Compass membership ($497/mo) is built exactly for owners who want to build value and stay ready without committing to a full engagement.

Operator to Operator

Not sure where to start? Neither were most of our clients.

A confidential call sorts it out in fifteen minutes — what fits, what it costs, and whether now is even the right time.

Schedule a Confidential Call