Allan Taylor & Co.

What Allan Taylor & Co. does

Allan Taylor & Co. is a privately held, boutique M&A advisory and business brokerage firm founded in 2006 by Chris and Barbara Taylor in Rogers, Arkansas (Northwest Arkansas), operating nationally across the lower middle market. The firm serves founders and owners of privately held businesses — typically with $1M-$25M in annual gross sales and $250K-$5M in pre-tax earnings — who are seeking a full 100% exit via sale to an outside buyer. Its service offering is centered on a proprietary 7-step M&A process (Assess, Decide, Engage, Market, Negotiate, Manage, Celebrate), a Broker's Opinion of Value (BOV) methodology, and the production of investment-banking-quality Confidential Information Memoranda (CIMs) of 25-30 pages. The firm explicitly positions itself against high-volume business brokers by capping active engagements at 6-10 transactions at any time, and reports a ~91% close rate versus a ~20% industry average.

The business model is professional-services fee-for-transaction. Clients pay $3,500 for a standalone Business Valuation & Sellability Assessment, an upfront non-refundable engagement retainer of $5,000-$10,000, and a success fee structured as 10% of total transaction value for businesses selling at or below $2M, with custom flat-fee options for larger deals. The firm employs three senior advisors — co-founders Chris and Barbara Taylor and CPA John Dye (joined 2017) — all of whom are themselves former business owners who have sold their own companies. Go-to-market is relationship- and thought-leadership-driven, with sustained earned media presence in Forbes, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CBS MoneyWatch, and other national outlets since 2009, complemented by an email newsletter, free downloadable checklists and eBooks, and active social channels.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform, software product, mobile app, or disclosed AI capability. Its differentiation rests on human advisory expertise, process discipline, founder credibility as ex-sellers, and brand authority earned through national media publishing. The company is independently owned with no parent, no funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no subsidiaries; no mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring events are on record.

Name

Allan Taylor & Co.

Legal name

Allan Taylor & Company

Website

https://allantaylorbrokers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Allan Taylor & Co. is a privately held boutique M&A advisory firm in Rogers, Arkansas that helps lower-middle-market business owners ($1M-$25M sales) prepare, value, and sell their companies through a 7-step process, charging upfront retainers plus transaction-based success fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory and Business Brokerage

NAICS

Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA), Fairness Opinions & Independent Board Advice (FSAEAGAF), Fairness Opinions & Independent Financial Advice (BPAHAOAF)

Keywords

• Business valuation services
• M&A advisory services
• Business brokerage
• Exit planning consulting
• Lower middle market transactions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bentonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Business Valuation & Sellability Assessment: A standalone service with its own fee ($3,500). Includes a deep-dive financial and operational analysis, delivered approximately 2–3 weeks after all required information is received.
2. Upfront Retainer: Upon signing an engagement letter to sell the business, clients pay an upfront retainer (typically $5,000–$10,000 depending on business size and scope). Non-refundable. Covers marketing material creation costs (4–6 weeks of CIM development work).
3. Success Fee (Commission): Earned only upon successful sale of the business. Calculated as a percentage of total transaction value: 10% for businesses selling for $2M or less; for $2M+ value, a custom fee structure (flat-fee option available). This is the primary revenue stream and aligns firm incentives with client outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Allan Taylor & Co. is a boutique M&A advisory and business brokerage firm that helps U.S. lower middle market business owners sell their companies. Its core offerings are a standalone Business Valuation & Sellability Assessment (priced at $3,500) and full sell-side M&A advisory engagements structured around a proprietary 7-step process and delivered for an upfront retainer plus a success fee.

Product overview

Allan Taylor & Co. is a boutique M&A advisory and business brokerage firm serving the lower middle market since 2006. The company operates as a service-based firm rather than a software product company, offering a coordinated suite of business exit services centered around business valuation, M&A advisory, and the complete sales process. Their primary offerings include the Business Valuation & Sellability Assessment (BV&SA) and Broker's Opinion of Value (BOV), supported by their core M&A Advisory Services that guide business owners from preparation through closing. Additional offerings include formal Engagement Services with transparent fee structures, an educational eBook resource, and professional marketing deliverables including Confidential Information Memorandums (CIMs). The company specializes in businesses with $1M-$25M in annual sales and targets clients seeking complete ownership transitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Valuation & Sellability Assessment (BV&SA) / Broker's Opinion of Value (BOV) Standalone deep-dive valuation and sellability assessment analyzing the financial and operational performance of a privately-held business to determine an expected value range and sale-readiness recommendations; delivered for a $3,500 flat fee approximately two weeks after all required information is received.
• M&A Advisory Services (7-Step Sell-Side Engagement) End-to-end boutique M&A advisory and business brokerage engagement covering deal preparation, Confidential Information Memorandum creation, buyer identification and vetting, negotiation, due-diligence facilitation, and closing coordination for business owners pursuing a 100% buyout and exit.
• Formal Sell-Side Engagement (Retainer + Success Fee) Formal M&A engagement package combining a non-refundable upfront retainer (typically $5,000–$10,000, covering CIM development work) with a success fee of 10% of total transaction value for businesses selling at or below $2M, with custom flat-fee arrangements for larger deals; payable only upon a successful close.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% close rate (vs. ~20% industry average for brokered businesses)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sunbelt Business Acquisitions: The largest business brokerage network in North America, with hundreds of regional offices brokering lower middle market businesses. Direct competitor for the $1M-$25M revenue seller segment Allan Taylor serves, but operates at franchise scale with higher volume and lower average engagement intensity.
• Generational Group: The most direct US peer — a larger, multi-office boutique M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on lower middle market sell-side engagements ($10M-$250M deals). Operates with similar investment-banking-grade positioning, retainer + success-fee model, and multi-region advisor network, and competes for the same boomer-exit-driven seller demographic.
• VR Mergers & Acquisitions: A US business brokerage and M&A advisory franchise network serving small and lower middle market transactions. Overlaps directly with Allan Taylor's deal-size sweet spot and target buyer pool of independent and strategic acquirers.
• Transworld Business Advisors: International business brokerage franchise focused on main-street and lower middle market M&A and franchise resales. Operates the same sell-side intermediary model with referral-heavy national coverage and similar target buyer demographic.
• Cornerstone Business Services: US lower middle market M&A advisory and business brokerage firm with similar full-service sell-side positioning, retainer + success-fee economics, and focus on founder-led business exits.
• Murphy Business & Financial Corporation: One of the largest US business brokerage franchises specializing in main-street and lower middle market business sales (typically <$5M enterprise value). Competes head-to-head for the smallest end of Allan Taylor's target client base with a franchise-driven, high-volume model.

Others

• BizBuySell: The largest US online marketplace for businesses-for-sale listings. Not a direct advisor but an enabling/distribution channel against which Allan Taylor's off-market buyer network and CIM-driven outreach compete for buyer attention.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a dedicated lower middle market M&A practice. Competes at the larger end of Allan Taylor's target deal range ($25M-$250M+) with deeper sector coverage and broader buyer networks, creating an upward competitive pressure on bigger deals.

Regional players

• IBISKA (now part of Adept Technology): Canadian-origin M&A advisory and business brokerage serving similar lower middle market sellers. Comparable services and methodology but primarily serves Canada rather than the US, making it a regional peer rather than head-to-head competitor.

Emerging players

• Succession Institute: Lower middle market exit planning and succession advisory practice competing for the same boomer founder demographic, but focused more on planning-stage advisory than end-to-end brokerage execution. Partial overlap with Allan Taylor's pre-sale engagement work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ballantaylor
• Facebookfacebook.com/AllanTaylorCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/411269

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Allan Taylor & Co.