Straight answers for business owners.

We buy essential B2B products and services companies in the United States and Canada, taking majority ownership positions, usually in companies earning under $10 million a year in profit. Right now we are focused on fleet services and commercial plumbing, though we look at opportunities in other essential B2B industries as well. The full list of what we look for is on our What We Buy page.

Every situation is different, but a typical path looks like this:

1. An introductory conversation. A confidential call or meeting to understand your business and your goals. No preparation needed, and no obligation.

2. A confidentiality agreement. Before any sensitive information changes hands, we sign an NDA so everything you share stays protected.

3. Getting to know the business. We review basic financial and operating information, usually a few years of financial statements and a conversation or two, and come back quickly with our view.

4. A written offer. If there is a fit, we put an offer in writing, called a letter of intent. It lays out the price, how it would be paid, and what happens for you and your team. You take the time you need, with your own attorney and accountant, to decide.

5. Checking the details and closing. Once we agree on the terms, we confirm the numbers and records are as described and our attorneys prepare the final paperwork. This usually takes 60 to 90 days, and we work hard to close on the same terms we offered.

Yes. Confidentiality protects your employees, customers, and competitive position, and we treat it as seriously as you do. We are glad to sign a confidentiality agreement before any detailed discussion, and we never contact your employees, customers, or suppliers without your consent.

We look at what the business earns, how it is growing, and how steady those earnings are, then compare it to what similar companies have sold for. We will always walk you through how we arrived at our number and offer a price we can stand behind at close, not one that shrinks once we get into diligence.

Your people are a large part of why we would want to invest in your business. We invest in employees through training programs, career paths, and broadly distributed incentive compensation, so the people who create value share in it. Growing the business almost always means more opportunity for the team, not less.

No. Some owners want to keep leading the business, some want to transition over a year or two, and some are ready to step away at closing. We have structured all three. What matters is an honest conversation up front so the plan reflects what you actually want.

Yes. We buy most of the company, and we welcome owners who want to keep a piece and stay invested alongside us. If you put some of your sale proceeds back in, you share in whatever we build together, and for many owners that second payday, when the bigger company sells later, ends up being the more meaningful one.

We put money and people into the business. One of our partners, an experienced operator, takes the chairman role, and we build a board around the company made up of people who have run businesses like yours. We then fund the hires, systems, and purchases of other companies that help it grow. The goal is to build something bigger and sturdier than any of us could alone.

Because knowing an industry well makes us better owners. Sticking to a short list means we understand your business before we meet you, can move quickly, and are actually useful after the sale, instead of learning on your time.

Email us at contact@ardentecapital.com, or use our Contact page. One email reaches the whole team. Every conversation is confidential, and there is no obligation.