Know what the seller’s numbers are actually hiding before you sign. QoE Lite is a CPA-led Quality of Earnings report, plus a structuring review and a post-close roadmap, all in one engagement, sized for SMB buyers and delivered in 21-28 days for $10k to $15k. It’s the same core diagnostic work Big 4 firms charge $75k+ for, built for the $500k to $5M deal range.
From kickoff to final report
One fixed fee · all 3 offerings included
Owner is former EY · bought, ran & sold a business himself
By the time you’re under LOI, the seller’s numbers look clean enough to wire on, and the deal terms look standard enough to sign. They usually aren’t. Most general-practice CPAs aren’t trained to spot the financial, tax-structure, and post-close issues that actually move price and cost you real money after the deal closes.
Most CPA firms are built for ongoing, stable businesses.
They are not built for the moment you’re in.
Built for Tax Season · Not for Deals
Built for Acquisition Entrepreneurs
$10k to $15k covers all three: the QoE Lite report itself, the Structuring Review, and the post-close Roadmap. A 21-28 day sprint, priced as one fee.
QoE Lite: A lean Quality of Earnings report sized for SMB deals
Six-Figure Deal-Tax Decisions
Post-close action plan
Darin started at Ernst & Young and spent a decade across Big 4 and boutique firms before founding Ashford Sky. Along the way, he bought an e-commerce business, ran it for three years, and sold it. He has sat on both sides of the closing table — as the CPA structuring the deal and as the buyer who had to operate the business the morning after. That’s the experience built into every engagement. The work isn’t theoretical and it isn’t generic. It’s the diligence Darin wishes he’d had on his own first deal.
No, pre-LOI is actually the cheapest place to engage. Catching a structure problem or earnings issue before it is written into a binding LOI saves you from re-trading the deal later (or worse, signing one you shouldn’t).
Broker-provided QoEs are paid for by the seller, which means they are written to support the sale, not protect the buyer. Even when they are accurate, they tend to underweight the parts of the analysis that materially change valuation or post-close cash needs: add-back substantiation, working capital normalization, and off-balance-sheet risk. Our review starts from the buyer’s perspective and pressure-tests the seller’s numbers against what you will actually inherit.
Big 4 Q of E reports start around $75k and are sized for $20M+ enterprise deals. We are built for the $1M to $10M acquisition range, where the dollars do not justify a Big 4 fee but the financial and tax-structure risks are just as real. You get the same core diagnostic work (earnings quality, working capital, balance sheet review, structuring) at a fee that fits the deal size.
All three deliverables in one fixed fee. The Q of E (adjusted EBITDA, add-back review, working capital target, proof of cash, balance sheet scan), the Structuring Review (asset vs stock sale modeling, rollover equity, entity setup, purchase price allocation), and the Financial Roadmap (post-close architecture, reporting cadence, KPIs, tax strategy). Where you land in the $10k to $15k range depends on deal complexity (number of entities, revenue size, working capital intricacy).
At kickoff we ask for three years of P&Ls, balance sheets, and tax returns; a recent monthly trial balance; bank statements for the last six months; AR and AP aging; the LOI or term sheet; and any seller-side QoE if one exists. You get a complete document checklist within 24 hours of signing.
Yes. We sign a standard mutual NDA before any seller information is shared. If the seller has their own NDA form, we will sign that too.
That is a useful outcome. You walk in with documented confidence in the numbers and a structuring plan that locks in the tax wins, not just a ‘nothing to flag’ verdict. The Roadmap deliverable still gets you the post-close architecture and KPI work, which is the part most buyers actually act on after close.
Yes. First-time buyers make up the majority of our engagements. The whole offer is built for the searcher who has never closed a deal before and needs an experienced CPA-buyer in the room. Darin bought, ran, and sold his own business, so the work is not theoretical for him either.
Whether you’re pre-LOI, under LOI, or 30 days from close, we can fit a Q of E + Structuring Review & Roadmap into your timeline. Start with a free 30-minute intake call.
