Selling Your Business? What Most Owners Don't Know About M&A | Dionisio Roman

You spent years—maybe decades—building your business. But when it comes time to sell, are you prepared to negotiate with people who buy and sell companies for a living? In this episode of Growth Without Referrals, I sit down with Dionisio Roman, founder of Next Phase Partners, to discuss what business owners need to know before selling a company—and how AI and technology are beginning to transform the M&A process. Dionisio brings experience from both sides of the table, including corporate development, acquisitions, sell-side M&A advisory, and entrepreneurship. He explains why many owners enter the sale process at an informational disadvantage and how an attractive offer can look very different once you dig into deal structure, due diligence, earnouts, timelines, and other terms. We also explore the technology-enabled platform Dionisio and his team at Next Phase Partners are building to make the sell-side process more accessible to business owners. Think of it as a guided approach to selling a business: technology and AI help owners organize information, understand valuation, prepare marketing materials, and navigate the process—with experienced human advisors available when they're needed. In this episode, we discuss: 🔹 Why business owners can be at a disadvantage when selling a company 🔹 Where sellers commonly get blindsided during M&A 🔹 Why the headline purchase price doesn't tell the entire story 🔹 What happens after you sign an LOI 🔹 Due diligence and why preparation matters 🔹 How AI could change the M&A advisory model 🔹 The "TurboTax-style" approach Next Phase Partners is developing 🔹 Why human expertise still matters in an AI-driven M&A process 🔹 The rise of independent sponsors and individual business buyers 🔹 Why home-service businesses like HVAC are attracting buyers 🔹 Long-term business ownership versus buying, optimizing, and flipping 🔹 The role of faith, integrity, and stewardship in Dionisio's approach 🔹 What the next generation of small-business M&A could look like Dionisio also shares the philosophy behind Heritage Rose and why his approach to acquisitions focuses on long-term ownership. Rather than simply acquiring businesses to optimize and resell them, the goal is to preserve businesses, serve employees and customers, strengthen communities, and build for the long term. If you're a business owner considering an exit, an entrepreneur interested in acquiring a company, or simply curious about how AI is changing M&A, this is a conversation worth watching. CONNECT WITH DIONISIO ROMAN Next Phase Partners: thenextphasepartners.com You can also connect with Dionisio Roman on LinkedIn.   / dionisio-roman-iii-6a228590   ABOUT GROWTH WITHOUT REFERRALS Growth Without Referrals explores how entrepreneurs and business leaders can build predictable, scalable growth without relying solely on referrals. Hosted by Mark Ferguson | Prestige Services Group Email: mark.ferguson@prestige-services-group.com LinkedIn:   / mark-ferguson-1451991   If you enjoyed the conversation, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and share it with another business owner who could benefit from it. #SellingABusiness #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessExit #BusinessValuation #Entrepreneurship #BusinessAcquisition #ArtificialIntelligence #PrivateEquity #GrowthWithoutReferrals