are you about to acquire a business?
Revealed: Why the Deal You're Most Excited About Is Probably the One That Will Cost You the Most.
Most buyers find out the hard way — after the NDA, after the CIM, after 4 months of their life.
Download the free scorecard and know in minutes.
No spam. Unsubscribe any time. Your info stays private.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms & Privacy Policy.
3,000+ active subscribers
30+ listing sites aggregated
~200 deals closed
Josh Wilson, Founder
The Problem
Most buyers waste 3–6 months on deals that were never going to work.
You're not the first person to get excited about a listing — and then spend months chasing a deal that should have been killed in week one. Here's what's costing you time and money:
You're losing time, not just money
Weeks of NDAs, calls, and CIM reviews — on a deal you would have killed in day one if you had a clear framework.
You're scared of the $500K mistake
The biggest fear isn't missing a deal. It's buying the wrong one. Without a scoring system, every decision is a gut call.
You're overwhelmed by listings
BizBuySell, BizQuest, Axial, LoopNet — how do you know which deals even deserve your attention?
The Deal Scorecard gives you a clear, objective system — so you stop chasing and start deciding.
What You're Getting
An 8-page framework that tells you exactly what to do with any deal.
Know in minutes.
-
The 5 scoring categories — rate any deal on Revenue Quality, Profit Quality, Owner Dependency, Industry Attractiveness, and Growth Potential
-
Red flags and green flags — specific signals to look for in listings, CIMs, and broker conversations, rated by severity
-
Josh's 5-point scoring scale — from Red Flag (1) to Excellent (5), with a plain-language description for every level
-
The final tally and decision guide — what to do when you score 20–25, 15–19, or below 15
-
Notes fields on every page — use it on any live deal, right now, with room to capture what you find
5 Categories. 25 Points. One Clear Answer.
Here's exactly what the scorecard covers.
Each category is scored 1–5. Together, they give you an objective picture of any deal — fast.
1
Revenue Quality
Is the revenue consistent, growing, and diversified — or hiding a problem inside the annual figures?
2
Profit Quality
Are the earnings real and clean, or inflated by add-backs a lender won't touch?
3
Owner Dependency
Can this business run without the owner — or are you buying a job with $500K attached to it?
4
Industry Attractiveness
Is this an industry worth buying into right now — or a sector heading the wrong direction?
5
Growth Potential
Is there a real, executable path to grow this business — or just a seller's optimistic pro forma?
What Your Total Score Means
20–25
Strong Deal — Go Deeper
Request the CIM, get on a broker call, and run the full numbers. Deals at this range are rare. Move fast.
15–19
Worth a Deeper Look
You have solvable problems. Find which categories scored low and decide if deal structure can fix them.
Below 15
Pass — Move On
Most deals below 15 aren't fixable through creativity. There are better deals in the pipeline.
3,000+
active subscribers
30+
listing sites in one place
~200
deals Josh has helped close
$190K
MRR & growing
"The best deals aren't found — they're scored. Most buyers waste 3–6 months on deals that would have scored below 12. Your time is your most valuable asset."
Josh Wilson — Founder, SMBmarket & Acquisition Coach
Who Built This
Founder, SMBmarket
Josh Wilson
Josh co-founded SMBmarket with Ben Kelly (Acquisition Ace) and launched in March 2025. He's not just a coach — he's an active buyer, currently under contract on a business in New Mexico. He has helped close approximately 200 deals and hosts weekly live deal-coaching calls on the platform every Monday.
The Deal Scorecard is built directly from the framework he uses — and teaches — on those calls. It's the same system he ran on a steel fabrication deal before walking away after 4 months because the monthly P&Ls showed what the annual figures hid.
~200
deals closed
3 yrs
of live coaching calls
Weekly
live deal labs
5 Categories. 25 Points. One Clear Answer.
Get the Deal Scorecard
and stop guessing on deals.
Enter your name and email below. Immediate access.
No spam. Unsubscribe any time. Your info stays private.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms & Privacy Policy.
© 2026 SMBmarket. All rights reserved.
This site is not a part of the Facebook™ website or Google™. Additionally, this site is NOT endorsed by Facebook™ or Google™ in any way. By using this site and submitting your contact information, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.