Our Process: From First Call to Successful Close

Most M&A processes drag on for 6-7+ months because advisors react to buyer requests. We front-load the work—organizing what buyers need before going to market—so you get a faster, smoother path to close with less stress on your team.

Built to Compress Timelines and Reduce Seller Fatigue

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The typical M&A process for a transportation business looks like this: An advisor markets your company, generates interest, and then you spend six to seven months (or longer) responding to buyer information requests. Your leadership team is stuck in meetings. Your best people are distracted. And by month five or six, you’re exhausted and wondering if this deal will ever close.

That’s exactly when most deals fall apart.

Our process is different. We use a proprietary, transportation-specific data system developed over years of successful transactions to organize what buyers need up front—creating a comprehensive data room before we even market your business.

The result:

Our process usually shaves off 2-3 months of due diligence, meaning a faster, successful close
Less time with your team pulled into meetings
Dramatically reduced seller fatigue
You stay focused on running your business while we manage the process

“Mike’s process compressed what’s typically a 6-7 month due diligence timeline 2-3 months. Having that component pulled together on the front side saved so much time on the back end.”

— Dan Krivickas, CEO, American Group

The System That Changes Everything

At the core of our process is the Black Belt data system—proprietary software developed specifically for transportation M&A over years of successful transactions.

What it does:

Organizes Your Business Data We input your revenue, carrier costs, OPEX, customer data, and operational metrics into the system. It transforms raw information into professionally formatted, comprehensive analytics that buyers need to evaluate your business
Creates Multiple Views for Buyers The system generates reports buyers can work with in any format they want—showing your business from every angle they need to see. Financial performance. Customer concentration. Carrier relationships. Operational trends. Mode mix. All organized and presentation-ready.
Accelerates Due Diligence Because buyers get comprehensive data upfront, they spend less time requesting information and more time evaluating fit. Questions get answered before they're asked. Our process usually shaves off 2-3 months of due diligence, meaning a faster, successful close.
Reduces Your Workload Instead of spending months pulling reports and responding to ad-hoc requests, you provide information once—upfront—and we handle the organization and presentation.

“When I first saw some of the reports, I was like, wow, you did all that just from me sending you some reports? My first thought was, how much work is this going to be on me? Mike just needed me to run some reports out of our TMS.”

— Doug Hazen, Former Owner

What to Expect: From First Call to Close

Here’s how we work with transportation business owners from initial conversation through successful exit.

STEP 1: Initial Consultation (No Obligation)

What happens: We have a confidential conversation about your business, your goals, and your timeline. We ask questions about your revenue, customer base, operational model, and what you’re hoping to achieve from a sale.

What you get: An honest assessment. If now isn’t the right time, we’ll tell you. If your business needs work before going to market, we’ll explain what needs to happen. If you’re ready, we’ll outline what working together would look like. We make certain all critical elements of a Purchase Agreement are included in the LOI.

Time commitment: One call, typically 45-60 minutes.

STEP 2: Business Evaluation & Preparation

What happens: If you decide to move forward, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your business. You provide financial data, operational reports, customer information, and key business documents. We input everything into the Black Belt data system.

What you get:

Professional valuation based on current market conditions
Comprehensive data room built before marketing begins
Clear picture of your business strengths and how buyers will evaluate you
Identification of any gaps or weaknesses we need to address

Time commitment: 2-4 weeks depending on information availability and business complexity.

Client proof: “He came to us with basically an outline of everything we needed to have ready for him to go and market us. When we started meeting with prospective buyers, they had enough information about us and we were familiar enough with the questions they were going to ask that we were much better prepared.”

— Deanie Harrison, Co-Founder, Radius Logistics

STEP 3: Strategic Buyer Identification

What happens: We identify potential buyers from our database of 300+ strategic transportation acquirers. We filter for companies that align with your goals—whether that’s finding a strategic partner who complements your mode mix, a buyer who values your culture, or a financial buyer offering the best terms.

What you get: A curated list of potential buyers who make sense for your business—not just anyone with capital, but companies where there’s real strategic fit.

Time commitment: We handle this work. You review and approve the target list.

STEP 4: Confidential Marketing

What happens: We reach out to qualified buyers with a professionally prepared overview of your business (without identifying you initially). We manage inquiries, qualify serious interest, and coordinate introductory calls.

What you get: Confidentiality protection while we gauge buyer interest. We filter out tire-kickers and only introduce you to serious, qualified buyers.

Time commitment: Varies based on buyer response. We handle the heavy lifting.

STEP 5: Buyer Meetings & Preparation

What happens: Interested buyers want to meet you and learn more about your business. Before each major meeting, we prepare you—practicing your pitch, role-playing tough questions, making sure you’re ready to walk into boardrooms confident and relaxed.

What you get: You’re not walking into high-stakes meetings unprepared. You know what buyers will ask. You know how to frame your answers. You’re positioned for success.

Time commitment: Prep sessions before major meetings (1-2 hours). Buyer meetings (varies).

Client proof: “We had dinner the night before and a meeting the morning of to practice our pitch, to answer questions, to role play, to be ready when we walked into a boardroom of a company that was worth billions to not be nervous, to be relaxed because we’d been properly prepared.”

— Roger Harrison, Co-Founder, Radius Logistics

STEP 6: Letter of Intent & Negotiations

What happens: One or more buyers submit Letters of Intent (LOIs) with proposed terms. We help you evaluate each offer—not just the purchase price, but earnout structures, transition requirements, cultural fit, and risk factors. We negotiate on your behalf to strengthen terms and protect your interests.

What you get: An advocate in your corner who knows what’s standard and what’s overreach. We help you navigate complex deal structures and negotiate from strength.

Time commitment: Active engagement during LOI review and negotiation (1-3 weeks typically).

Client proof: “Next Mile was really good at saying, ‘Hey, that’s an abnormal ask.’ They would let us know if we needed to push back. I can’t tell you what I would have missed, but I know I would have missed something.”

— Ross Bodenheimer, CFO, Sutton Transport

STEP 7: Due Diligence

What happens: The buyer conducts formal due diligence—reviewing financials, operations, legal documents, customer contracts, and more. Because we front-loaded this work, much of what buyers need is already organized and ready. We manage the process, deflect unnecessary requests, and keep things moving.

What you get: A streamlined due diligence process. Our process usually shaves off 2-3 months of due diligence, meaning a faster, successful close. Less distraction from running your business. Better path to getting the deal done.

Time commitment: Ongoing management calls and information requests (we minimize your involvement).

STEP 8: Purchase Agreement & Close

What happens: The buyer’s and seller’s attorneys draft and negotiate the purchase agreement. Your attorney reviews all legal terms and protections. We work alongside your legal counsel to help you understand the business implications of specific terms, flag potential issues from an M&A perspective, and help you negotiate final details. When everything is finalized and your attorney advises you’re ready to proceed, you close the transaction and transition begins.

What you get: The right deal, on terms your attorney has reviewed and you fully understand. Your employees are in capable hands. Your customers are protected. You achieve the financial outcome you set out to accomplish.

Time commitment: Active coordination with your attorney during purchase agreement review and negotiation. Closing logistics.

Client proof: “The Next Mile team made it smoother because there definitely were some significant bumps in the road. They helped with contract negotiations. They assisted with discussions with attorneys. I can’t tell you what I would have missed, but I know I would have missed something and the Next Mile team made sure we didn’t miss what we needed to.”

— Ross Bodenheimer, CFO, Sutton Transport

Why Our Process Works

Our process is designed around one reality: first-time sellers are at an information disadvantage when going up against buyers who do this for a living.

You get:

Preparation Over Reaction We organize what buyers need before they ask for it—so you're not scrambling to respond to endless information requests while trying to run your business.
Timeline Compression Front-loading the work means our process usually shaves off 2-3 months of due diligence, meaning a faster, successful close. Less seller fatigue. Better outcomes.
Protection From Overreach We know what buyer requests are standard and what's overreach. We deflect unnecessary distractions and keep the process focused on what actually matters.
Confidence in High-Stakes Moments You don't walk into buyer meetings unprepared. We practice with you, role-play tough questions, and make sure you're ready to represent your business with confidence.
An Advocate Who's Been There Our team has guided 90+ successful transportation exits. We've seen every buyer tactic, every deal structure, every challenge that can arise. You get that experience in your corner.

Client proof: “For any business owner that has never done a sale, you really don’t know anything about it. You just don’t. Having somebody in your corner that’s advising you and helping you with just a wealth of experience was incredible.”

— Doug Hazen, Former Owner

Built on a Proven Foundation

The proprietary data system at the core of our process was developed by Black Belt TC—founded by Mike Bloss, who brought decades of transportation experience from Yellow YRC and Echo Global Logistics.

Over years of successful transactions, the Black Belt system has been refined and proven across 90+ transportation business exits. It’s not generic M&A software adapted for transportation—it was built specifically for the operational complexity and buyer expectations in trucking, brokerage, and logistics businesses.

Our managing partner, Wally Brauer, built Freight Solutions from nothing, successfully exited through this exact process, and was so impressed by the outcome that he became a partner in the firm. Now we’re building Next Mile M&A on the foundation Mike and Black Belt created—using the same proven process that’s helped dozens of transportation business owners achieve successful exits.

Supporting elements:

90+ successful transportation exits
Proprietary Black Belt data system refined over years of transactions
300+ strategic buyer relationships
90+ years combined transportation ownership and M&A experience

Ready to Understand What Your Exit Could Look Like?

If you’re a transportation business owner thinking about an exit and want to understand what the process would actually look like, we’d welcome the opportunity to have a confidential conversation.

What happens next:

Schedule a call — We'll discuss your business, your goals, and your timeline
Get an honest assessment — We'll tell you if now is the right time, or what you'd need to do to get ready
Understand the process — We'll walk you through what working together would look like, with no pressure or obligation