Why smart sellers run a sell-side Quality of Earnings report before buyers ever ask

Why smart sellers run a sell-side Quality of Earnings report before buyers ever ask

From M&A Murders & Accusations: The Good the Bad and The Ugly of Selling Your Business by Rick J. Krebs, M&A Advisor, CPA and CEPA

October 8, 2025 · 39 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of a sell-side Quality of Earnings report and how it can benefit sellers in M&A transactions.

Deals rarely collapse because the idea is bad—they fall apart when the numbers can’t carry the story. We sat down with Patrick McMillan, a seasoned quality of earnings specialist with Ampleo, to show how sellers can turn diligence from a gauntlet into an advantage. From decoding what “quality” actually means in earnings to explaining why EBITDA is only a proxy for cash flow, we break down the practical steps that preserve price and speed to close. We get specific about where value leaks: cus...

People in this episode

Host: Rick J. Krebs

Guest: Patrick McMillan

Topics covered

  • Quality of Earnings
  • M&A
  • due diligence
  • EBITDA
  • business valuation
  • selling a business

Keywords

  • Quality of Earnings
  • M&A
  • EBITDA
  • cash flow
  • business selling
  • due diligence
  • value leaks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ampleo

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