
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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