SMB Deal Weekly
§ 07 - Downloads & Templates

Resources

Public frameworks show how we think. Subscriber downloads turn that thinking into usable diligence files.

Public Framework

The Working Capital Leak Detector

The fastest way to find a bad manufacturing deal is to ask whether inventory grew because demand grew, or because management got scared. Those look identical in a trailing P&L. They do not behave the same after close.

Start with three questions: what inventory was bought before price increases, what is truly customer-backed, and what is obsolete but politically hard to write down?

First Pass Checklist
  • Separate defensive inventory from order-backed inventory.
  • Normalize gross margin after April tariff changes.
  • Compare stated lead times against actual fill rates.
  • Rebuild working capital peg before accepting seller math.
Template Preview

LOI Tariff Clause

A buyer-friendly clause for deals exposed to steel, aluminum, copper, resin, diesel, or other fast-moving inputs.

Public: clause purpose + red flags
Gated: editable language + fallback positions
Checklist Preview

QoE Prep List

What to request before the accountant starts billing hours: inventory aging, price pass-through evidence, and customer concentration by margin.

Public: request categories
Gated: downloadable diligence request list
Calculator Preview

Customer Concentration

Not just revenue concentration. The real issue is contribution-margin concentration after customer-specific labor and freight.

Public: method summary
Gated: worksheet + scoring table

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