The 90-Day Guarantee: A Written LOI, or Your Deposit Back

If we don't get you a written LOI in 90 days, you get your deposit back.

No other M&A advisor offers this. Here's why: most of them have no idea whether the business they just listed can actually sell.

Why we can put money behind it

We turn down about 9 out of every 10 businesses that come to us. That's not us being difficult. That's the whole reason the guarantee works.

We only take a listing to market when we already know it can close. So by the time we ask for a deposit, we've done the hard part: we've decided your business is genuinely sellable, at a price a real buyer will pay.

The guarantee isn't a marketing gimmick bolted onto the front. It's the natural result of being that selective. If we take you on, we're confident. Confident enough to put our own skin in the game.

The proof is in the speed

Talk is cheap, so here's the number that matters: across our closed deals, in today's market conditions, the median time to a first written offer is 33 days.

Not 90. Thirty-three.

The 90-day window isn't optimistic. It's conservative. We built in the buffer on purpose, because we'd rather promise less and deliver more than the other way around.

What "written LOI" actually means

A letter of intent is a buyer putting their interest in writing: the price, the structure, the basic terms. It's the moment a conversation becomes a real deal.

We say WRITTEN on purpose. Not a verbal "I'm interested." Not a handshake at a conference. A document, from a qualified buyer, that you can hold in your hand. That's the bar we hold ourselves to.

The fees, in plain English

Most M&A advisors bury this. We won't.

We ask for a small deposit up front. It gets credited toward our success fee when your deal closes, so it isn't an extra cost, it's just the first piece of it. And it's the piece that plays into the 90-day guarantee: if we don't get you a written LOI in 90 days, that deposit comes back to you.

Everything else is a success fee, paid only when your deal closes. We get paid when you get paid. Our incentive is a clean close at the right price, not a fast close at any price. That alignment is the whole point.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 90-day LOI guarantee?

If The Magnolia Firm doesn't secure a written letter of intent for your business within 90 days of listing, your deposit is refunded.

How can you guarantee a letter of intent?

Because we only take listings we're confident we can close. We turn down about 9 of 10 businesses, so the ones we represent are genuinely ready to sell.

How long does it actually take to get an offer?

Across our closed deals, in today's market conditions, the median time to a first written offer is 33 days.

What does a written LOI include?

A letter of intent from a qualified buyer that outlines the proposed price, deal structure, and key terms in writing.

Do you charge a fee if my business doesn't sell?

Our success fee is only paid when your deal closes. The upfront deposit is small, gets credited toward that success fee, and comes back to you if we miss the 90-day guarantee.

The bottom line

A guarantee is only worth something if the person offering it has real reason to believe it. Ours comes from saying no to nine businesses out of ten, and from a track record of getting offers in about a month.

We put our deposit on the line because we've already done the work to know your business will sell.

Ready to find out if your business is one of the ones we'd take on? Get a free valuation.