Our special guest on this week’s episode of M&A Masters is Dena Jalbert. Dena is the Founder and CEO of Align Business Advisory Services, a team of former business owners, operators, and executives in offices throughout the US who bring Wall Street resources to the lower middle market. She was also recently named on Mergers and Acquisitions Magazine's list of the Top 25 Most Influential Women in Mid Market M&A.

Dena says, “When we sit down with clients, we start creating the investment thesis, helping them make that decision. We help them really analyze all their options and what they all mean, then we have it reflect their personal needs, because 99.9% of our clients are owner-operated businesses. Quality of life and success all have to be considered in addition to what opportunities the market can avail. We align those two dynamics, and then the clients will get excited about it.”

We discuss the ability for companies to grow organically, as well as:

• What happens when business owners reach their inflection point
• Helping sellers understand the science of the deal
• Cultivating relationships with investors to better serve as an intermediary
• The greatest resource for both buyers and sellers
• Women in the M&A workforce and the opportunity to offer value and see more diversity 
• And more