From Big Law to Small Business M&A - Main Street Deal #3

Описание: In this episode of Main Street Deals, Sam Rosati and Kevin Henderson step back from deal breakdowns to share the origin story behind their partnership and the law firm they built to serve the small business acquisition community. Kevin walks through his path from growing up in California to Michigan Law and the highest levels of big law, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, burnout, and ultimately walking away from the corporate grind. From there, the conversation shifts to how a connection through the emerging ETA community led to the launch of their firm and why they saw a massive gap in legal services for small business buyers.
They also unpack what today’s searchers and independent sponsors actually look like, how deals are being financed, and the industries attracting the most activity. Drawing from hundreds of transactions, they share perspective on who is buying businesses, how those deals are structured, and what makes this ecosystem different from traditional private equity.

They discuss:
Kevin’s journey from big law to entrepreneurship and why he chose to launch his own firm
How the ETA community helped spark the creation of a law firm built for small business buyers
The typical profile of today’s SMB acquirer, including age range, background, and financing strategies
The difference between self-funded searchers and independent sponsors
Common industries and deal structures across lower middle market transactions
Why operating experience gives a different lens than traditional M&A law

Links:
SMB Law Group - https://smblaw.group/
Eric on LinkedIn -   / eric-b-pacifici  
Kevin on LinkedIn -   / khendersonco  
Sam on LinkedIn -   / sam-rosati-68787a8  
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
02:09 - Kev’s origin story
06:40 - Lessons from a solo-practice upbringing
08:42 - Chasing top-tier deal training
14:11 - Burnout, in-house pivot & COVID
17:45 - ETA/Twitter DMs to a real firm
21:05 - Building a sustainable pipeline
25:03 - Why the ETA community needed a specialized SMB M&A law firm
28:28 - Buyer demographics
33:49 - How buyers finance acquisitions
37:59 - Independent sponsors explained
44:21 - Deal volume, war stories, and the entrepreneur-lawyer perspective