Fixed-price financial due diligence for buyers of $250K–$5M businesses. We test the seller's P&L, tax returns and add-backs against the bank statements.
Limited-scope consulting procedures. Not an audit or assurance engagement. Business clients only.Anyone who needs to know whether a small business's earnings are real before money changes hands.
Searchers, first-time acquirers and operators adding a second business. You've read the listing and the CIM. Now you need to know whether the earnings are real before you commit money, time and a personal guarantee.
A fast, neutral read on a seller's numbers before you take a listing to market, or something to point serious buyers to so deals don't die late in diligence.
An independent, workpaper-backed view of normalized cash flow and add-backs on smaller deals where a full QoE doesn't make economic sense.
A financial check you can recommend to clients, with clear scope and a written report you can attach to the file.
No hourly meter and no "contact us for a quote".
A 48-business-hour red-flag read.
A focused quality-of-earnings review covering two full years plus year-to-date.
From order to report in five steps.
AI screening tools are useful for triage, but they read the pitch: the CIM and the summary financials the seller chose to show you.
We check the books against the bank records. Bank statements, tax returns and supporting documents are much harder to dress up. We use automation for the heavy lifting and check the findings before the report goes to you.
| Typical AI CIM screener | Deal Screen | QoE-Lite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reads the CIM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compares P&L with tax returns | Varies by tool | Yes | Yes |
| Tests add-backs against support | Typically no | First pass | Yes |
| Proof of cash against bank statements | Typically no | No | Yes |
| Excel workbook | Typically no | No | Yes |
A complete sample report for a fictional HVAC services business with about $1.2M in revenue: SDE bridge, add-back tests, proof of cash, working capital and concentration schedules, and the red-flag memo. All data in it is synthetic.
Email us for the sampleIf your Deal Screen isn't delivered within 48 business hours of complete documents, or you don't find it useful, tell us within 7 days of delivery and we'll refund the full $249. No reason needed. Limited to one refund per client per 12 months.
No. Both services are limited-scope consulting procedures. They are not an audit, a review, or any other assurance or attest engagement, and we don't give an opinion on the financial statements. We perform the specific procedures described in your engagement letter on the documents you give us, and report what we found. The work depends on the completeness and accuracy of those documents and may not detect fraud, misstatements or issues outside the agreed scope.
Automation prepares the schedules, and we review the findings, the judgment calls and the final report before it goes to you.
A Deal Screen takes 48 business hours (Mon–Fri, US Eastern Time, excluding US federal holidays). A QoE-Lite takes 5–7 business days. Both clocks start when we have the complete documents. If a missing document holds up the work, we'll tell you the same day.
We send a full checklist when you order. If the seller won't share bank statements, that's a finding in itself.
Yes. Your documents are used only for your engagement, stored in a dedicated, access-controlled workspace, never shared with the seller, broker or anyone else without your permission, and never uploaded to public tools. We delete your client information and our copies of deliverables and working files 90 days after delivery (or after termination), except records we must keep under tax and accounting law. You may ask us to delete sooner.
Business clients only: buyers acquiring a business (individually or through an acquisition entity), brokers, lenders and deal attorneys acting in a business capacity.
No. We report on the quality of the reported earnings and flag risks. We don't value the business, give investment, legal or tax advice, or tell you whether to buy. Use the findings with your own advisers, lender and attorney.
Lender requirements vary, and some require a specific provider or scope. Check with your lender before you order. We can share our scope document with them in advance.
Yes. To point clients our way or ask about volume work, email hello@closeflag.com. We don't pay referral fees or commissions.
Yes, if they have bank statements and P&Ls we can test. Platform-specific checks (traffic, ad accounts, marketplace dashboards) are outside our scope.
That's common, and it's often the most useful finding. We'll tell you what we could and couldn't test, and what to ask for before you proceed.
Email us with the deal and your timeline, and we'll reply with next steps.
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