Simplifying the Business Sales Journey for OwnersNationwide!
(239) 259-9732 info@unityacquisitions.com
Referral Partner Program

Refer a Founder.
Share in the Value You Create.

Unity Acquisitions works exclusively through trusted professional intermediaries. If your clients are business owners exploring an exit, recapitalization, or ownership transition, we are the confidential M&A partner you refer them to — and we compensate you accordingly.

  • Structured referral fee agreements — transparent commission schedules disclosed upfront
  • Complete confidentiality — your client relationship is protected throughout the entire process
  • Dedicated partner liaison — one point of contact from introduction through close
  • No conflict of interest — we never compete with your advisory relationship

Referral Partner Application

Join Our Referral Partner Network

By submitting, you agree to our terms of service. All submissions are kept strictly confidential.

ConfidentialFrom Introduction Through Close
LMM Focus$1M – $100M+ Revenue Sellers
Fee-BasedReferral Commissions at Close
White-GloveProfessional Handling of Every Intro
Why Unity Acquisitions

Your Clients Deserve
Institutional-Grade M&A Representation

When a business owner you advise begins exploring an exit, the intermediary you refer them to reflects directly on your professional judgment. Unity Acquisitions operates at the institutional level — confidential processes, pre-vetted buyers, negotiated outcomes — not transactional business brokerage.

Our referral partners are CPAs, M&A attorneys, SBA lenders, wealth managers, and fractional CFOs who have built careers on trusted client relationships. We protect those relationships as fiercely as our own.

Apply to Partner With Us
  • Confidentiality-first process — sellers, employees, competitors, and customers remain unaware until a signed LOI is in place
  • Off-market transaction option — many deals we close never appear on any public listing platform, protecting your client's competitive position
  • Institutional buyer network — pre-vetted private equity firms, family offices, independent sponsors, and strategic acquirers ready to move
  • Structured referral fee agreements — commission rates, payment triggers, and exclusivity terms are disclosed clearly before any introduction is made
  • Zero displacement of your advisory role — we handle M&A process only; your tax, legal, or planning work continues uninterrupted
  • Dedicated partner liaison — you receive updates at every major milestone, not silence until closing
  • Professional deal materials — CIMs, financial summaries, and buyer presentations built for institutional audiences
  • Multi-structure capability — full acquisitions, partial exits, recapitalizations, growth investments, and management buyouts
The Process

How the Referral Process Works

From introduction to commission — here is exactly what happens at every step so you and your client always know where things stand.

01

You Identify a Potential Seller

A business owner client — or someone in your professional network — expresses interest in exploring an exit, recapitalization, or ownership transition. You believe they are a strong candidate for a confidential sale process.

02

You Make a Warm Introduction

A simple email introduction or direct referral to your Unity Acquisitions liaison is all it takes. You control the narrative and the framing. We never cold-approach your clients — the introduction always flows through you, on your terms.

03

We Engage the Seller Directly

We conduct an initial confidential consultation with the business owner, assess their goals and timeline, perform a preliminary valuation, and determine fit. You receive a summary of our findings and the proposed engagement scope. Nothing moves forward without your client's explicit consent.

04

We Manage the Transaction

Unity Acquisitions handles the full M&A process — CIM preparation, buyer targeting, NDA management, LOI negotiation, due diligence coordination, and closing. You stay informed throughout. Your advisory relationship with the client is never disrupted.

05

You Receive Your Referral Fee at Close

Referral fees are paid from Unity Acquisitions' success fee at transaction close — not from the seller's proceeds separately. Fee amounts and payment mechanics are agreed in writing before any introduction is formalized. No close, no fee obligation to you.

Ideal Referral Candidates

Types of Business Owners
We Engage With

Not every owner is ready for a transaction — but when they are, here is the profile we work best with. If your client resembles one of these, a referral conversation is worth having.

Founders Exploring Full Exit

Owners of profitable businesses with $1M–$100M+ in annual revenue considering a complete sale — to private equity, a strategic acquirer, or an institutional buyer — within a 1–3 year horizon.

Owners Seeking Partial Exits

Business owners who want to take chips off the table, bring in a growth-equity partner, or monetize a portion of their equity while retaining operational control and continuing to build value.

Succession Planning Situations

Owners approaching retirement without an internal successor — looking for a structured transition to a qualified buyer who will preserve the business, protect employees, and honor the owner's legacy.

Family Business Transitions

Multi-generational family businesses navigating shareholder disputes, buyout of departing family members, or a clean institutional sale that resolves ownership complexity and maximizes family liquidity.

Recapitalization Candidates

Operators seeking growth capital or a balance sheet reset through a recapitalization — bringing in an equity partner to fund expansion, technology investment, or geographic roll-up without a full exit.

Confidentiality-Sensitive Sellers

Business owners in competitive markets who cannot afford for employees, customers, or competitors to know a sale is being explored — requiring a strictly off-market, professionally managed private process.

Referral Economics

How Commissions and
Referral Fees Work

Transparency is fundamental to every partner relationship we form. Before any introduction is made, we provide a written referral agreement that clearly states the fee percentage or flat amount, the payment trigger event, and any exclusivity provisions — so there are no surprises at close.

Referral fees are paid from Unity Acquisitions' advisory success fee — they do not come out of the seller's proceeds separately, and they do not affect the purchase price or deal terms. You earn for the introduction you make; we earn for the transaction we close.

Fee structures vary based on transaction size, complexity, and the nature of the introduction. Transactions in the lower middle market — $2M to $50M enterprise value — form the core of our deal flow, and referral fees at those levels are material. All terms are negotiated professionally and documented before engagement begins.

Protection periods are standard: once your referral is registered in writing, your fee is protected for the duration of our engagement with that client regardless of how long the process takes. If the deal does not close, you owe nothing and we owe nothing — the relationship stays intact.

What Every Referral Agreement Covers

  • → Fee percentage or flat amount
  • → Payment trigger event
  • → Protection period length
  • → Timing of payment at close
  • → Definition of qualifying referral
  • → No-close, no-obligation clause

Written Referral Agreement

Every partner relationship begins with a short, plain-English referral fee agreement. No ambiguity about what triggers payment, when it is paid, and how it is calculated.

Paid at Transaction Close

Referral fees are due and payable at the close of a transaction — typically within 5 business days of Unity Acquisitions receiving its advisory fee. No close means no obligation to you.

No Impact on Deal Terms

Referral fees are structured so they have zero bearing on the seller's net proceeds or the buyer's purchase price. The economics come entirely from the advisory fee side of the transaction.

Confidentiality Standards

Deal Confidentiality and
Founder Relationship Protection

The referral partners who trust us most are those who have seen what happens when a sale process leaks prematurely. Employees resign. Customers defect. Competitors poach. Deals fall apart. We are built to prevent exactly that.

Every potential buyer or investor signs a mutual NDA before any deal-specific information is shared — including the name of the business. CIMs and financial summaries are distributed only to pre-qualified, pre-screened counterparties who meet the seller's buyer profile criteria.

And your role in the introduction stays private unless you and the client agree otherwise. Your client relationship — the trust you have built over years — is never put at risk by the process we run.

  • No public listing — ever — without explicit seller consent
  • All buyers sign NDAs before receiving any deal materials
  • Seller identity withheld until NDA execution and buyer qualification
  • Partner identity protected throughout the process
  • Employees remain unaware until post-close transition announcement
  • Customers and competitors receive no indication a sale is in progress
  • All correspondence is handled through secure, professional channels
  • Single point of contact for all buyer interactions — no unmanaged outreach
Partner Benefits

Why the Best Advisors
Partner With Unity Acquisitions

Institutional-Level Representation for Your Clients

Your clients receive the same caliber of M&A advisory service available to large-cap sellers — structured process, professional materials, institutional buyer access — regardless of deal size.

A Trusted Extension of Your Advisory Practice

When you refer a client to Unity Acquisitions, you are not handing them off — you are adding a specialist to the team. We coordinate with your tax, legal, and planning work throughout.

Regular Progress Updates

You stay informed at every major milestone — engagement, CIM distribution, LOI receipt, due diligence entry, and close. No black box. Your client relationship stays intact throughout.

Meaningful Referral Compensation

M&A transactions at the lower middle market level generate significant advisory fees. Referral partners who facilitate introductions share in that value in a meaningful, professionally structured way.

Reinforce Your Expert Positioning

Advisors who can connect clients to institutional M&A resources — not just local business brokers — differentiate their practice and deepen client loyalty in a way that compounds over time.

Ongoing Relationship, Not One-Time Transaction

Our strongest partner relationships persist across multiple referrals and years. We invest in those relationships with communication, responsiveness, and shared deal outcomes that reinforce trust.

Why Off-Market Introductions Matter

The most valuable M&A outcomes rarely come from public listing platforms. Sellers who go off-market — using trusted intermediaries to approach pre-qualified buyers privately — consistently achieve better pricing, faster timelines, and lower disruption risk. When you refer a founder to us, you are giving them access to an off-market process that most owners never knew existed.

Explore Off-Market Sourcing How We Represent Sellers
Frequently Asked Questions

Referral Partner FAQ

Yes — before formalizing any referral relationship, we execute a short written referral fee agreement. This protects both parties by clearly documenting the fee amount, payment trigger, and any relevant exclusivity provisions. The agreement is straightforward and typically takes less than a day to finalize. You are welcome to have your attorney review it.

Referral fees are calculated as a percentage of Unity Acquisitions' advisory fee, which in turn is a percentage of the transaction value. Specific fee rates are negotiated individually based on deal size, the nature of the introduction, and the anticipated complexity of the transaction. We are transparent about economics upfront — you will know exactly what to expect before agreeing to make any introduction.

This is entirely your decision. Many advisors choose to disclose referral arrangements proactively as part of their professional transparency standards — and we fully support that approach. Others prefer to handle disclosure according to their own firm's policies and applicable professional rules. We do not disclose your fee arrangement to your client without your explicit authorization.

Your relationship with the client remains entirely yours. Unity Acquisitions handles the M&A process exclusively — we do not advise on tax structuring, estate planning, legal documentation, or any of the other advisory services you provide. In fact, your continued involvement often accelerates deal execution, since we can coordinate directly with your work on the seller's behalf. You are a valued part of the team throughout.

Absolutely. Many of our most successful transactions begin with an exploratory conversation — no commitment required. A preliminary valuation assessment and a confidential discussion about market conditions and buyer interest can help an owner make an informed decision about timing and structure. There is no cost to the owner for the initial consultation, and no obligation for you to formalize a referral fee arrangement until it is clear the engagement will proceed.

Transaction timelines vary based on deal complexity, buyer type, and due diligence scope. Most lower middle market transactions — from engagement to close — take between 4 and 9 months. Our off-market process tends to move faster than a public auction process because we approach a targeted set of pre-qualified buyers rather than running a broad marketing campaign that generates unqualified interest.

Yes. Unity Acquisitions works with business owners and referral partners nationally. Our institutional buyer network is not geographically constrained, and we have experience representing sellers across a wide range of industries and regions. Geography is not a limiting factor for participation in our referral partner program.

Get Started

Ready to Formalize
the Relationship?

Complete the application above or reach us directly at info@unityacquisitions.com. We respond to every inquiry within 48 business hours.

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Related Pages
Sell-Side M&A Advisory
Off-Market Deal Sourcing
Investors & Acquirers
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