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The next step of the sales process is to identify potential buyers, contact the likely prospects and create an auction environment of competitive bidders. "We always approach what we call the three primary categories of buyers," says Vincent: strategic buyers, private equity groups, and high-net worth individuals. "When you find good strategic buyers – companies willing to pay top dollar to add acomplementary business line – that's when hard work pays off."

Anyone can put ads on the Internet. Anyone can blast out a descriptive offering memorandum. The key is having the contacts, experience, and the technology and databases to identify strategic buyers and other buyers willing to pay top dollar. "It's not something you learn in business school," says Vincent. "We don't have a bunch of young new graduates doing all the research. We do a lot of the research ourselves and we contact the buyers. Having bought and sold many companies, we know how to find the buyers and we know how to sell a company. After years of experience in the business world, you develop an instinct."

Hands-on experience running businesses is Alpha Omega's key differentiator.

Vincent worked as a process engineer and senior executive for more than 30 years in the printing, metal working, filtration, plastics and fiberprocessing industries, at one point presiding over a major division of a public company.

"I can walk into anybody's business," he says, "particularly if it has anything to do with manufacturing, and tell you if it's an efficient operation. It becomes second nature." Another thing he looks for is whether a company has gotten complacent or not. "You've always got to be reinventing yourself. We ask the client, 'Where have you been going with the company?'"

George Sydnor worked for The McGraw Group, an industrial distribution company with sales exceeding $65 million, growing the firm organically and through M&A activities.

Rob Mitchell and Bob Louthan used to be in venture capital and actually partnered on several investments. They later formed Stony Point Capital Partners with the plan of starting another venture fund, but then merged with Vincent and Sydnor earlier this year. "The two of us have invested in about 50 companies," Mitchell says. "We've served on their boards of directors, given them capital to finance their growth, and we helped them succeed." That background has given them keen insight into the special challenges of small businesses, and enabled them to build a large network of investors, venture firms, attorneys, accountants, lenders, and private equity groups who can help them assist or sell companies.

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