The Deal Teardown · Josh Wilson6 teardowns a month · pre-LOI only

For people about to buy a business

The broker says it makes $612K.
Prove it.

Send me the CIM. In 48 hours you get the teardown I run before I put my own money on the table: every add-back challenged, every claim tied to evidence, and the exact questions to send the broker before you sign an LOI.

DM me “TEARDOWN” On Instagram @thedealteardown. Tell me the industry and the asking price.
Net income (2025 P&L)$318,400
+ Owner salary$120,000
+ “One-time” repairs$46,200
recurs 3 years running. not one-time.
+ Owner truck & fuel$38,900
no title, no mileage log. unsupported.
+ Wife on payroll$52,000
she runs the front desk. you'll replace her.
+ Depreciation$36,500
Seller SDE$612,000
What the evidence supports$474,900

Illustrative example. Not a real deal.

$137K of air

Why this exists

I've bought 7+ companies. I've also lost money on one.

The add-backs always look clean in the CIM. The truck is "personal." The repairs are "one-time." The owner's wife "doesn't really work there."

Then you close, and the numbers you paid for aren't the numbers you own. By then the broker's been paid, the seller's gone, and the debt payment shows up every month anyway.

Most programs help you get a deal. Nobody tears it apart before you sign.

I run five auto shops and a portfolio across four states. Every deal I look at gets the same treatment before I spend a dollar on lawyers, a QoE, or my time. The Deal Teardown is that treatment, packaged for your deal.

What you get, in 48 hours

Everything I'd want to know before the LOI.

The add-back teardown

Every add-back the seller claims, rated Supported, Partial, Unsupported or Unknown, with the document it does (or doesn't) come from. You see the earnings the evidence actually supports.

P&L vs. tax return check

Year by year. Gaps get flagged so you ask about them now, not in underwriting.

Debt coverage stress test

Monthly payment and coverage on the supported number across 2 to 3 structures. Scenario math, shown line by line.

Claim-to-evidence map

Every big claim in the CIM, the proof behind it, and what's missing.

Broker question list

10 to 15 specific, non-accusatory questions plus a ready-to-send document request email.

Bonus: the operator red-flag checklist

The things I check on every service business I look at, from running 160+ employees across multiple companies: owner dependence, key-employee risk, customer concentration, deferred maintenance, and the add-backs that never survive the first year of ownership.

Fit

This is for you if…

Built for

  • First-time buyers looking at a real deal right now
  • Searchers deciding which deal deserves an LOI
  • Service businesses, roughly $500K to $5M asking price
  • You have a CIM or P&Ls (tax returns make it sharper)

Not for

  • Tire kickers without a deal in hand
  • Anyone wanting a QoE, valuation, or audit
  • Anyone wanting someone else to tell them to buy
  • Deals already past LOI with a QoE underway

How it works

1

DM “Teardown”

Tell me the industry and asking price. If it fits, you get the details and pay securely below.

2

Send the packet

CIM, 2 to 3 years of P&Ls, tax returns if you have them, and how you plan to finance it.

3

Get the teardown

Within 48 hours of the documents: the report, the question list, and the broker email ready to send.

Pay

Already talked with me? Lock in your teardown.

Once we've confirmed your deal is a fit in the DMs, pay here. Then send the packet and the 48-hour clock starts when the documents land.

Secure checkout by Stripe · card, Apple Pay, Cash App Pay, Klarna

$297

Pay $297

Find one
or it's
free

The one-question guarantee

If the teardown doesn't surface at least one question you hadn't already asked the broker, tell me within 7 days and you get every dollar back. No forms.

A QoE runs $7,500 to $40K. Find out first if the deal deserves one.

I only take 6 teardowns a month so every one gets the full treatment.

DM me “TEARDOWN”
What happens to the seller's documents?

They're used only to build your teardown, kept private, never shared, and deleted within 30 days or sooner if you ask. If you're under an NDA with the broker, confirm it allows sharing with an advisor before sending.

Is this a quality-of-earnings report?

No. A QoE is a CPA's deep review done when you're close to closing. This is the fast first pass before the LOI, so you only pay for a QoE on deals that survive it.

Will you tell me whether to buy it?

No. You get evidence, math and questions. The decision, and the advice of your CPA, attorney and lender, stay with you.

Is AI involved?

Yes. The extraction and first-pass analysis are AI-assisted, run on my operator framework, with every number tied back to the page it came from. Arithmetic is done in code, not guessed.

What if the seller only sent a CIM?

You still get the teardown on what's there, plus the exact list of documents to request next.

DM “TEARDOWN”