Become an owner. Not a broker.
Acquire equity in small businesses without putting up the purchase capital. You bring your network and your judgment. We bring the training, the financing, the deal team, and the back office. You can start part-time without leaving your current career.
Who this is for
This tends to fit people who already advise, sell, or evaluate businesses.
This is a fit if you:
- have fifteen or more years of professional experience;
- come from finance, banking, M&A, accounting, recruiting, sales coaching, business ownership, or a background as a former small business CEO/COO, management consultant, turnaround advisor, or restructuring specialist;
- have a real network in your market and know how to work it;
- are patient enough for a deal cycle that runs months and self-directed enough that nobody has to manage you;
- have the financial capacity to invest in this and operate while the first deal comes together.
This is not a fit if you:
- want passive income;
- need money next month;
- have no local network.
You acquire equity. Not fees. Not commissions.
The Owner Actions advisor model is built around acquiring equity, not collecting fees. With each acquisition, the advisor takes an ownership interest in the business and becomes a partner in it. Over time, advisors accumulate a portfolio of ownership stakes across multiple companies.
Advisors participate in their businesses as equity holders, on the same terms as other owners, subject to the operating agreement for each transaction.
Own, don't broker
Take an equity interest in every business you help acquire.
Build a portfolio
Accumulate ownership interests across multiple businesses over time.
A true partner
Participate as an equity holder on the same terms as other owners.
Watch: Mark and Katie Fleming explain the Owner Actions partner model
"Mark and Katie Fleming from Owner Actions have one of the most interesting business models we've heard from guests. They've taken experience in wealth management and marketing to owning a diverse portfolio of businesses that includes cleaning companies, restaurants, and HVAC. Katie and Mark take % of ownership to help with finding deals, diligence, advising, and post close accounting and marketing. We discuss the challenges and rewards of their unique 'for equity' model, the importance of finding the right partners, and how they leverage platforms like TikTok to connect with potential partners."
You're never doing this alone
The training teaches you the work. The Owner Actions team does it with you. Our people handle loan packaging, quality of earnings, business plans, legal coordination, and post-close financial management, so you can focus on finding operators and businesses and closing deals.
Loan packaging
Quality of earnings and business plans
Coordination with your buyer's attorney
Post-close financial management
Offer 1 of 2
The Enrollment
A one-time payment covers your full admission into the program — the training, the platform, the team, and every capability listed below.
Everything included
What your enrollment covers
$25,000
one time
- Live training. Twelve modules taught in small-group classes by Mark Fleming, CFA that help you work through finding the right operator through closing and post-acquisition support.
- SBA financing. We teach the SBA loan process end to end: borrower eligibility, deal structure, lender requirements, and what makes a deal financeable.
- Deal sourcing & evaluation. How to find businesses, read a CIM, screen quickly, normalize earnings, and decide go or no-go before wasting time.
- Offers, diligence & closing. LOI structure, negotiation, due diligence, attorney coordination, and the closing checklist with our team beside you.
- Professional support. Access to our roster of transaction attorneys and Quality of Earnings diligence at a fraction of typical market cost.
- Back office & operations. Optional bookkeeping, AP/AR, and CFO-level financial management for the businesses you help acquire at a preferred rate.
Built separately, this is the capability of a full M&A firm.
Offer 2 of 2
The Deal Team Retainer
An optional monthly retainer that puts a dedicated deal team alongside you — analyst, transaction coordinator, and marketing and video support.
Included every month
What the retainer covers
$2,000
per month
Up to 6 deal analyses
Initial reviews by our analyst, who has modeled more than 1,000 SMB acquisitions.
Unlimited deals in underwriting
Support from our deal coordinator, who has closed more than 40 transactions.
Website, marketing & video support
Technical support, up to 50 minutes of video editing per month, plus we build your website and handle your marketing.
Up to 6 deal analyses and up to 50 minutes of video editing included each month. Additional capacity available.
What this actually costs.
Build it yourself
- Part-time analyst$3,000 – $5,000 / mo
- Transaction coordinator$2,000 – $4,000 / mo
- Content and operations$1,500 – $3,000 / mo
- Total$7,000 – $12,000 / mo
Your monthly cost
You get all three for $2,000/month.
The Curriculum
Twelve modules, from finding your first operator through supporting the business years after the close. Small group classes of 4–6 people, taught by Mark Fleming, CFA and Katie Fleming, CM&AA.
Mark Fleming, CFA
President/CEO, Owner Actions
Mark brings extensive deal expertise ranging from small business transactions to multi-billion-dollar IPOs. Having worked on over 100 SMB transactions and as an owner of over 25 businesses himself, he is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with decades of experience structuring deals, optimizing outcomes, and creating value for business owners at every stage.
Katie Fleming, CM&AA
Alignment, Readiness, Smart Growth
Katie applies her background in business development, marketing, and small business management to help businesses grow and thrive. As a hands-on owner and advisor, she works with partners to build readiness, find strategic alignment, and identify opportunities to improve long-term performance. Her focus is on building upon each company's existing strengths while helping position the business, its employees, and its customers for continued success.
- The advisor model and how it works.
- The deal lifecycle end to end.
- Your role versus the operator's role versus our team's role.
- Compliance fundamentals: what you can and cannot say.
- How to position the experienced team standing behind you.
- Your duty to the partnership comes first in every conversation and every decision.
- Never overstate capabilities, outcomes, or facts. Precision protects everyone.
- Know when a question requires legal counsel and when it needs accounting expertise.
- Understand the licensing rules that apply to advisory work in your state.
- If it is not written down, it did not happen. Clean records are your best defense.
- Who makes a good buyer-operator, and who does not.
- Where to find them: networks, referrals, communities, and local channels.
- Qualifying conversations around capital, commitment, and eligibility.
- How to structure the partnership with your operator.
- The red flags that should stop you.
- Defining your target business profile by size, earnings, industry, and owner situation.
- Sourcing through business brokers, direct outreach, and proprietary channels.
- Building broker relationships that actually produce deal flow.
- Off-market sourcing.
- Building and running a pipeline.
- Reading a listing or CIM the way an experienced buyer reads it.
- Seller's discretionary earnings and add-backs.
- Quick-screen valuation against industry multiples.
- Go or no-go before you spend real time.
- The seller misrepresentations to watch for.
- Normalizing earnings.
- What actually drives a multiple.
- Debt service coverage and how a lender sees your deal.
- Working capital.
- Hands-on work with our deal model.
- Structuring price, terms, and contingencies.
- Asset versus stock purchase, and when to bring in the attorney.
- Writing the letter of intent.
- Negotiation fundamentals.
- What you never do without counsel.
- How SBA 7(a) actually works: terms, rates, and structure.
- Eligibility for the borrower and the business.
- The packaging process our team runs for you.
- Working with lenders, and what makes a deal financeable.
- Refinance opportunities down the road.
- The diligence process and checklist.
- Financial diligence and quality of earnings.
- Legal, operational, and customer diligence.
- Working with our attorney panel.
- The discipline of walking away, and documenting why.
- The purchase agreement, attorney-led and advisor-supported.
- Coordinating lender, attorney, seller, and operator to a close.
- Personal guaranty and equity injection mechanics.
- The operating agreement and your ownership position.
- The closing checklist and the problems that show up at the last minute.
- The first ninety days of operator ownership.
- Handing off to our financial management team.
- Setting up reporting and cash flow monitoring.
- Supporting your operator through the transition.
- Spotting growth and refinance opportunities.
- Managing your ownership position over time.
- Running several deals at once.
- Managing your time across sourcing, diligence, and post-close.
- Tracking your portfolio of ownership interests.
- Maintaining compliance and licensing in your state.
- Insurance, entity setup, and recordkeeping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apply to the Advisor Program
If the model and support structure feel like a fit, the next step is the application.
We review every application personally and reach out if there's a fit.
Submit your application
Fill out the short form so we understand your background and goals.
Schedule a call
We'll reach out to set up a conversation and answer your questions.
Receive a decision
If it's a fit on both sides, we'll invite you into the next enrollment.
Owner Actions makes no representations regarding income, distributions, exit proceeds, or returns any advisor will earn. Individual results depend on factors outside Owner Actions' control, including the advisor's effort, deal sourcing success, market conditions, and business performance. Owner Actions is not a registered broker-dealer or investment adviser. Advisors operate as independent businesses. This is not an offer to sell a franchise, business opportunity, or securities.