This episode is brought to you by Cayne Crossing. Cayne Crossing helps prospective SMB purchasers with all aspects of financial due diligence, including producing the Quality of Earnings report. I have personally read though, analyzed, and relied upon several of their actual QofE reports in my capacity as an SMB investor, and can personally attest to the quality of the work that they do. Unlike any other QofE provider that I’m aware of, Cayne Crossing also co-invests alongside their buyers, aligning their interests with yours in a way that I simply haven’t seen anywhere else. Cayne Crossing is offering a special discount to listeners of In The Trenches: Just go to caynecrossing.com, and scroll down to the “contact form” on their homepage. Enter the offer code “trenches”, and you will get a full $2,000 off of your QofE engagement with them. __________________________ My guest today is Brent Beshore. Brent is Founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, a private investment firm that invests in Founder-owned private companies. Permanent Equity is a (very) long-term investor that typically intends to hold portfolio companies indefinitely, often without the use of any leverage. In addition to his role as an investor, Brent is also a prolific writer: He is a regular contributor to Forbes, and also publishes and releases materials for free on Permanent Equity's website, spanning topics like operating, selling, and investingin SMBs, among others. Brent is also the author of The Messy Marketplace, a book that aims to demystify the process of selling a company. I must say that this conversation was a real pleasure for me to have. Brent is a really thoughtful guy who has a lot of really unique and insightful views on buying, running, and selling SMBs. And, of all the many conversations that I’ve had recently, this one might cover the most ground: So strap in for a very wide-ranging discussion, and please enjoy.