Acquisition Criteria

The Blue Haven
Buy Box.

Clear criteria, a decisive process, and a credible buyer. Here’s exactly what we look for — and what we don’t.

$500K – $3MEBITDA / Cash Flow
$3M–$25MEnterprise Value
$3M – $20MRevenue
4.0x–5.5xEBITDA Valuation
About Blue Haven
Operators Buying
Operators

Blue Haven Capital Group partners with owner-operators and management teams to identify, acquire, and improve lower-middle-market businesses. Led by experienced operators with deep acquisition expertise, we bring capital, strategic guidance, and a commitment to sustainable EBITDA growth.

We are a permanent-capital buyer, not a three-year flip. When a business fits the box below, we can move quickly and close with certainty — and then hold, reinvest, and build for the long-term.

Target Investment Profile
The Buy Box

The parameters that define a Blue Haven fit. If a business lines up here, it’s worth a conversation.

EBITDA / Cash Flow
$500K – $3M
Enterprise Value
$3M – $25M
Revenue
$3M – $20M
Valuation
4.0x – 5.5x EBITDA (quality-dependent)
EBITDA Margin
> 15% (mfg & services)  ·  cash-flow-led (distribution)
Industries
Manufacturing · Distribution · Services · Real Estate
Geography
Intermountain West & Southeast
The Filter — every target clears the same bar
Essential, non-discretionary demandRecurring revenueTangible assetsSuccession gapLow tech-disruption riskDefensible niches
The Other Side of the Box
What We Do Not Acquire

Being clear about what we pass on saves everyone time — and keeps our focus where we add the most value.

Startups or pre-revenue companies
Highly regulated industries (healthcare billing, financial services requiring licensure)
Real estate development or land speculation
Technology companies without defensible recurring revenue
Retail or restaurant concepts
Businesses requiring significant post-close key-man dependency
Situations
What We Walk Into
The criteria are the bar. These are the circumstances.
Succession

An owner is ready to step back and there is no one inside to take over. We buy, install or promote a general manager, and give them equity.

Recapitalization

A well-run business where the owner wants meaningful liquidity without leaving. Take money off the table, keep a stake, keep running it.

Generational Transition

One branch of a family wants out and another wants in. We buy the exiting side and back the generation that is staying.

A Fixable Problem

A sound business carrying something specific — a customer concentration, a bad lease, a balance sheet that got heavy. We will take on a cause we can name.

Corporate Orphan

A division that stopped getting attention from its parent. Often a good business that simply needs someone whose full job it is.

If your situation is not on this list, it does not mean no. It means we have not met yet.

The Line
What We Won’t Do
Saying no quickly is worth more to you than a maybe.
  • Minority positions. We take control or we pass. A stake without authority helps neither of us when something needs fixing.
  • Startups and unproven models. We buy operating history, not projections.
  • Businesses whose value leaves with the owner. If the relationships, licences, or know-how cannot transfer or be rebuilt, there is nothing to buy.
  • Turnarounds without a clear cause. We will take on a fixable problem. We will not take on a mystery.
  • Auctions priced on multiple alone. If the only variable is price, we are the wrong buyer and you will do better elsewhere.

If your business falls outside this, we will tell you in the first conversation rather than the fourth.

For Brokers & Intermediaries
Deal Flow
Welcome.

Blue Haven is a credible, decisive buyer that moves quickly and closes with integrity. If you have a business that fits the box, we want to see it.