Diligence Decoded: The Buyer's Guide to Risk and Reward - Part One (#260) Artwork

Maximize Business Value Podcast

A podcast for business owners passionate about building long-term, sustainable value in their businesses - and ultimately transitioning on their terms. Mastery Partners Certified Partners host the Maximize Business Value Podcast: Dave Casey, David Brown, Mark King, Amy Morin, and Terry Chevalier. Mastery Partners equips business owners to maximize business value so that they can transition on their terms. Check us out at masterypartners.com.

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Maximize Business Value Podcast

Diligence Decoded: The Buyer's Guide to Risk and Reward - Part One (#260)

December 05, 2025 • Tom Bronson • Episode 260

In this week’s episode of "Maximize Business Value," Dave Casey sits down with M&A expert John Gorbutt to discuss the buyer’s perspective on the acquisition process. John Gorbutt has over 45 years of financial leadership and has executed 75+ mergers and acquisitions. John breaks down the critical importance of a structured due diligence process.

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#maximizebusinessvalue #masterypartners #exitplanning #businesssuccess #JohnGorbutt #MergersAndAcquisitions #DueDiligence

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Learn More about Dave Casey
Dave Casey is a seasoned business owner with deep expertise in all aspects of organizational behavior and a passion for helping entrepreneurs reap the full rewards of building their companies. He understands that a truly valuable business isn’t just profitable—it’s secure, scalable, and transferable. In addition to his work with Mastery Partners, Dave actively gives back to the entrepreneurial community through leadership roles with organizations like Business Navigators, Biz Owners Ed, and Liberty Ministry. Whether advising on strategic growth or mentoring the next generation of business leaders, Dave brings clarity, integrity, and decades of real-world experience to every interaction. His mission goes beyond exit planning—he’s committed to helping owners build lasting legacies.

Learn More about John Gorbutt
John Gorbutt brings over 45 years of hands-on experience in accounting, operations, and financial leadership, with a track record of executing over 75 mergers and acquisitions. He has developed best practice manuals, due diligence playbooks, and leadership training materials. John's expertise extends to analyzing and designing operational/accounting process flows to identify risks and establish repeatable processes. He has also served as interim CFO/Controller for various companies during transition and acquisition periods. With transferable skills applicable to any industry, John possesses comprehensive knowledge across all functional areas of business management.

Mastery Partners

Elevating Businesses to Achieve The Business Owner’s Dream Exit
The unfortunate reality is that for every business that comes on the market (for whatever reason), only 17% of them achieve a successful exit. You read that right. 83% of attempted business transitions never reach the closing table. Mastery Partners is on a mission to change that. We ELEVATE businesses to achieve maximum value and reach that dream exit.

Our objectives are simple - understand where the business is today, identify opportunities for dramatic improvement, and offer solutions to enhance the business, making it more marketable and valuable. And that all starts with understanding the business owner’s definition of his or her dream exit.
Mastery has developed a 4-Step Process to help business owners achieve their dreams.

STEP 1: Transition Readiness Assessment
STEP 2: Roadmap for Value Acceleration
STEP 3: Relentless Execution
STEP 4: Decision: Now that desired results are achieved, the business is ready for the next step in the journey!