Cliff’s started his career as a CPA and his expertise spans Mergers & Acquisitions, Industry Rollups, Turnarounds, Financial & Operational Management and SEC Reporting. He has successfully led transactions from both the buy and sell sides, including an IPO. His career highlights include providing financial direction for the world’s largest open heart surgery company (50,000 surgeries annually) as CFO, as well as performing as a full NASCAR partner and MLB and Collegiate products licensee.
Cliff’s business career reached the pinnacle of success when he built the largest OEM auto parts eCommerce platform ever created (165,000,000 parts applications on one site) and he successfully offered and sold it to AutoNation.
Faced with retiring or making a difference, Cliff chose to make a difference. Cliff views this stage of his life as an opportunity to give back. He feels that it would be a shame to waste his 30+ years of high level financial experience so he has opted to use his experience to help business owners.
First, he helped business owners through his appropriately named business consulting advisory firm Brutally Honest Consulting. Then he learned about all the pitfalls for business owners (when working with business brokers and businesses offering unsolicited LOI’s) when trying to sell their businesses.
He literally could not stomach all of the illicit conduct by brokers and buyers towards unsuspecting vulnerable business owners. Cliff set out to create the most ethical Mergers & Acquisitions firm in the Lower Middle Market. A firm focused on providing technical guidance and conducting business offerings for highly ethical business owners. He has created a successful efforts firm that does not charge upfront fees – guaranteed fees – minimum fees or requires an indenturing “tail” requirement as part of a business listing.
1 topic · no fee, no honorarium, no mileage
Review available topics below. Use the “Request This Free Speech” button and fill out the contact form. Cliff contacts you to discuss the details of the request.
Cliff enjoys speaking to business groups of any size. His goal is to educate business people so that they are more knowledgeable about business purchases and sales. Here are some of the key topics that Cliff speaks on:
1. How to prepare a business for sale.
2. How long it should take to sell a business.
3. How to effectively showcase a business to achieve full value.
4. Why a business advisor is essential for a successful business sale.
5. What to avoid when selecting a business advisor.
6. What a successful sales process looks like.
7. Why so many businesses sales fail?
8. What the role of business owner(s) in a sales process should be.
9. How to determine the appropriate value of a business.
10. How to align expectations with reality before commencing a sale.
Cliff’s experience is extensive and he is happy to customize his presentation to align with the specific requests and requirements of his audience.
Cliff offers a warm interactive environment that audiences find enjoyable and illuminating.
Free Speakers Dallas-Fort Worth is a pro bono speakers bureau. Since 2025, our speakers have given free presentations to Rotary clubs, libraries, schools, and community groups across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Browse the full list to book a free guest speaker in Dallas-Fort Worth, or learn more about how it works.
