My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
DENNIS System for M&A
A systematic 6-step approach to selling your company, adapted from the comedy show Always Sunny in Philadelphia's 'DENNIS System' for dating.
How It Works
Each step builds psychological momentum and leverage while systematically addressing buyer concerns and objections. The process moves from demonstrating value to creating competitive tension.
Components
D - Demonstrate value (financial and strategic reasons)
E - Engage physically (get in-person meetings)
N - Nurture dependence (become their solution)
N - Neglect emotionally (create competitive tension)
I - Inspire hope (use leverage for better terms)
S - Sell entirely (close the deal properly)
When to Use
When running an active sales process for your company, especially when you're not getting inbound interest.
When Not to Use
When you have overwhelming inbound interest or are in a pure talent acquisition scenario.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“A fintech startup demonstrates their fraud detection value, meets with bank executives, positions as solution to regulatory compliance pain, negotiates with multiple banks simultaneously, uses competing offers for better terms, then closes with proper legal documentation.”
Related Knowledge
Gather comprehensive intelligence on potential acquirers to position your company optimally
Having detailed insights into buyer priorities, pain points, decision makers, and internal dynamics before your first pi
Create comprehensive materials that remove all friction from the buying decision
Buyers can easily understand your value proposition, team, technology, and strategic fit without additional meetings or
Manage multiple potential buyers simultaneously to create leverage and maximize valuation
Multiple term sheets arriving within the same week, allowing you to negotiate better terms by creating competitive tensi
transparency-timing-mistake
Four Buyer Categories Framework
A systematic way to categorize potential acquirers into four distinct types based on their acquisition motivations and strategic needs.
Startup Sale Readiness Assessment
A four-question framework to assess whether you should sell your startup by comparing your current beliefs against your founding assumptions.