Exit Strategy Consulting for Investors
Maximize Alpha.
Streamline Operations.
Elevate Value.
If you’re a private equity investor or sponsor in the construction or specialty trade services sector, you may be asking:
- Why aren’t we getting the multiple we expected?
- Why are buyers hesitant, despite strong top-line growth?
- What’s holding us back from exiting profitably?
- How do we reduce operational risk to attract better offers?
At Ascent Consulting, we help you answer those questions—and take action to resolve the underlying issues. We partner with private equity firms, family offices, and strategic investors to prepare construction and trades businesses for a successful, premium exit.
Whether you’re approaching a sale, recapitalization, or secondaries transaction, we help transform “good” companies into buyer-ready, scale-capable platforms—positioned to command stronger multiples and deliver the ROI your Limited Partners (LPs) expect.
You’re Not Alone: The Exit Bottleneck in Construction Investing
The construction industry is operationally complex. Many businesses in this sector were built around founder intuition, tribal knowledge, and “the way it’s always been done.” While that may get you through the early growth phase, it becomes a liability when you need to demonstrate stability, scale, and profitability to outside buyers.
We work with investors who are facing common exit challenges:
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Companies with strong revenue but weak systems
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Leadership teams that lack depth or defined accountability
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Underdeveloped reporting and job costing structures
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Inconsistent financials complicate due diligence
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Pressure from LPs or lenders to generate liquidity without sacrificing returns
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re not out of options.
How We Help Investors Achieve Profitable Exits
Our engagements are designed to generate real business outcomes, not just decks and diagnostics. With over a decade of experience in construction, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and renewable services, we know how to turn complex, operationally burdened companies into high-performing assets.
Clients come to us when they need to:
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Increase EBITDA by reducing operational waste
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Present a clean, scalable story to buyers
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Build confidence among secondaries sponsors
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Retain leverage during the diligence process
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Drive up valuation without extending the hold period
Our team works directly with your operators to strengthen the business across every dimension—financial, operational, cultural, and strategic. From enhancing procurement and job costing accuracy, to refining leadership roles and KPIs, to integrating reporting systems that withstand scrutiny, we build what buyers want to see.
Unlocking Value During the Final Hold Years
For private equity firms holding construction and trade services businesses in the 3–5 year range (this could be longer or shorter for an exit). Ascent provides targeted consulting engagements that align with your exit strategy timeline. Our approach goes beyond surface-level cleanup. We embed operational improvements and leadership discipline that translate directly into higher EBITDA, stronger financial narratives, and increased buyer confidence.
Operational Efficiency Reviews
Identify and eliminate cost centers, overhead bloat, or process bottlenecks that drag down profitability. We improve job costing accuracy, inventory control, and margin discipline to unlock latent earnings potential before a transaction.
Scalable Systems Implementation
Leadership and Org Chart Optimization
Buyers look for proven teams and defined accountability. We help restructure leadership, define key roles, and create succession plans that appeal to strategic acquirers or secondary sponsors.
Sell-Side Due Diligence Prep
We work with your team to identify operational red flags before buyers do. From WIP reporting to project margin analytics to backlog clarity, we help craft the cleanest operational story possible.
Results that Speak to the Bottom Line
Here’s what transformation looks like in practice:
- A plumbing contractor recovered over $1 million per year in rebates and restructured warehouse operations to support future growth.
- A renewable energy EPC firm went from negative EBITDA to profitability after we helped lead a CEO transition, implement stage-gate systems, and coach their project teams.
An electrical contractor reduced invoice processing time by 90% and improved margin visibility across all projects, leading to a double-digit increase in annual profitability.
These aren’t hypothetical improvements. They’re the reason our clients command higher multiples and exit with confidence.
Preparing for Secondaries or Continuation Vehicles?
Ascent also supports sponsors navigating secondaries markets. Whether you’re launching a continuation fund or exploring GP-led recapitalizations, we provide third-party operational validation, forward-looking growth plans, and risk mitigation strategies that increase buyer confidence.
We help you answer the hard questions before the buyers ask them.
When Should You Call Us?
The earlier, the better. We recommend starting 12–24 months ahead of your planned exit. That gives you time to implement improvements, validate results, and shape the exit narrative before going to market.
But we’ve also stepped in mid-process—when deals stall, when lenders apply pressure, or when secondaries sponsors need clarity—and delivered outcomes fast.
Why Investors Choose Ascent
We’ve spent the last decade embedded in construction. We understand the sector’s financial, cultural, and operational nuances—and we translate that understanding into results that investors care about.
- We don’t just point out problems. We fix them.
- We don’t sell theoretical strategies. We implement real solutions.
- We don’t delay action. We move fast—and get measurable results.
Ascent Consulting Assists Private Equity Throughout the Investment Lifecycle
Let’s Maximize the Return on Your Investment
Whether you’re preparing a portfolio company for a strategic buyer, a financial sponsor, or a secondaries recap, Ascent can help you present a business that commands a premium.
