Captyx helps Oklahoma based commercial printing business achieve a premium valuation through a competitive sell side process
First Place Printing, an Oklahoma based screen printing, embroidery, and commercial printing business operating for more than 15 years, was acquired by a private equity backed buyer pursuing a roll up strategy in the commercial printing and branded products space.
The buyer plans to integrate First Place Printing into a larger platform with the goal of scaling operations, expanding market share, and ultimately pursuing a larger enterprise exit.
For the sellers, a local husband and wife ownership team, the transaction represented the successful exit of a business they had spent years building into the largest company of its type in the region.
The Situation
First Place Printing had grown into a strong regional operator with a reputation for quality, dependable service, and operational consistency. The business offered screen printing, embroidery, and commercial printing services to a broad base of customers across Oklahoma and surrounding markets.
The owners initially attempted to sell the business on their own.
Like many owners who test the market without professional representation, they quickly discovered that buyer interest and buyer quality are two very different things.
The offers they received were not attractive.
Some buyers proposed low valuations.
Some pushed earn out structures that placed too much future risk on the sellers.
Others offered 100 percent seller financing, which sounded less like an acquisition and more like someone asking to borrow the business and maybe pay for it later.After several months of frustration, the owners engaged Captyx to run a professional sell side process.
The Captyx Approach
Before going to market, Captyx performed a thorough valuation and pre diligence review to understand the company’s true market value, buyer fit, operational strengths, and likely areas of diligence focus.
This preparation mattered.
First Place Printing was not a distressed business. It was growing, profitable, and operating smoothly. At the time Captyx brought the company to market, trailing twelve month adjusted EBITDA had grown by approximately 15 percent.
Because Captyx maintains relationships with private equity groups, strategic buyers, roll up platforms, and investors active in the commercial printing industry, our team anticipated strong buyer demand if the company was positioned correctly.
The goal was not simply to find a buyer.
The goal was to create a competitive market.
Captyx prepared the business for buyer review, organized financial and operational information, developed professional go to market materials, and positioned First Place Printing as a highly attractive regional platform or add on acquisition opportunity.
The Process
Captyx began working with First Place Printing in late April.
The business went to market in May.
By July, the sellers accepted a Letter of Intent.
Less than 1.5 months after signing the LOI, the transaction closed.
That timeline was possible because Captyx completed extensive preparation before buyer conversations became serious. By addressing valuation, financial presentation, buyer materials, confidentiality, and pre diligence early, the process moved efficiently after the right buyer was selected.
The Results
After approximately two months of confidential but aggressive marketing and negotiation, the process generated substantial buyer activity.
415 buyers expressed interest in reviewing the business.
387 buyers returned confidentiality agreements and were approved to receive the Confidential Information Memorandum.
25 buyers submitted offers.The strongest offers included:
100 percent cash at closing.
50 percent cash at closing with the remaining 50 percent structured as an indemnification payout over two years at 140 percent over value.
80 percent to 90 percent cash at closing with a 10 percent to 15 percent equity rollover into a larger platform entity.
The sellers ultimately selected the 50 percent cash offer with the indemnification payout structure.
The final transaction achieved a 4.82x EBITDA multiple, materially higher than the typical 3.0x to 3.5x EBITDA range commonly seen for companies of similar size and industry profile.
Why the Deal Worked
First Place Printing attracted strong buyer interest because the business had several characteristics buyers value.
It was established.
It had more than 15 years of operating history.
It was the largest business of its type in its region.
It was growing.
It had strong adjusted EBITDA performance.
It operated smoothly.
It fit a clear private equity roll up thesis.But strong businesses do not automatically receive strong offers.
The outcome was driven by preparation, positioning, confidentiality, buyer outreach, negotiation, and competition.
Captyx did not rely on one buyer list or a passive listing strategy. The marketing process included strategic and financial buyer research, confidential promotion across multiple M&A listing channels, exposure through Captyx’s buyer network, broad outreach to more than 50,000 buyers, professional advisors, and business owners, and targeted communication with buyers who matched the company’s industry, size, and acquisition profile.
That broad but controlled process created the competitive tension needed to surface better terms.
If the process had relied only on a small researched buyer list, the sellers may never have seen the best offers.
The Lesson
A business is worth more when buyers compete.
For business owners, this transaction highlights an important truth: selling a company is not just about finding someone who is interested. It is about finding the right buyers, preparing the business correctly, creating a professional process, and giving multiple qualified parties a reason to compete.
Before working with Captyx, the owners received low ball offers, earn outs, and heavy seller financing structures.
After Captyx prepared and marketed the company, the sellers received 25 offers and achieved a premium valuation.
That is the difference between hoping for a buyer and running a real sell side process.
Why Work With Captyx
Captyx helps business owners prepare, position, and sell their companies with clarity and confidence. Our team has been involved across the full M&A process, including business valuation, sell side advisory, buy side sourcing, deal preparation, go to market strategy, diligence support, and transaction advisory.
We have built, bought, scaled, and sold our own companies. We have also worked behind the scenes supporting brokers, M&A advisors, investment banks, private equity groups, search funds, entrepreneurs, and buying groups.
That gives us a unique perspective.
We know what buyers look for because we have worked on both sides of the table.
We know where deals break because we have seen hundreds of them.
We know how to create buyer demand because we have built the systems others use to do it.For owners considering an exit, Captyx provides more than a listing.
We provide valuation, preparation, buyer strategy, competitive marketing, negotiation support, diligence coordination, and transaction guidance designed to improve valuation and increase deal certainty.
About Captyx
Founded in 2020, Captyx is a cross industry mergers and acquisitions advisory firm serving business owners, entrepreneurs, family offices, financial buyers, search funds, investors, and strategic acquirers across the United States.
The Captyx team built much of the digital infrastructure and process backbone behind many successful M&A advisors and business brokers. Captyx also buys, scales, and sells its own businesses, giving the firm an operator led perspective rarely found in traditional advisory.
Captyx provides business valuation, sell side advisory, buy side sourcing, value enhancement, transaction advisory, and exit planning services for companies across manufacturing, construction, distribution, home services, commercial services, business services, and other lower middle market industries.
Captyx helps owners do more than sell a business.
We help them build a business buyers want.
