The Operator-Broker Who's Been In Your Shoes

Helping California Business Owners and Contractors Achieve Stress-Free Exits

With over 37 years of experience in sales, operations, and business ownership, Stan Cortland is your trusted advisor, bringing a profound, firsthand understanding of your business.

Get Your No-Cost Valuation

For the "Exit-Ready" Founder/Owner-Operators

Selling your business is one of the most important financial decisions of your life. But for a founder, it's also deeply personal. After decades of work, you deserve an exit strategy that honors your legacy.

Solution

PROBLEM

Many "Exit-Ready" Founder/Owner-Operators' primary concerns are a complex blend of the financial, the operational, and the deeply personal; protecting their employees, ensuring a smooth transition, and seeing the company they built continue to thrive.

The traditional brokerage model often fails to bridge this gap. An advisor without direct operational experience may undervalue a business by focusing solely on EBITDA multiples. Lacking a shared history of entrepreneurship, they may struggle to connect with the owner on a peer level, failing to grasp the non-monetary goals that are critical to the deal’s success.

The "Operator-Broker" is not just an intermediary; he's a peer who has personally built, scaled, and exited his own business. For years, Stan Cortland owned and operated a large Xerox dealership. He managed field service crews, navigated complex supply chains, built recurring contract revenue streams, and handled all the operational challenges you face daily. He speaks the language of operations, not just finance, and possesses an innate understanding of the intangible assets that drive a business’s true worth.

When he assesses your business, he's not making a guess. He knows what drives value in service-based operations because he has lived it.

Stressed plumbing contractor at a desk with "BUSINESS FOR SALE" binder and tools, a "FOR SALE" van visible outside.

A happy, retired plumbing contractor relaxes in a lounge chair with a drink and fishing rod, a white van in the background.

Recent Closed Transactions

Swimming Pool Contractor Business

Person servicing a swimming pool with cleaning equipment, labeled "SOLD".

Plumber working at a desk with pipes and tools, labeled "SOLD".

Plumbing Contractor Business

Glass Supplier/Contractor Business

Worker measuring and handling glass sheet on a table, labeled "SOLD".

Stan Cortland’s practice exhibits a concentrated focus on the Contractor Services Vertical, a strategic decision that allows for deep market penetration and the efficient attraction of sophisticated strategic buyers and institutional consolidation capital seeking roll-up opportunities. Recent closed transactions handled are the following: