The wire cleared. Now what?
You acquired a business. The seller's at the beach. You're standing in front of QuickBooks files from 2014, a CRM that lives on the office manager's iPhone, and a team that's been doing it the same way for fifteen years. Day 91 is when AI starts to matter. We install named AI employees on the stack you inherited — fixed fee, 30 days to live, 90-day handoff. So the team you inherited runs the business while you run the next deal.
Pre-LOI? Run the audit on the target before you sign.
/ POST-CLOSE PULSE — MEDIANS ACROSS RECENT DAY-91 INSTALLS
There are 2.3 million American businesses owned by people over 65. They will sell. They will not be bought by SaaS founders.
They will be bought by operators with SBA loans, search-fund LPs, and a 90-day plan. All of them will inherit the same duct-taped system on day 91 — a CRM on the office manager's iPhone, a foreman's clipboard, and a QuickBooks file that hasn't been reconciled since 2019.
The lever has changed.
For a generation, operational value creation in acquired SMBs came from the same moves: install QuickBooks, hire a real bookkeeper, raise prices, chase AR. Every one of those moves required a person — usually the new owner — to do them. The owner became the system. The business stalled when they weren't there.
The lever has changed because the agents have arrived. Not the keynote-stage agents — the ones in the wild, that work. A 24/7 AI receptionist that answers in seven seconds. A document-chase agent. A reactivation agent. An AR agent that never feels awkward sending the third reminder. The frontier is solved. The cost curve is favorable.
The bottleneck has moved upstream.
It's the install — choosing the right tool for a specific business, integrating it with what already runs there, training the operator, governing what the agent is and isn't allowed to do, and standing behind the EBITDA delta when the wire clears. Most agencies refuse to do this work. McKinsey ships slides. SaaS vendors sell you their tool. Almost nobody arrives on day 91 with a roadmap.
Buy boring. Run AI. We do the part most agencies won't.
Stack audit to live install, 90 days.
Built for solo searchers, holdco operating partners, and SBA-backed first-time owners running $2M–$25M businesses post-acquisition. The math runs on your target's actual numbers — not a sector benchmark.
- 01Day 91
Stack audit on the business you just inherited
QuickBooks 2014. CRM on the office manager's iPhone. Voicemails from a storm last night. We map what's actually running, what's duct-taped, and where the EBITDA is leaking.
- 02Days 92–98
Quick-win install — pick one role
AI Receptionist if calls are leaking. AI Collections Specialist if AR is at 70+ days. AI Reactivation Specialist if the dormant base is sitting untouched. One install. One number to move in week two.
- 03Days 99–120
Vendor selection memo — full Day-91 roadmap
Specific tools named. Specific contracts negotiated. Specific integration paths chosen. The 90-day install sequence with operator hours, costs, and expected lift. Investor-ready.
- 04Day 180
Hand-off to the team you inherited
Your operations lead can run the install without us. We leave with documentation, a 90-day pulse, and an open invitation. We don't sell a retainer.
Acquirers who'd rather install than interrogate.
We don't run McKinsey-style 100-day diagnostics. We arrive on day 91, audit the stack, and install the AI employees that move EBITDA. The deliverable is a working system, not a deck.
- Solo searchers running the first acquisition
$2M–$10M EBITDA target. SBA-backed. First-time operators who need a 100-day plan with someone accountable.
- Holdco operating partners
Three to twelve portfolio companies, repeated install pattern. We standardize the playbook across the holdco.
- ETA-backed CEO/President roles
Recent close, board pressure to show post-close progress in months one through six. We hit visible wins by week two.
- PE-backed home services platforms
Multi-location roll-ups in HVAC, plumbing, roofing. Standardize the AI install across acquired sites.
Book the Day-91 scope call.
Twenty minutes. Honest go/no-go. I'll tell you whether the install pencils against your specific deal economics — not a generic ROI promise.
— Nathan, founder
Reach me at startupformulas.com/get-started