Five People You Need Before You Need Them

Running a business in the lower middle market ($2.5M – $50M) is not a solo drive. It is more like NASCAR.

The driver is the star of the show, carrying the weight of the race with skill, endurance, and split-second decisions. They manage the heat, the stress, and the reflexes for hours at a time. The best drivers also know they cannot win alone, which is why they surround themselves with the best pit crews.

Business works the same way. Opportunities come fast. Crises do not send a warning flag. You cannot afford to scramble for help at the last minute. You need your pit crew ready, practiced, and trusted long before the pressure hits.

That is why these five advisors matter most. They are not just specialists. They are your pit crew, coordinated, fast, and trusted enough to keep your business in the race and ahead of the pack.

1. The Wealth & Estate Advisor (The Crew Strategist)

In NASCAR, there is always someone thinking about the long game, when to pit, how to save fuel, and how to finish strong. The wealth advisor plays that role. They ensure that business success turns into lasting family wealth, not just paper wins. They bring in estate attorneys and trust experts to protect what you have built, making sure the endgame is not lost in the rush of the race.

2. The Lawyer (The Master Mechanic)

Your lawyer is the one making sure the machine can handle the track. Contracts, compliance, and disputes are like the nuts and bolts holding the car together. One loose piece can cost you the whole race. A trusted lawyer not only protects you but knows when to bring in specialty mechanics like IP, employment law, or litigation to keep you running clean.

3. The Banker (The Fuel Chief)

Without fuel, you are not racing. The banker is your fuel chief, making sure you always have access to the capital needed to compete. The right banker does not just top off the tank. They bring options: acquisition financing, treasury services, SBA loans, and private investors. They understand your ratios, your limits, and your goals, and they know how to keep you running at peak speed.

4. The CPA / Financial Advisor (The Spotter with the Data)

Every NASCAR driver relies on the spotter, the person with the data, angles, and foresight they do not have in the car. That is your CPA. They keep the numbers clear and forward-looking, flagging risks before they cause a wreck. From proactive tax planning to cash flow strategy, to fast-track Quality of Earnings when a deal comes up, the CPA is your set of eyes above the track.

5. The Value Creation Advisor (The Crew Chief)

Every pit crew needs a leader who calls the sequence, synchronizes the team, and manages the race strategy. That is the Value Creation Advisor. They integrate legal, financial, and operational input into one plan, making sure all the other advisors are working in sync. Their job is to keep you focused on the big picture, building enterprise value lap after lap.

Trust Takes Time

A NASCAR pit crew does not magically deliver under pressure. They train together, build trust, and refine their timing long before race day.

Advisors work the same way. You cannot expect them to deliver seamlessly if you only call them in at the last minute. Trust is two-way. They need to know your business and your goals just as much as you need to know their capabilities. And that takes time.

Who is Your Go-to Crew?

A Charlotte-based owner in the industrial services space got the call: a chance to acquire a competitor in an off-market bolt-on deal. The opportunity was rare, but the window was short.

The first call went to the Value Creation Advisor, who already knew the five-year plan and the bigger strategy. Immediately, they started working through the big questions: How does this acquisition fit into the enterprise? How does it change the five-year plan? What is the impact on the ecosystem? Where are the synergies? What is the net economic value?

While the VCA worked strategy, the Banker got to work on financing. Knowing the leverage position and debt service hurdles, the banker pulled in options, SBA and conventional lenders, commercial real estate specialists, and private investors, to map out the best fit.

The CPA jumped in on the numbers, building a Quality of Earnings report in days. They set up the secure data room, validated the financials, and flagged critical contracts for the Lawyer.

The Lawyer moved quickly, reviewing key agreements and drafting documents to protect the owner from liabilities.

Meanwhile, the Wealth Advisor stress-tested the deal structure to ensure the owner’s long-term family goals were not compromised.

Because of the high degree of trust across this pit crew, and their extended networks, the deal was agreed in days and closed in weeks. A timeline that usually takes months.

The difference was not luck. It was trust, built over years, that delivered when it mattered most.

How to Build Your Pit Crew

Having a name is not enough. To turn a list of advisors into a trusted team, you need to invest in the relationships, figuratively and literally.

Start with your network. If someone you trust trusts them, that is a good sign they will be the right fit. A referral carries more weight than a cold introduction.

Once they are on your radar, put in the time:

• Engage them regularly. Call your advisors to talk about your business, even outside of specific transactions. The more they know your context, the faster they will perform when it matters.

• Invest consistently. Your wealth advisor should already be actively managing part of your personal picture. Your lawyer and CPA often work best on retainers, that way they are in your corner before you pick up the phone.

• Schedule check-ups. At minimum, a Value Creation Advisor should sit down with you annually to review your five-year plan, stress-test assumptions, and recalibrate strategy.

Like a NASCAR crew, performance under pressure only comes from reps, trust, and preparation. You cannot bolt a team together on race day.

The takeaway: These five advisors are your pit crew. Build the relationships early. Develop trust before the caution flag flies. So when the race is on the line, you are not scrambling for help, you are pulling into pit lane and your team already knows exactly what to do.