You tell us what you want to own. We run the search, screen everything against your criteria and bring you a shortlist of businesses worth a serious look, with our read on the numbers for each one.
Cross Pond Capital Advisory
We help you buy the right business.
Buy-side search, due diligence and deal structuring for business buyers across Australia. Led by a Chartered Accountant who has bought, run and sold his own business.
- CA ANZChartered Accountant
- M&Aand corporate finance background
- Bought a business for $185k, sold it for $325k
- Australia-widebased in Perth
Buying a business is hard to do alone.
Most listings aren’t worth your time. Earnings get dressed up, leases are about to run out, and plenty of businesses fall over the day the owner leaves. The broker works for the seller, the process is full of jargon, and nobody teaches you how to do it.
Most buyers end up spending months scrolling listings at night, or worse, buying the wrong business because they were tired of looking.
We sit on your side of the table and do the heavy lifting with you.
How we help
Use us for the whole process, or just the part you need.
Found one you like? Before you sign anything binding, we pull the business apart. Are the earnings real, what’s the lease really like, and what happens when the owner walks out the door.
From first call to settlement
- Step 1
Intro call.
A free chat about where you’re at, your budget and what you want. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you.
- Step 2
Your buy box.
We lock in exactly what you’re looking for: budget, deal size, industries, location, how hands-on you want to be, and what you’ll pay for earnings. Most buyers never write this down.
- Step 3
The search.
Over three months we go through brokers, listing sites and off-market leads where we can, and screen everything against your buy box. We catch up every fortnight.
- Step 4
Your shortlist.
Up to 10 businesses that fit, each with our view on what looks real, what’s been dressed up, and the questions to ask first. You decide which ones to chase.
- Step 5
Due diligence and structuring.
Once you’re under offer, we check the business properly and help structure and negotiate the deal.
- Step 6
Settlement.
We work alongside your lawyer, finance broker, bank and settlement agent to get it over the line. Need any of them? We’ll introduce you to ours.
Already found a business? Skip straight to step 5.
What’s included
Buy-side search
A done-with-you search for people who have the money to buy a business but not the time to find one.
Best for
Buyers who know they want to own a business and want a professional running the search with them.
Included
- Buy box session to define exactly what you’re after
- Three-month search with fortnightly catch-ups
- Coverage of brokers, listing sites and off-market opportunities where possible
- Shortlist of up to 10 businesses that fit, each with our read on the numbers
- Your own private client portal with your buy box, shortlist, deal notes and a learning hub
- Introductions to business brokers, finance brokers, bankers, lawyers and settlement agents
Due diligence
A proper check of the business before you commit, from someone who reads financials for a living.
Best for
Buyers under offer, or about to make one, who want to know exactly what they’re buying.
Included
- Review of the financials, including tying the P&L back to BAS and bank statements
- Monthly trading analysis to understand seasonality
- Normalised earnings (adjusted EBITDA), with every add-back tested
- Owner dependency, key staff, customer concentration and supplier risk
- Lease and key contract review points (assignment, term, options), flagged for your lawyer
- Working capital and stock requirements
- A clear written summary: what’s solid, what isn’t, and what to renegotiate
Deal structuring
Help working out what to pay, how to pay for it, and how to protect yourself in the deal.
Best for
Buyers who have found the business and want the deal set up properly.
Included
- Valuation and offer price based on real, adjusted earnings
- Letter of offer / LOI terms
- Deal terms such as vendor finance, earn-outs, deferred payments, handover and stock adjustments
- Funding plan: your equity, bank debt and vendor finance, plus introductions to lenders and finance brokers
- Negotiation support with the broker and vendor
- Coordination with your lawyer and accountant through to settlement
Is this for you?
A good fit if you:
- Want to buy an established, profitable business in Australia
- Have at least $50k to invest
- Probably still have a job (banks like that more than you’d think)
- Want to do this properly and are ready to act when the right one comes up
Probably not a fit if you:
- Are looking for a no-money-down deal
- Want someone to guarantee you a business or a return
- Are still deciding whether you want to own a business at all
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Luke Hanner, a Chartered Accountant based in Perth. I started my career in M&A and corporate finance at Moore Australia and FTI Consulting, working on deals and valuations for businesses of all sizes.
I bought my first business, a Perth laundromat, after an 18-month search. I paid $185k, ran it for 20 months and sold it for $325k. The search was the hardest part. Nine out of ten listings weren’t worth a second look, and I learned the hard way what to check before you sign.
Now I help other people buy businesses, and I still invest through Cross Pond Capital. I’ve also been elected 2027 Chair of the Young Chartered Accountants in WA.
I share what I’m learning about buying businesses on Instagram at @literallyluuke.
Follow @literallyluukeAdvisers
Lana is National Chief Operating Officer of PKF Australia, with a 30-year career across audit, quality management, governance and accounting education. She trained in audit in South Africa, became a partner in a chartered accounting firm and co-founded an audit practice, before moving to Perth as General Manager and National Head of Quality Management at Moore Australia. She has served as a non-executive director of listed companies. Lana holds a PhD in Accounting Education and an MBA, and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ and a graduate member of the AICD.
TJ began his career at EY and BMW before running his own management consultancy for five years. He then bought a manufacturing business and owned it outright for 23 years, employing up to 150 people. Ad-hoc work for a small merchant bank along the way sparked a love of dealmaking, which led him to Ellis Corporate in Perth as a Specialist Consultant advising on business sales. He knows the realities of running an SME in manufacturing and logistics first-hand. TJ was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 1990 and remains a member of SAICA.
We buy businesses too
Patient capital, hands-on ownership.
Cross Pond Capital is also a private investment company, backed by a small group of Chartered Accountants. We buy, build and run businesses with our own money, so the advice you get comes from people who have been on the buyer’s side with their own capital at stake.
The name comes from our roots: a bridge for South African capital into Australian businesses, and back the other way.
Est. 20233 Chartered Accountants2 continents
Perth laundromat
Bought in 2023 for $185k after an 18-month search. Held for 20 months and sold in 2025 for $325k.
Casae Living
A Perth co-living business we built and operate: we lease properties and rent rooms to tenants, with in-house systems running the day to day.
AeroClean
Private credit facility. Realised.
What clients say
FAQ
It depends on what you need. The search is a fixed fee for the three months, and due diligence and structuring are quoted per deal once we know what we’re looking at. We’ll walk you through it on the call.
For our service, at least $50k to invest. Most deals are funded with a mix of your own money, bank debt and vendor finance, and we’ll help you work out what’s realistic for your situation.
Yes. The search is built for people working full-time, and lenders often prefer that you have stable income while you buy.
No. Nobody honest can. What we do is make sure you only spend time on businesses that actually fit, and that you know exactly what you’re buying before you commit.
Yes. You can skip the search and come straight to due diligence and deal structuring.
Anywhere in Australia. We’re based in Perth and run meetings online.
Established, profitable small to mid-sized businesses with real earnings, often being sold by owners who are retiring or moving on. Your buy box decides the industries.
Yes. We work alongside them, and if you don’t have them yet we’ll introduce you to people we trust.
Ready to buy a business?
Book a free intro call. We’ll talk through where you’re at and what you’re after, and if we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you.
Book a callOr email luke.hanner@crosspondcapital.com