DAILY AGENDA
THURSDAY AUGUST 27
7:30AM - 5:00PM | REGISTRATION OPEN
8:00AM - 12:00PM | GOLF OUTING (optional activity)
8:30AM - 12:30PM | IBBA COURSE #214: FUNDAMENTALS OF WORKING CAPITAL
8:30AM - 12:30PM | IBBA COURSE #224: PRICING A BUSINESS TO SELL
12:30PM - 1:30PM | LUNCH (for Course attendees only)
1:30PM - 5:30PM | M&A SOURCE COURSE #440: NAVIGATING LOIs & PURCHASE AGREEMENTS
1:30PM - 5:30PM | IBBA COURSE #209: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BUYING & SELLING A BUSINESS
3:00PM - 5:45PM | FOOD & WINE TOUR (optional activity)
6:00PM - 7:30PM | CONFERENCE KICKOFF RECEPTION
Dress in all white for our Ivory Tides Social to kick things off at this casual mix-and-mingle event!
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FRIDAY AUGUST 28
7:30AM - 5:00PM | REGISTRATION OPEN
8:00AM - 9:00AM | BREAKFAST
9:00AM - 10:00AM | WELCOME & KEYNOTE
10:15AM - 11:15AM | WORKSHOPS
Workshop: Building Your Brand: Daily Strategies to Get Found, Win Listings, and Become the Go-To Business Broker | Presenter: Patrick Lange
In today’s competitive market, visibility is everything. In this high-impact workshop, Patrick will share practical, proven strategies business brokers can implement immediately to get found by sellers, attract quality listings, and position themselves as the trusted expert in their market. Walk away with actionable tactics to strengthen your brand and increase deal flow.
Workshop: Closing More Deals with Foreign Buyers: Immigration Tools for Business Brokers
Presenter: Romy Jurado
This workshop is designed for business brokers who work with foreign investors interested in acquiring businesses in the United States. During the session, key immigration updates for 2025 will be reviewed, along with their direct impact on transaction structures and the eligibility of international buyers. Attorney Romy B. Jurado, Esq. will explain how the E-2, L-1, and EB-5 visa programs influence deal planning, from buyer selection to closing. She will also share practical strategies to address common challenges such as consular delays, renewal processes, and source-of-funds requirements. Finally, the workshop will provide best practices for brokers to collaborate effectively with immigration attorneys, add value to their services, and attract qualified foreign buyers, while reducing legal risks and increasing the likelihood of successful closings.
11:15AM - 12:00PM | EXHIBIT HALL OPEN
12:00PM - 1:00PM | LUNCH PROGRAM
Seminar: The Modern Broker Advantage: Using AI, Technology & Systems to Win More Deals | Presenter: Trent Lee
Most brokers don’t have a lead problem. They have a systems problem. This session explores how leading brokers use AI, technology, and structured workflows to eliminate bottlenecks, improve follow-up, and build trust faster. Learn practical ways to streamline buyer and seller processes, increase responsiveness, cobroker, and close more deals without adding more work.
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1:15PM - 2:15PM | WORKSHOPS
Workshop: Inside the SBA Deal Room: What Works, What Kills Deals, and What Brokers Still Get Wrong
Presenters: Tammy Roberts and Sylvia Mullen
Behind every SBA loan that closes successfully are many that stall, fall apart, or never make it past underwriting. What separates the deals that get funded from the ones that die in the pipeline? This session pulls back the curtain on what really happens inside the SBA deal room. Attendees will gain insight into how underwriters evaluate deals and how brokers can structure transactions for approval. We’ll break down what actually works, the red flags that quietly kill deals, and the common mistakes brokers still make that delay or derail financing. By learning to think like both a lender and an expert SBA broker, attendees will walk away with practical strategies to structure stronger deals, better prepare borrowers, and dramatically improve their chances of reaching the closing table.
Workshop: Principled Exits: Pursuing Belief, Integrity, and Excellence in Exit Advisory
Presenter: Jason Godwin
This workshop will focus on what it looks like to approach exit advisory as a form of stewardship, not just a transaction. It will explore how Belief, integrity, and professional discipline can shape the way brokers and advisors serve business owners during one of the most important transitions of their lives. The conversation will center on real decision points advisors face throughout the exit process—setting expectations, handling valuation realities, navigating buyer pressure, and maintaining trust when incentives are misaligned. Rather than theory, the workshop will emphasize practical frameworks and standards that help advisors act with clarity, consistency, and conviction. Attendees can expect to walk away with a clearer understanding of their role as stewards of both capital and people, along with tools for holding firm to principled decision-making while still delivering strong outcomes. The goal is to elevate the profession by doing excellent work, serving owners well, and honoring your beliefs through how the work is done.
2:30PM - 3:30PM | WORKSHOPS
Workshop: Hire Your First AI Agent: Reclaim 50% of Your Day to Close More Deals
Presenter: George Wellmer
Business Brokers spend up to 50% of their day vetting buyers and answering the same foundational questions. What if your brokerage never slept, never missed a lead, and handled every first-touch inquiry automatically? We are moving beyond email into the era of AI Agents - autonomous digital workers capable of qualifying leads, analyzing financial capacity, and managing secure data rooms without human intervention. This session explores how top-tier firms are leveraging AI powered workflows to reclaim their time and focus exclusively on high-value advisory and deal-closing. We will dive deep into: Defining the AI Agent: Why agents are "doers," not just "talkers."; The Vetting Engine: How to automate buyer pre-qualification; Unforeseen Heights: Real-world case studies using AI to increase deal capacity while halving their administrative load. The era of the AI brokerage firm has arrived. It’s time to set your firm up for success.
Workshop: The Pre-Market Edge: Turning Preparation into Profit | Presenter: Jim Parker
In the business of selling businesses, deals are often won or lost long before a listing ever goes live. This session explores the critical pre-market strategies that top business brokers use to set the stage for a smooth and profitable sale. From conducting an effective first seller meeting, to performing rigorous pre-listing due diligence, to crafting a compelling CIM that attracts serious buyers, you’ll learn how to front-load your efforts for maximum impact. By applying these preparation techniques, brokers can increase the percentage of listings that actually sell, shorten time on market, reduce last-minute surprises, and ultimately drive higher selling prices. This workshop provides a proven, practical pre-market playbook designed to elevate your closing rate, strengthen seller confidence, and generate more referrals. Brokers will walk away with clear, actionable tools they can implement immediately to improve the quality and success of every engagement.
3:30PM - 4:00PM | BREAK
4:00PM - 5:00PM | WORKSHOPS
Workshop: Business Brokerage Fundamentals - Tips & Advice | Presenter: Valquiria Gomes Pidgeon
This seminar provides a strong foundation in business transactions, compliance and professional etiquette, and the step-by-step transaction workflow, along with practical and real-world guidance to help participants operate with confidence and credibility.
Panel: Pitfalls and Issues with Contracts | Moderator: Treve Kinsey
Panelists: Jerry Lee Hanbery, Blue Spire Law | Moises Saltiel, Saltiel Law Group | Tad Cook, PLG Law
This panel brings together leading legal experts to analyze the critical missteps, hidden liabilities, and structural oversights that routinely derail corporate transactions. Rather than focusing on a textbook deal structure, our panel of attorneys will dissect real-world failures and near-misses across the deal lifecycle. Attendees will gain practical, battle-tested insights into identifying red flags early, managing high-stakes risks, and protecting client interests when a deal begins to fracture.
5:30PM - 7:00PM | COCKTAIL RECEPTION
Networking never sounded so good as it will at our Sip & Swing jazz reception!
SPONSORED BY
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SATURDAY AUGUST 29
7:30AM - 4:00PM | REGISTRATION DESK OPEN
8:00AM - 9:00AM | BREAKFAST
9:00AM - 10:00AM | WORKSHOPS
Workshop: What I Wish I Knew 20 Years Ago: Lessons from a Veteran Broker | Presenter: Bianca Evans
Success in business brokerage isn’t just about knowing how to sell a company—it’s about managing people, expectations, emotions, and yourself. After two decades in the industry and hundreds of transactions, many of the most valuable lessons aren’t found in training manuals. In this candid, practical session, a veteran high-producing broker shares the real-world insights that only experience can provide. Learn how to avoid time-draining deals, identify serious buyers and sellers early, manage seller psychology, and control transactions instead of chasing them. The session also explores how small tactical shifts and better pipeline management can dramatically improve closing rates and income while reducing stress and burnout. Whether you’re new to brokerage or a seasoned professional, this session offers actionable lessons to help you work smarter, close more deals, and build a more profitable, sustainable career in business brokerage.
Workshop: Understanding Add-backs: Financial Recasting for Sellers, Buyers, and Advisors
Presenter: Roman Basi
Accurate business valuation begins with understanding the adjustments behind the numbers. In this session, attendees will learn how to identify and evaluate addbacks, assess their impact on business value, and understand the role of goodwill in the valuation process. The presentation will also cover the tax consequences associated with common adjustments, providing practical guidance that can be applied immediately when analyzing privately held businesses. Whether valuing a company for sale, succession planning, or advisory purposes, participants will leave with a stronger framework for evaluating financial adjustments and their effect on value.
10:15AM - 11:15AM | WORKSHOPS
Panel: SBA Lending | Moderator: Ryan Cave
Panelists: Tammy Youst, Centennial Bank | Will Tinsley, Climate First Bank | Alan Peterson, First Internet Bank
This experienced SBA Panel will share the real world skills the best brokers use to speed up the lending process, avoid common issues between bank, buyer & seller, and keep up with how today's SBA guidelines impact transactions.
Workshop: Middle Market Transactions: Entertaining the Idea of Taking Your First Middle Market Deal Presenter: Tad Cook
This workshop will help attendees to be prepared, and know what to expect when encountering deal problems. The following issues will be discussed in a case study style fashion, the audience will participate. We will cover landlord issues, corporate structure issues such as S- Corps and C- Corps, and current litigation.
11:15AM - 12:00PM | EXHIBIT HALL OPEN
12:00PM - 1:00PM | LUNCH WITH AWARDS RECOGNITION
1:15PM - 2:15PM | SEMINAR
Deal Structures that Allow Sellers Not to Pay Taxes, and Buyers to Properly Set Up A Busines
Presenter: Dr. Bart Basi
This session will explore the key factors involved in structuring business transactions to achieve favorable outcomes for both buyers and sellers. Attendees will learn how transaction structure can impact taxation, cash flow, and overall deal economics. The program will also examine current tax laws and strategies available to business sellers that may significantly reduce—and in certain circumstances eliminate—tax liabilities associated with the sale of a business. Participants will gain practical insight into how thoughtful deal structuring can increase net proceeds to sellers while helping buyers establish a sound foundation for future operations. Designed for business brokers, intermediaries, and advisors, this session provides actionable guidance on transaction structures, tax considerations, and strategies that can maximize value for all parties involved.
2:30PM - 4:00PM | ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP MEETING
The Conference concludes at 2:15pm but Members of the BBF are encouraged to stay for the annual open Membership Meeting.