Episode
Inside the Broker’s Playbook: Greg Kovsky on Valuation Integrity, Buyer Fit, and Retirement-Driven Deal Flow | Ep. 60
- Published
- Jan 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3012
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- https://jaredwjohnson.com
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Summary
In today’s M&A market, the difference between a clean transaction and a painful one often comes down to pricing discipline, seller integrity, and how prepared the buyer is before the first call. In this episode of Before You Buy or Sell a Business, Jared Johnson sits down with Greg Kovsky, President and CEO of International Business Associates (IBA), the Pacific Northwest’s largest and oldest business brokerage firm. Greg has spent more than 30 years in the industry and has personally facilitated over 300 transactions. He shares what he’s seeing in the last 12–18 months, why buyer demand is the strongest he’s seen, and how retirement-driven transitions will continue to fuel deal volume for years. Greg also explains IBA’s paid-on-performance model, why they only take about one out of three potential listings, and the three reasons they will refuse to represent a seller. On the buyer side, he breaks down exactly how to stand out in competitive processes, why relevant experience matters for SBA-backed acquisitions, and why full financial transparency is non-negotiable. Finally, Greg gives a practical take on where AI helps and where it can mislead, especially when valuing businesses without local and state-level context. Main Takeaways: Buyer demand is the strongest Greg has seen, driven by a growing “buy and build” culture Retirement-driven ownership transitions are expanding supply, but quality sellers still have options Paid-on-performance brokers have built-in incentives to price honestly and only take sellable deals IBA only lists about 1 out of 3 businesses: unrealistic value expectations, weak business model, or lack of seller integrity Due diligence should “follow the money”: verify deposits, review bank statements, and drill into expense detail Buyers stand o…