About
Your success is the whole engagement.
We are a business brokerage and M&A advisory firm built for owner-operated companies and the people who spent their lives building them.
The firm
Institutional practice, owner-operator scale.
Businesses in the lower middle market get sold with the least support and the most at stake. The owner has one shot, the buyer has done it before, and the difference in preparation shows up in the price and in the terms.
The Exit Strategy Co. was founded to close that gap. We bring the discipline of institutional M&A practice, defensible valuation, real confidentiality, structured diligence, negotiated terms, to companies that are usually handed a listing template and wished well.
Every broker here has sold a company of their own. Jamie built and sold her own ventures, Sam sold the employee benefits practice he ran for fifteen years, and Tiffany has bought and sold businesses of her own. We have signed the documents, waited on the lender and handed over the keys, which is why we say the hard things early.
We are headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with brokers licensed across nine states. We work in professional services, healthcare, construction and manufacturing, retail, insurance, home services, entertainment venues and government contracting, including a deep bench in veteran-owned businesses.
We have been on your side of this table. Every one of us has sold a company we built.
What we hold ourselves to
Say the hard thing early. If you are not ready, we will tell you before you sign, not after.
Confidentiality is operational, not aspirational. Blind profiles, executed NDAs, controlled data rooms.
The team
Who you will actually work with.
Dr. Jamie Klingman
Exit Strategy Broker | Owner
Jamie is a creative strategist, entrepreneur and broker. Twenty years as a serial entrepreneur, including starting and selling her own ventures, mean she has sat in the seller’s chair herself. She owns The Exit Strategy Co. and The Klingman Group, along with companies spanning residential and commercial real estate, publishing, multimedia and insurance. She is a licensed broker in several states and completed her Doctor of Business Administration in 2023. Jamie has served in leadership roles with nonprofits including the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the Temple Terrace Chamber, and has been named a Small Business Leader of the Year finalist and a Lightning Foundation Community Hero. She lives in Tampa with her attorney and veterinarian husband, three daughters, 160 pounds of standard poodle and a hairless cat. jamieklingman.com
Sam Martinez
Exit Strategy Broker
“By going through the process of selling my employee benefits practice, I understand the challenges and joys of selling a business that was made successful by hard work and care. Selling my benefits practice was a win for all parties. Let’s do the same for your business.” Sam built and ran that practice for more than fifteen years before selling it in 2021. He holds the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) and Retirement Plans Associate (RPA) designations through the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) through the Center for Fiduciary Studies. He holds a BS in Marketing from the University of South Florida and advises owners in both English and Spanish. He is also a rock star bass player, husband and father who loves to gig, camp and help people. Lea la biografía de Sam en español
Tiffany Meeks
Exit Strategy Advisor
“As a fellow entrepreneur who has purchased and sold my own businesses, I will apply the same integrity and grit that I did with my own businesses to serve The Exit Strategy Co. clients.” Tiffany holds an active real estate license and is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience across the legal and e-commerce landscapes. After practising law, she found her niche in online wholesale and direct e-tailing, working from the ground up with the likes of Chewy.com and other global online businesses. In her spare time she is an avid fitness enthusiast, screenwriter and dog mom.
Deanna Aull
Transaction Strategist
Deanna supports sellers through packaging, buyer communication and the transaction management that keeps a deal moving between LOI and closing. She is not a licensed broker and does not provide brokerage services.
Coverage
Brokers licensed in nine states, working from Tampa.
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, Delaware, Washington, Montana and Illinois. Where a transaction crosses into a state we are not licensed in, we say so and co-broker rather than stretch.
- Professional services
- Legal & accounting
- Medical & healthcare
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Retail
- Insurance
- Home renovation
- Arts, entertainment & venues
- Government contracting
- Veteran-owned businesses
Looking to buy a business?
Information for buyers is available at The Deal Strategy Co.