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The Archive

Every piece, every issue.

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May 2026
The five things buyers do in the first ten minutes of a meeting.
Buyer Lens · Issue 04
May 2026
The HVAC roll-up that almost happened, and the four months the founder will not get back.
Field Notes · Issue 04
May 2026
How buyers actually price your business, and the work that closes the gap before the room.
Feature · Issue 04
May 2026
Hiring the second-in-command you have been avoiding for nine years.
The Operator · Issue 04
Feb 2026
Why the boat is not a business expense (and what your buyer's accountant will do with it).
The Operator · Issue 03
Feb 2026
Customer concentration is not a problem until the buyer says it is.
Buyer Lens · Issue 03
Nov 2025
The False Summit: how readiness illusions die in week seven of diligence.
Feature · Issue 02
Nov 2025
When a strategic walks in cold: the inbound LOI you should not ignore.
Field Notes · Issue 02
Aug 2025
Comp design as the leading indicator of a business worth buying.
Buyer Lens · Issue 01
Aug 2025
The succession conversation no one is having with their leadership team.
The Operator · Issue 01
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Foundry · Cordis Group · 2026
Founder & Publisher, Ron Smith

Cordis Foundry does not produce business valuations. We synthesize how the field thinks about pricing, what buyers discount for, and the operational work that closes the gap. For valuation opinions, consult a registered appraiser.

Deal Notes draw on publicly reported transactions and on anonymized composite patterns observed across multiple Cordis engagements. Composite patterns alter sector, geography, size, and timing to prevent identification of any single transaction. Foundry does not publish information that would identify a Cordis client.

The Numbers, Power Rankings, and Deal Notes draw on published research from GF Data, SRS Acquiom, Bain & Company, Cherry Bekaert, Pepperdine Private Capital Markets, and Cordis Institute working papers (WP-001, WP-002). Source citations are linked from the dashboard footer and from the /research-sources page.