Your goals are our goals.
Eminence M&A Strategies was founded with a laser-focused vision to help owners successfully exit their businesses.
We do:
Deep discovery to determine YOUR vision of success.
Prioritize your schedule.
Simple, easy-to-understand, below-market fee structures.
A limited set of engagements where we are confident we can be successful and can give you best-in-class service.
Overcommunicate on the status of your transaction.
Have a deep network of advisors, analysts, valuation experts, and other professionals we leverage as needed.
Operate with the utmost confidentiality & discretion.
We Do Not:
Rush a transaction to meet our sales or revenue goals.
Create unnecessary stress with arbitrary timelines.
Use complicated success fee structures.
Engage large numbers of clients, limiting the time we have to support YOUR transaction.
Leave you in the dark, unsure of the status or next steps.
Have a bloated infrastructure and overhead, keeping your fees low and our services nimble.
Risk your business with poor confidentiality practices.
Meet Your M&A Advisors
Sarah Goodman
Managing Partner, President
For nearly 20 years, Sarah has worked with public and private companies, in a range of leadership capacities. Following an accomplished career with a firm contracted with numerous Fortune 100 brands, Sarah got started in M&A as she launched her own successful acquisition project.
Sarah has experience closing buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions, leveraging her own search, acquisition, and business ownership experience as well as accomplishment in the public and private sectors across a wide range of industries.
Sarah is active in multiple professional organizations, including as a member and Chapter Chair of the the Women Presidents Association, ProVisors Group Leader, Austin Business Woman, W Connect, among others.
Sarah is an active philanthropist in the Austin community, including as a Hat Trick Society and Development Committee Member with the 4ATX Foundation, the community outreach arm of the Austin FC MLS Team, 2025 cohort of the 10x10 Women Build for Austin Habitat for Humanity, and on the board of Explore Austin.
David Downing
M&A Advisor
With over 15 years of experience spanning professional accounting, corporate finance, and entrepreneurship, David Downing brings a rare "founder-to-founder" perspective to Eminence M&A Strategies. David began his career in the high-stakes environments of KPMG, Alvarez & Marsal, and Southwest Airlines, where he mastered the art of financial modeling, due diligence, and operational efficiency.
David founded and managed a health-focused consumer snack brand and manufacturing business. He didn't just build a brand; he managed a full-scale food production facility and contract manufacturing operation, scaling it to seven-figure revenues before leading the company through a successful acquisition by a specialty food holding company. Having navigated the complexities of day-to-day operations, team leadership, and a successful exit himself, David is uniquely equipped to help business owners navigate the uncertainties of selling their own companies.
After selling his business, David transitioned into the M&A world as a business broker and advisor. He successfully sourced, marketed, and closed multiple deals as a solo operator before joining the Eminence team. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, David moved to Texas to attend Rice University and later the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Master’s in Accounting.
David is a dedicated husband and father who stays active through yoga, meditation, and strength training.
Reagan Hales
M&A Advisor
Over the course of her 25 year career, Reagan Hales has worked across multiple industries leveraging her background in finance and partnership development. Following a career that included fixed-income sales and trading with Merrill Lynch early in her career, Reagan continued her professional journey by developing and leading international public-private partnerships within higher education, government, and fintech sectors.
Reagan’s interest in M&A arose after serving as an executive in economic development, igniting her passion to accelerate entrepreneurial ecosystem growth. Working with lower middle market companies in the M&A arena alerted her to the need for strategic financial education and support for growth-minded entrepreneurs. It was at this point that Reagan started her own fractional CFO consulting business, The Fractional Company.
A Texas native and hill country resident, Reagan is actively involved in her community. She regularly volunteers with the New Braunfels Food Bank, the Comal County Crisis Center and is an avid supporter of the Refugee Language Project.
Heidi Moncivaiz Lawson
Chief of Staff, Operations
Heidi Lawson brings over 20 years of expertise in relationship management and development to her role as Operations Associate and Chief of Staff at Eminence M&A Strategies. Serving as a key partner to the Managing Partner, Heidi drives the firm's strategic innovation initiatives, overseeing critical projects in technology implementation, marketing, and brand transformation.
Heidi’s unique blend of operational rigor and people-focused leadership is central to the firm’s success. She leads the MVA process at the front end of engagements, ensuring a seamless start for clients and a clear path toward their transition goals. Additionally, Heidi serves as the lead on buyer relations, managing complex communication flows and ensuring that investor and buyer inquiries are handled with the precision and professionalism for which Eminence is known.
Prior to joining Eminence, Heidi spent two decades in technical recruitment, where she honed the ability to cultivate deep, trusted relationships across both public and private sectors.
Outside of work, Heidi is a mom of two, an avid runner and traveler who enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
What Our Clients Have To Say
“I will be forever grateful”
Sarah Goodman has made a huge difference in my company and the way I view business, my products, and life in general. I would recommend her work to anyone and believe she has made a huge difference in my vision, plan, scope, and overall success of my business.
Jack M.
“I am now a consultant instead of a C.E.O. That was the result I was looking for!”
“They are superstars in their field. Our experience is that they earned their fee many times over in the sales price we got and the diligence they demonstrated in getting the deal done. Their service is complete in everything we saw.”
John P.
“If you’re serious about finding a buyer, meet Sarah”
We’ve worked with a few other brokers and found them mostly to be terrible.
We can’t speak highly enough about Sarah.
Matt S.
“Fantastic!”
Just want to say thanks for your great work - you've been fantastic to work with and hope we get a chance to do it again.
Rodney D.