Acquisition Ascent
Fellow Program.
Guided Support from
Search to Close.

The Fellow Program is Owners In Honor™'s guided acquisition support program — pairing veterans who have completed Buyer Basecamp with hands-on advisory support through every step of the search and acquisition process. Fellows receive deal evaluation guidance, LOI support, due diligence coordination, financing preparation, and direct access to OIH's network of lenders, brokers, and M&A advisors from search through close.

OIH does not charge Fellows retainers or consulting fees during the acquisition process. Instead of upfront fees, OIH's compensation model uses equity participation arrangements documented in separate transaction-specific agreements — not to exceed 5% of the fully diluted ownership of the acquired business. This structure keeps the program accessible to veterans regardless of their financial position going into a search.

Buyer Basecamp is Phase I — the foundational education and preparation stage where veterans build financial readiness, develop their Buy Box, and establish credibility with lenders and brokers. The Fellow Program is Phase II (Acquisition Ascent) — the active search and acquisition stage. Buyer Basecamp must be completed before entering the Fellow Program. Basecamp prepares you for the market; the Fellow Program works alongside you to navigate it.

Yes. Buyer Basecamp is a prerequisite for the Fellow Program. Basecamp builds the financial readiness, acquisition knowledge, and Buy Box clarity every Fellow needs before an active search begins. Veterans who attempt acquisition without that foundation face significantly higher risk of pursuing the wrong deals, failing lender qualification, or moving forward without a clear strategy. Basecamp exists to prevent that.

Per the Owners In Honor™ Master Fellowship Agreement, equity participation shall not exceed 5% of the fully diluted ownership of the acquired business. The specific percentage is negotiated in good faith for each transaction and documented in a separate transaction-specific agreement. This equity funds future Buyer Basecamp and Sellers Summit programming at no cost to future candidates — meaning one Fellow's success directly funds the next veteran's access to the program.

The Fellow Program covers the full search and acquisition lifecycle: acquisition planning and Buy Box refinement, deal evaluation and transaction planning, Letter of Intent guidance, due diligence coordination, financing and closing preparation, and access to OIH's network of lenders, brokers, attorneys, SBA partners, and exit planners. It does not include post-acquisition growth coaching or exit planning — those are separate phases covered under Results Ridgeline and Sellers Summit.

The Fellow Program is a partnership. OIH asks Fellows to actively pursue ownership opportunities, stay engaged in scheduled meetings and checkpoints, communicate honestly about where their search stands, and notify OIH of key milestones — including signed Letters of Intent, exclusivity agreements, and closings. Fellows who treat the program like a passive resource rather than an active commitment get the least out of it.

The Fellow Program runs concurrent with your active acquisition search — typically 6 to 12 months from search initiation to closing, though timelines vary based on deal flow, deal complexity, financing structure, and individual pace. OIH stays in the search alongside you for however long it takes to find and close the right business. There is no arbitrary deadline that forces you into a bad deal.

Closing marks the transition from Fellow to Operator. Post-acquisition growth coaching, operational support, and exit planning are covered under separate OIH phases — Results Ridgeline (Phase III) and Sellers Summit (Phase IV) — each with their own agreements and support structures. The Fellow Program's scope is search and acquisition only. What comes after close is a different — and equally supported — chapter.

Fellows gain direct access to OIH's curated network of SBA-approved lenders, business brokers, M&A attorneys, CPAs, due diligence specialists, and exit planners who work regularly with veteran buyers. This network is one of the most practical advantages of the program — Fellows don't have to find and vet their own transaction team from scratch. OIH has already built and vetted those relationships on their behalf.