Forgive me if this topic has been created in the past but would love to hear this group's experience with differing levers and sources for structuring acquisitions. I know it's all about de-risking for all parties - I'm sure there are some creative win-win approaches that are unique depending on the seller/buyer requirements. I've started a list below but would love to hear what others have come across or used in the past: 1. Personal Cash (from savings, retirement accounts, HELOC, etc.) 2. Friends & Family Cash 3. Business Cash (from investing activities, net earnings, etc.) 4. Debt Financing - SBA 5. Debt Financing - SBICs 6. Debt Financing - Conventional Loans / Credit Unions 7. Equity - Private 8. Equity - Public 9. Equity - Angel / Venture Capital 10. Seller Financing 11. Seller Equity (so don't have to finance the entire purchase - at least not up front) 12. Supplier Financing - particularly in instances where one is purchasing a business to drive inorganic growth 13. Inventory / Order Loans 14. Receivable Financing (typically through a factor for shorter term loans) 15. Lines of Credit 16. Earn outs - Not permissible by SBA 17. Performance Penalties - Permissible by SBA 18. Royalty Financing 19. ESOPs 20. Management / Key Employee Contribution 21. JVs & Partnerships 22. Real Estate Financing (use RE to finance the acquisition or part of) 23. Crowd Funding 24. Insurance Policy Loans 25. Leaseback Capital 26. Work in/Buy In (Become a GM and buy over time) Also curious to hear what combinations have worked. For example, I assume most SBA loans will have at least 10% injected by the buyer to avoid having any seller financing loans go on standby. For those who have leveraged seller financing, what % were you able to get the seller to finance? Has anyone allowed the seller to retain a small portion of equity to stay engaged and participate in the success of the business?