Most people buying a small business make one of the biggest financial decisions of their life based on the seller's financials, some demographic research, a few site visits—and a lot of hope. But what if you could see the actual transaction patterns of every competitor in your market? What if you knew whether that business is thriving because of great management, or simply riding a market tailwind?

That's the problem Christopher Johnson set out to solve with PeerView AI. After spending over a decade at Capital One transforming small business underwriting with advanced data analytics, Christopher recognized that the same location intelligence big banks use internally could be invaluable to the entrepreneurs and business buyers who need it most.

But for small business buyers, the lesson is clear: the financial statements tell one story, but cash flow and working capital metrics tell another—often more accurate—story. In my due diligence practice, I've saved clients from disastrous acquisitions by identifying exactly these patterns: great reported earnings, terrible cash conversion.

One of the biggest blind spots I see in small-business acquisitions isn’t revenue, margins, or even cash flow. It’s Net Working Capital, and more specifically, its trend.