Contact Broker
16 St Just Ave,
Ladera Ranch, California 92694
(View Map)
About the Company
Vanla Group is a boutique mergers & acquisitions advisory firm helping business owners buy and sell companies with confidence. We specialize in the often-overlooked $2M–$20M business segment — founders who are too small for investment banks but too important to be left without expert guidance.
Our private network provides 100% confidential, off-market deal access and a hands-on advisory process from valuation through close.
We represent both buyers and sellers with equal rigor, sourcing strategic fits that go beyond price — protecting legacies, employees, and communities in the process.
We create opportunities for people:
Business brokering is fundamentally a people business. Every transaction we manage is life-changing for the owner, their family, and their employees. We don't rush deals — we get them right.
We are experts on the process:
From pre-sale optimization, bookkeeping, and certified valuations to confidential marketing and negotiations, we guide clients through every milestone with clarity and strategy. Our pre-sale preparation has helped clients achieve sale prices up to 27% above initial estimates.
Structuring, negotiating, and closing deals:
We understand the psychology of the deal — the emotions, the stakes, and the fine print. We manage all of it so you can experience a smooth, confident exit.
It's about knowing the true value of your company:
We use multiple valuation methodologies — comparable transactions, discounted cash flow analysis, and market multiples — grounded in real market conditions and recent transaction data in your industry.
Broker Biography
Introduction
Paul Cheetham is the Founder and CEO of Vanla Group, a boutique M&A advisory firm based in Orange County, CA. Paul attended Harvard Business School and built his career across private banking, IT, and financial planning before turning to entrepreneurship and M&A.
What sets Paul apart is firsthand experience on both sides of the table. Early in his career, he acquired a small marketing firm with 12 employees — an industry he knew little about — and over three years tripled its size before successfully selling it. That journey as buyer, operator, and seller gives him a genuine understanding of what his clients face at every stage of a transaction.
Paul founded Vanla Group after recognizing a gap in the market: business owners generating $2M–$20M in revenue were being ignored by investment banks (too small) and underserved by brokers who prioritized volume over integrity. His mission is to serve these founders with the same level of care and sophistication typically reserved for much larger deals.
Paul is trusted to:
• Bring composure, clarity, and strategy to high-stakes, complex negotiations
• Protect confidentiality throughout the entire process
• Educate sellers so they understand — and feel ownership over — every step of their transaction
• Preserve the legacy founders have spent years building
As Paul puts it: "I wouldn't take flying lessons from someone who has never flown a plane before. When business owners go to sell their company, they deserve an M&A advisor who has been in their shoes."
Services Provided
BUSINESS SALES
Confidential, off-market listing services for business owners who wish to sell discreetly and strategically.
BUSINESS VALUATION
Certified valuation services using multiple methodologies. Available as a standalone service or as part of a full exit engagement.
BUYER REPRESENTATION
We connect pre-qualified buyers with curated off-market opportunities through our private Buyer Access Program — businesses we've vetted and would buy ourselves.
EXIT PLANNING & STRATEGY
Early-stage strategic guidance to prepare your business for maximum value before going to market.
BOOKKEEPING FOR EXITS
Our professional bookkeepers help you prepare and present your books clearly and in the specific light that buyers and lenders want to see.
Areas Served
Licensed In
- California — License number 02214848
Professional Affiliations
BCA | CFP | Harvard Business School Alumnus
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