Tangent Brokerage Review

Tangent Brokerage is one of the more experienced options you'll find in the Midwest.

Based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, the firm has been facilitating business sales since 2008 under the leadership of founder Charles "Chuck" Howard, a former CPA who has personally started, grown, and sold two businesses of his own.

The firm serves clients across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and even Panama City, Panama, handling both the sale and acquisition side of transactions.

Chuck Howard's background sets Tangent apart from brokerages staffed solely by salespeople.

He trained as a CPA at Touche Ross, one of the former Big Eight accounting firms, before leaving to build a manufacturing company. He then started and sold a second business in distribution.

When he later transitioned to providing accounting services to business brokers, he was pulled directly into a deal involving a company with severely disorganized books.

He cleaned the financials, got involved in the sale itself, and closed the deal after showing the business to more than 40 buyers. Referrals followed, and Tangent Brokerage grew from there.

That origin story matters because it explains why the firm puts so much emphasis on identifying hidden add-backs and clarifying the true owner earnings of a business.

Chuck's accounting background means he approaches valuation differently than a broker who came up through pure sales.

The firm now carries broker licenses (License: 310001652) and lists more than 38 years of collective experience across its team.

Tangent Brokerage focuses heavily on the greater Chicago metro area and surrounding Midwest counties. Here's a breakdown of where they operate:

Specific cities with dedicated pages on their site include Chicago, Naperville, Joliet, Elgin, Rockford, Aurora, Oakbrook, Wheaton, and Crown Point, IN.

The Panama City presence is notable for a firm of this size and suggests they work with buyers or sellers who may be looking for international acquisition opportunities.

Tangent describes itself as a full-service brokerage, handling transactions from the initial valuation all the way through post-closing. Their process is detailed and sequential, covering 14 distinct steps:

1. Initial phone consultation to gather financial data and business details
2. In-person meeting to understand seller priorities
3. Obtaining financial documents and conducting the valuation
4. Explaining the confidential marketing process
5. Creating a Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM)
6. Marketing to an existing buyer database via email, ads, calls, and texts
7. Pre-qualifying the business with financial institutions
8. Facilitating qualified buyer introductions via conference call and site visits
9. Guiding buyers through Letters of Intent (LOI) and Purchase Agreements
10. Managing due diligence
11. Removing barriers to closing
12. Exit planning consultation
13. Closing the deal
14. Post-closing follow-up

The free business valuation is their main entry point for sellers. On the buyer side, they offer market analysis, acquisition strategy support, negotiation guidance, and due diligence assistance.

Accounting-first approach to valuation.

Because Chuck's background is in accounting rather than pure sales, the firm places real emphasis on finding hidden add-backs, which are legitimate business expenses that a new owner might eliminate, increasing the apparent profitability of the business to potential buyers.

This is something many generalist brokers miss or underemphasize.

Confidentiality protocols.

Tangent places confidentiality at the center of their marketing process.

They screen buyers before revealing business identities, which protects sellers from word getting out to employees, suppliers, or competitors during the sale process.

SBA lender relationships.

The firm has established relationships with SBA lenders, which can significantly speed up and simplify financing for buyers.

For sellers, a buyer who already has a path to financing is far more likely to close.

Buyer pre-screening.

Rather than connecting sellers with every interested party, Tangent qualifies buyers for financial capability and motivation before arranging introductions.

This reduces the number of dead-end conversations a seller has to sit through.

Track record of $100M+ in deals.

The website notes over $100 million in total deal value, which for a regional mid-market brokerage represents a meaningful volume of closed transactions.

While Tangent serves businesses across many industries, two have dedicated pages on their website:

• Roofing businesses: Tangent has a specific page for roofing company sales, suggesting they've developed particular familiarity with this trade industry.
• Landscaping businesses: Similarly, they target landscaping business owners as a distinct client segment.

Beyond those two, the firm takes on a broad range of small to mid-market businesses.

Their generalist background across manufacturing, distribution, and service businesses means they're not locked into a narrow niche.

Tangent Brokerage's geographic focus is a strength for Midwest sellers but a limitation for anyone outside their core coverage area. If you're selling a business in, say, Texas or Florida, they're not your firm.

The website doesn't publish fee structures or commission rates, which is standard practice in business brokerage (fees are typically negotiated as part of the engagement).

Sellers should ask directly about fee arrangements during their initial consultation.

The firm also doesn't publish a formal list of closed transactions, so verifying their claimed deal volume independently isn't straightforward.

 That said, the $100M+ figure across 38+ years of combined experience is plausible for a firm operating in this market segment.

What areas does Tangent Brokerage serve?

Tangent Brokerage primarily serves business owners across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, with a strong focus on the greater Chicago metro area, plus an international presence in Panama City, Panama.

Does Tangent Brokerage offer a free business valuation?

Yes, Tangent Brokerage offers a free, confidential business valuation as the starting point for any seller, covering financial documents, add-back analysis, and a review of your business's true owner earnings.

Who is the best fit for working with Tangent Brokerage?

Tangent Brokerage is best suited for small to mid-market business owners in the Midwest who want a broker with a formal accounting background, a structured sale process, and established relationships with SBA lenders to help buyers secure financing.

Tangent Brokerage is a credible regional option for business owners in the Chicago metro area and surrounding Midwest states who want a broker with genuine accounting depth and hands-on transaction experience.

The combination of a CPA-trained founder, a structured 14-step process, and established SBA lender relationships makes them worth a conversation if you're considering a sale.