Her Story
About Claudia
VR Business Sales Atlanta — Principals
We're not just brokers — we're a family business helping other family businesses navigate the biggest transaction of their lives. As husband-and-wife principals (joined by our daughter, making this a true second-generation operation), we've built a company we see as our legacy, not just a business.
What sets us apart: we've been on both sides of the table. We've built a business and sold a business, so we know firsthand what it feels like to hand over something you've poured your life into. That's why we don't treat your business like a transaction — we treat it like what it is: your baby.
We work across Main Street and the middle market — from $100K to $50 million — which means every deal is different. Different industries, different owners, different expectations on both the buyer and seller side. We thrive on that complexity because it means no two days look the same.
Our approach is simple: help business owners understand the true value of what they've built, then guide them to a successful sale with the same care and seriousness they'd want for their own family. That genuine investment in outcomes — not just closings — is what's driven our success.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Claudia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think one of the biggest secrets to my success is passion. I genuinely love what I do — and that means every day I wake up with the energy to take on whatever comes my way and the openness to keep learning and improving. I'm fortunate to have the perfect partner in my husband; we challenge each other and push each other to grow.
When you truly love what you do, that energy transfers — to your clients, to your customers, to everyone you work with. And it comes back to you. Doing the right thing, being a genuine advocate for your client — that's what carries you thousands of miles further and makes growing your business feel almost effortless.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Do your best every single day. You can never feel that you know enough. You can never feel like you are in your comfort zone. Every time that you feel that you are in your comfort zone, you have to check yourself and start to move to areas where you don't feel comfortable, and it's a challenge for yourself. So when you challenge yourself, you are providing best service, and you are growing your business as well.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be tough — this industry will test you, and resilience will carry you through. Be knowledgeable — invest in truly understanding your craft, because expertise builds trust and credibility. And never lose your humanity — people remember how you made them feel just as much as what you did for them.
When you bring all three together — toughness, knowledge, and genuine human connection — you offer something no one else can replicate. That combination is what sets you apart, and it's what no competitor can take away from you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Biggest opportunities
The "silver tsunami" is the defining opportunity of this era. Roughly 10,000 baby boomers turn 70 every day through 2034, and McKinsey projects up to $5 trillion in enterprise value will change hands as 6 million small and mid-size businesses face ownership transitions by 2035. Over 60% of these owners have no written succession plan — which means a massive, ongoing need for brokers who can guide them through valuation, preparation, and a successful exit.
The middle and main street markets specifically are positioned to benefit. While 2025's headline M&A activity was dominated by a handful of mega-deals, that's left the small-to-mid-size segment relatively underserved — full of sellers and buyers ready to transact in 2026. Private equity also now holds north of $1 trillion in dry powder and is increasingly targeting the lower middle market, creating more buyer liquidity for the deals you broker.
There's also a generational shift on the buy side: Gen X has become the largest group of small business owners and buyers, changing what buyers expect and how they evaluate opportunities — an edge for brokers who understand both generations.
Biggest challenges
Owner readiness remains the top obstacle — most sellers overestimate what their business is worth, especially when financials aren't clean or growth potential isn't documented, which makes the "education" side of your work (helping owners understand true value) more important than ever. Buyers, meanwhile, have become more selective: they're paying premiums for proven, durable businesses rather than ones that need repair, raising the bar on what makes a business sellable.
Broader market conditions add friction too — regulatory uncertainty and antitrust scrutiny are complicating larger deals, and the enormous capital being funneled into AI infrastructure could pull investment dollars away from traditional M&A activity in the near term.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
If I had to name the one value that guides everything I do — in life and in business — it's this: do the right thing. Not when it's convenient, not when someone's watching, but always. Regardless of the outcome, regardless of what's at stake.
This isn't a business principle I switch on for clients and off for everything else. It's who I am — at home, with my family, in every relationship and every decision. Doing the right thing, consistently and without exception, is what builds real trust. And trust is what everything else — success, relationships, legacy — is built on.
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