Emily Stubbs: From Corporate Law to Deal Advisor at Visibility CFO
Emily Egbert Stubbs, deal advisor and attorney at Visibility CFO and Deal Advisors, shares how two painful equity partnership failures, the experience of buying and selling a commercial cleaning company, and a career shift from corporate law to M&A advisory shaped a firm built to defend seller value in deals under $40 million.
Key Insights You’ll Learn:
Leaving a 12-year corporate law career to build something of her own
Two failed equity partnerships and the lessons extracted from each
Why buyers don’t pay for future potential — only documented, consistent performance
Quality of earnings review: why all prep work must happen before the LOI is signed
Buying and selling a commercial cleaning company to prove their own methodology
Strategies for increasing enterprise value: contracts, margin analysis, clean financials
Serving founder-led businesses under $40M where sell-side advisory is scarce
Unique fee structure: advisory fees offset against success fees at close
Why some clients get their energy back instead of selling
Running a firm alongside a spouse and making it work with four kids at home
Emily’s Key Mentors:
Her Father: Attorney who modeled the legal profession from an early age
Stoll Reeves Litigation Team: Sharpened deal instincts by showing what happens when contracts fall apart
Andrew Stubbs (Husband and Partner): Former Alvarez and Marsal CFO who brings financial rigor to every engagement
Coaching Group: Unique ability exercise helped her identify complexity-to-clarity as her superpower
Clients Who Stayed: Business owners who found renewed confidence instead of selling — and taught her the full value of what visibility provides
Don’t miss this conversation about the emotional reality of selling a business, what buyers are actually paying for, and why being prepared for a sale makes you a better operator — even if you never sell.