Employment Opportunities

1. Business Development Representative

Position overview. LodeStar Institute is seeking a resourceful, personable business development professional to introduce our business advisory, valuation, and value-improvement services to local businesses. This is an active outreach role—not simply a referral sign-up. Successful candidates should be comfortable visiting commercial establishments, contacting decision-makers, building credibility, and earning opportunities for meaningful follow-up conversations.

Our advisors help businesses evaluate performance and potential business value, then identify opportunities for practical improvement using operational knowledge, data analytics, and AI-supported analysis. The representative's responsibility is to explain this offering accurately, uncover potential interest, and arrange an introduction to a senior advisor—not to perform a valuation independently.

Key responsibilities

• Research and prioritize appropriate local businesses for outreach, including restaurants, retail establishments, and service organizations.
• Initiate professional conversations through planned in-person visits, telephone calls, email, networking, and referrals.
• Explain LodeStar's business evaluation, sale-readiness, and value-improvement approach in clear, everyday business language.
• Ask thoughtful questions, listen for business needs, and recognize potential interest in valuation, succession, sale preparation, or operational improvement.
• Qualify opportunities by confirming interest, identifying an appropriate contact, and obtaining permission for a senior-advisor follow-up.
• Maintain accurate outreach records, contact details, conversation notes, next steps, and timely follow-up.
• Coordinate introductions and meetings with LodeStar advisors; respect confidentiality and follow company outreach procedures.

Required qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to build rapport with customers, clients, or business contacts; relevant sales, customer-facing, community outreach, or relationship-development experience is expected.
• Clear verbal and written communication, attentive listening, and the judgment to adapt a conversation to different business audiences.
• Confidence approaching businesses without an appointment, handling initial objections courteously, and following up consistently without pressure.
• Professional presentation, reliability, discretion, respect for confidentiality, and sound ethical judgment.
• Ability to organize a prospect list, document activity accurately, and use email and basic spreadsheets or contact-management tools.
• Self-direction, initiative, and willingness to conduct regular in-person business outreach in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Preferred qualifications — not required

• Prior B2B prospecting, appointment setting, territory sales, or business development experience.
• Experience working in or with restaurants, retail, hospitality, or independently operated businesses.
• Existing professional relationships within the local business community.
• Familiarity with financial concepts, such as revenue, expenses, profit-and-loss statements, or business valuation.
• Interest in business performance improvement, data-informed decision-making, and advisory services.

Scope of role: This is a business-development and qualified-introduction position. Representatives do not independently value businesses, request sensitive records without authorization, promise financial outcomes, negotiate a sale, or commit LodeStar to an engagement. Appropriate onboarding and confidentiality procedures apply.

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2. Senior Business Advisor — Business Valuation & Transactions

Position overview. LodeStar Institute is seeking a business-oriented advisor who can independently develop prospective business relationships and support clients evaluating a business sale, succession, or value-improvement opportunity. This position includes all outreach and prospecting responsibilities of the Business Development Representative, plus financial review, preliminary valuation, advisory analysis, and transaction preparation.

Our focus is not simply estimating today's business value. We evaluate what drives performance, apply sound business judgment and appropriate data science and AI-supported analysis, and help identify practical actions that may improve profitability, operations, and potential business value before a transaction.

Business development and client engagement

• Visit and contact businesses through direct outreach, calls, referrals, and professional networking.
• Develop trusted relationships, identify businesses considering a sale or succession, and conduct preliminary confidential discussions.
• Understand each prospect's objectives, anticipated timing, operational challenges, and readiness for an advisory engagement.
• Coordinate introductory meetings, maintain accurate relationship and opportunity records, and facilitate appropriate confidentiality agreements.

Financial analysis and preliminary valuation

• Request and organize authorized financial and operational information, including profit-and-loss statements, balance sheets, cash flow, and relevant supporting records.
• Analyze revenue and margin trends, operating costs, working capital, customer concentration, and other financial and operational drivers.
• Identify potential normalization adjustments, including owner compensation, discretionary or nonrecurring expenses, and calculate SDE and EBITDA when appropriate.
• Assist with preliminary valuation models using financial performance, reasonable market multiples, industry considerations, and documented assumptions.
• Clearly communicate findings, uncertainties, and potential risks to senior advisors; final valuations remain subject to review.

Business value improvement and transaction support

• Work with the advisory team to identify operational bottlenecks, waste, pricing or purchasing opportunities, customer-retention issues, and ways to strengthen profitability.
• Use data analytics, Lean Six Sigma, operational excellence methods, and approved AI tools where they add value; validate conclusions with evidence and business judgment.
• Help prepare an actionable, prioritized improvement plan, including possible financial impact and measurable progress indicators, without guaranteeing a particular valuation or sale price.
• Assist in preparing confidential business profiles, organized financial summaries, due-diligence materials, and sale-readiness documentation.
• Coordinate follow-ups and transaction-related information requests while protecting client confidentiality and working within assigned authority.

Required qualifications

• Strong communication, listening, relationship-building, and business development skills; willingness to conduct direct outreach personally.
• Proven ability to interpret P&L statements, profitability, cash flow, and the operating realities behind financial results.
• Analytical problem-solving skills and proficiency with Excel or equivalent spreadsheets.
• Sound professional judgment, attention to detail, independence, and respect for confidential business information.
• Ability to explain complex financial or operational findings clearly to nontechnical business audiences.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in business valuation, accounting, commercial lending, small-business advisory, acquisitions, or M&A.
• Knowledge of SDE, EBITDA normalization, valuation multiples, seller preparation, and acquisition due diligence.
• Experience owning, managing, or improving a privately held business; existing professional referral relationships.
• Background in operations, Lean Six Sigma, data analytics, or responsible use of AI-supported business analysis.
• A degree or professional credential in business, finance, accounting, or a related field.

Scope of authority: The advisor prepares preliminary analyses and recommendations in coordination with LodeStar leadership. Engagement commitments, final valuations, marketing authorization, and transaction negotiations require appropriate approval and compliance with applicable requirements.

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