From Sports Bars to M&A with Dave Long

Are you chasing every listing that comes your way—or choosing clients who truly align with your values?
When the pressure builds to close deals, do you remember who you represent and the reputation you’re building?

Long-term success as a business broker comes from quality relationships, clear processes, and constant learning.
It’s not about having the most listings—it’s about trust, credibility, and confidence in every valuation and recommendation.

In this episode, Jason Cutter sits down with Dave Long, M&A Advisor at Arizona Business Sales Advisors, to reveal what truly drives sustainable growth.
Dave shares lessons from transitioning to a solo brokerage, selecting energy-aligned clients, and pursuing continuous education to stay ahead.

Ready to move from chasing deals to building a business you’re proud of?
Subscribe for more candid insights to help you engineer your pipeline and become a trusted advisor.

Guest Links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davelongaz
Email: [e-mail]
Website: https://arizonabizsales.com/

View Transcript

Jason Cutter [00:00:02]:

I have Dave Long. He is a M&A advisor at Arizona Business Sales Advisors. Dave, welcome to the Business Broker Growth show.

Dave Long [00:00:18]:

Thank you for that warm greeting and it’s nice to be here.

Jason Cutter [00:00:21]:

And we’ll get into your background, we’ll get into your story. We’re going to have a lot of topics today, but for the audience especially because we’re starting the show, it’s the first season I want to share. Our mission is to equip brokers with modern marketing systems that replace guesswork with growth, empowering them to be trusted advisors for owners and partners. And as brokers grow, so do the business owners they represent, creating better exits, stronger communities and more rewarding futures. And so glad that you’re here as an audience. So glad that you’re here with us, Dave, for the show today, we’re going to talk about your background. We’re going to go through a rapid fire growth playbook segment. Hopefully you have some tips lined up.

Jason Cutter [00:01:04]:

Three to five marketing tips to help brokers out there. We’re going to talk about the one that got away, the lessons of a, of a challenging transaction that might not have gone through, that deal that didn’t close, what you learned from it. And then we’re going to finish up talking about the future of business brokers, M and A media intermediaries. And for the audience out there, as you listen to this, take some notes, make sure to pick up any nuggets that Dave drops and shares with all of his experience. Don’t make this just something you’re listening to. It’s casual, it’s fun. Like actually look for the value, look for the things that will help you. I know that Dave has a lot in the conversation we’ve had.

Jason Cutter [00:01:40]:

Our calls have, have gone over each time because there’s so much going on. And so let’s talk about this. Dave, you’re on the show here, season one. Let’s talk about it. So in your background, I know that you started in Kansas City, you started with sports bars as an owner, you did a lot of different business things. You ended up in Arizona and then you got into a Sun Belt franchise. You had brokers that worked for you. You owned a flower shop.

Jason Cutter [00:02:07]: