COMPASS ARC Business Advisors guides lower middle market business founders and owners to get their business ready to grow, acquire, reduce dependency, and exit on their own terms — before the moment demands it.
You're proud of what you've built. You're tired in ways only another owner can understand. And you're still hungry — for what comes next.
You started this business for freedom. Control. The ability to leave things better than you found them. But what you once built around yourself may struggle to run without you.
"The business needs me more than I need to admit."
The reality for most founder-led businessesWhatever your next chapter looks like, one thing is true for all of them: the business that is ready will always have more options than the business that is not.
ARC is both a trajectory and a method — moving your business from where it is to where it needs to be. Three deliberate steps.
A comprehensive diagnostic across seven domains. Here is what your business looks like today. Here is what needs to change.
We don't hand you a report and walk away. We stay — working alongside your team to close the gaps and build the foundation.
When your business is ready, your options multiply. A ready business commands better outcomes in every direction.
"Knowing that my business was as sound as I said it was — that the people and clients would stay."
— President (3rd Generation Owner), Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Investment, and Management Company, Chicago, IL"When I can close my eyes and not have to worry about it."
— Founder & CEO, Hotel Management & Development Services Firm, Tucson, AZ"The upside becomes real — for me, for my key employees, for everyone who built this with me."
— President & Co-Owner, Commercial Landscape Services Company, Dallas, TXNot sure where to start? That's exactly where we begin. We ask the questions. You'll leave knowing more about your business than when you arrived.
The COMPASS ARC Diagnostic tells you — in plain language — how your business runs, where the gaps are, and what needs to change before your next transition.
Schedule Your DiagnosticThe COMPASS ARC Diagnostic brings an outside perspective — structured, rigorous, and honest — to every dimension of your business. It's not an audit. It's not a threat. It's the starting point of every engagement we do.
"We don’t know what we don’t know yet. When trying to operate daily, we use up our bandwidth, and the thought of bigger growth in a short time seems unrealistic. Not knowing where to start, we want to find the right people and companies to guide us."
— President & Co-Owner, Commercial Landscaping Services Company, Dallas, TXA business doesn't fail in one place. It fails in the gaps between them. COMPASS ARC examines every dimension.
You cannot prepare for what you cannot see. The diagnostic shows you exactly where you stand — and exactly what needs to change.
Schedule Your DiagnosticCOMPASS ARC delivers three integrated advisory services built around the ARC method. Assess. Ready. Capitalize.
Schedule Your DiagnosticThe entry point. A comprehensive assessment across all seven domains — financial, operational, human capital, legal, technology, customer relationships, and strategic positioning.
You get a clear-eyed report: how your business runs, where the gaps are, and exactly what needs to change.
Learn More About the Diagnostic →We don't hand you a report and walk away. We stay. Working alongside your team, we close the gaps the diagnostic uncovered.
"We stay until the work is done."
COMPASS ARC engagement modelWhen your business is ready, your options multiply. We support you through the transition itself — growth execution, acquisition support, or exit preparation.
A ready business always has more options. And it commands better outcomes in every direction.
The diagnostic. It doesn't matter whether your goal is growth, acquisition, or exit — the first step is understanding where your business stands today.
COMPASS ARC was built for lower middle market business founders and owners — by people who understand what it takes to build something from nothing, and what it costs to transition it without being ready.
COMPASS ARC Business Advisors is a DBA of COMPASS Human Capital Advisors — a strategic human capital management advisory company that has been working with lower middle market business owners for years.
What we saw, again and again, was the same story. An owner had built a real business. And when the moment came — whether it was a buyer at the door, a growth opportunity, or the desire to step back — the business wasn't ready.
The financial advisor looked at the numbers. The lawyer looked at the contracts. The M&A broker looked at the deal. No one ever sat down with the owner and said: here is your business, completely, across every dimension that matters — and here is what needs to change.
"That is why COMPASS ARC Business Advisors exists. We are the advisor that comes before the transaction. Before the buyer. Before the broker."
David Garza partners with founders and business owners to strengthen their companies, sharpen decision-making, and position their organizations for sustainable growth and opportunity. Drawing on a West Point education, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, military leadership and combat experience, a corporate career, and firsthand business ownership, David brings a disciplined, real-world perspective to every client engagement.
His approach is grounded in the ARC framework — Assess, Ready, Capitalize — and he is known for quickly identifying critical issues and untapped opportunities, then mobilizing the right people and resources to address them.
A report is the beginning, not the end. We stay in the engagement until the gaps are closed.
We are not a broker. We have no financial interest in whether you sell or what it sells for.
Clear deliverables, defined scope, transparent fees. You know what you're getting before we begin.
We go into the weeds of your specific business. Advice that applies to anyone helps no one.
"Candid conversations. Straight-forward. Blunt when needed. I was drawn to an advisor who said what they thought versus what they thought I wanted to hear."
— President & Co-Owner, Commercial Landscaping Services Company, Dallas, TX"Timeliness in response. Very thorough. Good communication style. Temperament never changes — smooth all the way through. Instills confidence."
— Founder & CEO, Hotel Management & Development Services Company, Tucson, AZ"Enjoyed our time. Learned a lot. The deliverables were good. Clear."
— President (3rd Generation Owner), Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Investment, and Management Company, Chicago, ILEvery engagement starts with a conversation. Tell us where you are and where you want to go. We'll tell you whether — and how — we can help.
Start the ConversationA conversation costs nothing. Clarity is priceless. Tell us about your business — where you are and where you want to go. We'll take it from there.
Your information is confidential. We don't share it, sell it, or use it for anything other than preparing for our conversation.
If interested in getting advice on building a management team — including internal and external search.
www.compasspassport.com →If interested in exploring strategic human capital management advisory guidance.
www.compasshca.com →The diagnostic tells you where you stand. The readiness work closes the gaps. And when the moment comes — on your timeline, on your terms — you'll be ready for it.
Schedule a Conversation