For a Katy owner selling an energy-services company, recurring service business, or franchise portfolio, the headline offer is only the beginning. Unfinished jobs, customer deposits, franchisor approvals, and an earnout can change what you receive and when you can leave. Acquisition Stars helps sellers turn those issues into negotiated terms before exclusivity limits their options. Acquisition Stars handles the transaction from the letter of intent through negotiation and closing.
Share the basics. Alex reviews each inquiry.
Your transaction details are under review. If there is alignment, we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, feel free to call us directly at (248) 266-2790
Acquisition Stars handles business sale transaction work for buyers and sellers in Katy and across the country. Here is what that looks like:
We work best with people who know what they want and are ready to move:
Share the relevant deal details once. Alex reviews each inquiry and responds within one business day when there is alignment.
A structured, methodical approach to business sale transaction work
We review the proposed deal, understand your objectives (whether buying or selling), and develop a legal strategy tailored to your specific transaction and timeline.
We structure the transaction to optimize risk allocation, tax treatment, and operational continuity, whether as an asset purchase, stock purchase, or membership interest transfer.
Legal due diligence identifies risks and opportunities that inform the purchase agreement and deal terms.
We draft or negotiate the purchase agreement and all ancillary documents, ensuring every term reflects your interests and addresses the specific risks in your deal.
We manage the closing checklist, coordinate with lenders, brokers, and opposing counsel, and ensure all conditions are met for a timely and clean closing.
We don't take every matter. Here is what happens when you reach out.
Alex reviews your transaction details. Your submission is not screened by an intake coordinator before it reaches him.
We evaluate whether your deal aligns with our practice. Not every matter is a fit, and we will tell you directly if it is not.
If there is alignment, we schedule a call to discuss your transaction, timeline, and objectives.
Before any work begins, you receive a written engagement letter with defined scope, timeline, and fee structure.
Acquisition Stars handles business sale transaction work for buyers and sellers nationwide.
M&A counsel. Nationwide. LOI through closing.
Alex reviews each inquiry. If there is alignment, you will hear back within one business day.
Your transaction details are under review. If there is alignment, we will be in touch.
Meanwhile, feel free to call us directly at (248) 266-2790
Common questions from clients
Submit your transaction details for a preliminary assessment.
Submit Transaction DetailsSubmit the core transaction details to request an engagement assessment.
Houston's M&A market is anchored by the energy sector but has diversified significantly into healthcare, technology, and industrial services. Energy transition is creating new deal flow as traditional oil & gas companies acquire renewable energy and carbon capture businesses. The Texas Medical Center - the world's largest - drives healthcare M&A from physician practice roll-ups to medical device acquisitions.
Houston deal flow is cyclical in energy but consistent in healthcare and industrial services. The region's business-friendly tax environment attracts out-of-state buyers, increasing competition for quality targets in non-energy sectors.
Houston's pro-business environment and population growth make it one of the fastest-growing M&A markets in the country. The city's massive port infrastructure and energy expertise create unique acquisition opportunities not found elsewhere.
For 2026 and 2027 reports, the Texas Comptroller lists a franchise tax no-tax-due threshold of $2,650,000. (Tex. Comptroller, Franchise Tax)
A Katy seller whose business serves the Houston area should organize diligence around how jobs turn into cash. List open jobs, amounts billed, deposits collected, costs to complete, warranty obligations, and the entity named on each customer contract. For a franchise portfolio, make the same list by unit and add the franchisor’s transfer requirements and each premises lease. This produces a closing map: which obligations the buyer assumes, which proceeds remain with the seller, and which third-party approvals could prevent all units from transferring together.
Illustrative planning scenario: a maintenance contractor has a strong backlog but several jobs need additional labor and rented equipment after closing. Request the underlying work orders, cancellation rights, deposits, and cost-to-complete estimates. Decide which party earns the receivable and pays to finish each job. Use those decisions in the assumed-liabilities schedule and working capital definition so a backlog number does not conceal an unfunded obligation.
Record the seller entity, franchise agreement, transfer application, proposed buyer, lease consent, transfer charges, and required work for every unit. Ask whether the franchisor requires new agreement terms or buyer training. Decide what happens if one location is approved and another is delayed. Address any split closing, price allocation, and shared-service arrangements explicitly rather than assuming portfolio approval is a single event.
Use a hypothetical month to work through the proposed formula. If payment depends on profit, identify how shared overhead, new hires, equipment charges, and diverted customers affect that profit. Negotiate the seller’s access to records, calculation deadlines, dispute process, and any operating commitments. Compare the cash payable at closing with the amount genuinely contingent on future performance before treating the offer as an acceptable price.
The first legal review should identify the seller’s actual constraint: finishing jobs, obtaining unit-level approvals, collecting deferred consideration, or leaving operations after a transition. Send the draft offer and the corresponding job, franchise, or payment schedules. This gives the assessment a concrete transaction question to resolve.
Local Market Context
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX MSA · MSA population 7.8M
MSA Population (2024)
7.8M
U.S. Census Bureau
Top Industry Concentration
Houston is a center of the U.S. energy industry. M&A activity is driven primarily by oil and gas exploration and production, refining, petrochemicals, and midstream infrastructure transactions. The energy transition is generating a new wave of deals as traditional energy firms acquire renewable energy, carbon capture, and hydrogen assets. Healthcare, particularly the Texas Medical Center complex, is the second major M&A sector for this metro.
George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports serve the metro. The Houston Ship Channel is a critical national energy infrastructure asset.
Recent Katy Deal Signal (2024-2025)
ExxonMobil's acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources closed in Q2 2024 in a deal valued at approximately $60 billion. Upstream consolidation across Permian Basin operators continued through 2024-2025.
Source (accessed 2026-04-27)
Texas enforces a covenant not to compete that is ancillary to or part of an otherwise enforceable agreement, to the extent its limits on time, geographical area, and scope of activity are reasonable and no greater than necessary to protect the goodwill or other business interest of the promisee. (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 15.50) If such a covenant has limits that are not reasonable, the court must reform it to the extent necessary to make the limits reasonable and no greater than necessary. (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 15.51)
Entity mergers and conversions must be filed with the Texas Secretary of State. (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code ch. 10) Franchise tax (margin tax) compliance is required. (Tex. Tax Code ch. 171) The Comptroller's office handles tax clearance certificates for asset purchases. (Tex. Tax Code ch. 111)
State Bar of Texas (mandatory unified bar). The State Bar of Texas is composed of the persons licensed to practice law in Texas. (Tex. Gov't Code ch. 81)
Bar association websiteFederal districts: N.D. Tex., S.D. Tex., E.D. Tex., W.D. Tex.
Business court: Texas Business Court
The court is composed of eleven geographical divisions, five of which were operational as of November 2026. (Tex. Business Court) It has civil jurisdiction concurrent with district courts in listed actions, such as a derivative proceeding or an action regarding the governance, governing documents, or internal affairs of an organization, when the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million, excluding interest, statutory damages, exemplary damages, penalties, attorney's fees, and court costs. (Tex. Gov't Code ch. 25A) Except when the supreme court has concurrent or exclusive jurisdiction, the Fifteenth Court of Appeals has exclusive jurisdiction over an appeal from the business court. (Tex. Gov't Code ch. 25A)
Watchpoints
These legal points can derail a transaction in the Katy market. Each one links to its official source.
Federal natural gas law applies to the transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce. (15 U.S.C. 717) The Texas Railroad Commission has jurisdiction over all oil and gas wells in Texas. (Tex. Natural Resources Code ch. 81)
Under Texas State Securities Board rules, an issuer relying on Regulation D, Rule 506, must file a copy of its Form D with the Securities Commissioner. (Tex. State Securities Board, Filing Requirements for Regulation D Offerings)
In-depth guides to help you prepare for your transaction
How legal counsel protects sellers throughout the transaction.
Read guideStrategic planning for maximizing value when selling your business.
Read guideRegulatory and transactional considerations specific to healthcare deals.
Read guideCommon deal-killers and how experienced counsel helps prevent them.
Read guideStructured exit planning from initial valuation through closing.
Read guideUse these tools to prepare for your transaction. Professional analysis at your fingertips.
Acquisition Stars represents clients across Texas and nationwide.
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"Realistically, is this attainable? And if so, you know, what's the pathway to get there?"
M&A counsel Buy-side and sell-side representation Admitted in Michigan, practicing nationwide
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Tell us about your transaction and we will let you know if there is a fit.
LOI through closing. Nationwide. M&A counsel.
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Talk through your transaction with Alex Lubyansky at no cost. Submit your transaction details and the team will confirm next steps.
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