Are you contemplating a transition for your business? How well, or not, that process might play out could depend upon the quality of your connections, according to Nick Olsen, managing director of the M&A practice, Green Bay, Wisc.-based Cornerstone International. Olsen would know about making the right connections as Cornerstone averages 150 M&A deals a year.

Entrepreneurs who work with investment bankers for their business transition can benefit from what that key piece of growth, or the actual exit, can bring to the table. Even better: working with someone who has actually been in their shoes. “I started and sold businesses before I got into banking, so I have that perspective in my approach with clients,” said Steve Laver, managing director at Santa Monica, Calif-based investment banking firm Montminy & Co.

Is the spirit of “business transition,” from a generational perspective, best aimed at business owners in their 50s? That thinking would currently put Generation X entrepreneurs in the sweet spot. “Baby Boomers are exiting, and retiring,” said Nicolas Biancamano, managing partner of San Diego-based Pacifica Advisors. The market hasn’t fully transitioned into the next generation,” he said. “They don’t want to give up everything ꟷ they want to keep working.”