About HINGE Early Education Advisors

HINGE Advisors provides specialized advisory services exclusively for early childhood education businesses. Services include:

Selling Services – Engage the nation’s leading early education transaction advisors to confidentially market your school, identify qualified buyers, negotiate offers for the best value and culture fit, and guide your transaction through closing.

Valuation Services – Get the most accurate picture of your school’s current market value and uncover opportunities to maximize its worth.

Real Estate Services – Evaluate whether to sell or retain your real estate and develop the best strategy for your goals.

Growth Services – Tap into the industry’s largest database of qualified education investors and find a growth partner to help fund your school’s expansion while preserving quality.

Success Services – Strengthen your leadership, staff, operations, and growth potential with Leadership Sprints and GoodCents Sprints.

Montessori Services – Access specialized advisory services tailored to the unique operational, educational, and market considerations of Montessori schools.

Whether your goal is to grow, raise capital, prepare for a future transition, or sell your childcare business and real estate, HINGE Advisors provides expert guidance at every stage.

HINGE Advisors works with a wide range of early childhood education businesses, including large single-site and multi-site childcare centers, preschools, early learning centers, Montessori schools, and franchise platforms. Our award-winning team represents high-quality ECE businesses generating $1.7 million+ in annual revenue, providing specialized guidance for owners looking to sell, grow, or transition their business and real estate.

Yes. Our team has extensive experience advising owners with 2 to 25+ schools, including growing regional groups and expansive multi-site organizations — helping them maximize value, identify the right buyers or investment growth partners, and navigate the complexities of larger transactions.

Yes. HINGE Advisors works with early childhood education businesses across the United States, focusing on high-quality schools in premium markets with attractive growth and investment potential.

HINGE Advisors is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, and has team members distributed across the United States., We’re proud to work with childcare centers, preschools, Montessori schools, and multi-site early education organizations nationwide through every stage of valuation, growth, and selling.

Early childhood education is a specialized industry with unique financial, operational, licensing, and real estate considerations. Selling childcare businesses and real estate requires a thorough understanding of how schools operate, what buyers are looking for, and how to protect employees, families, students, and the business throughout the sale.

By focusing exclusively on childcare, preschool, and Montessori businesses, HINGE has developed a proven selling process tailored to the industry's specific challenges over the past 20+ years. This specialized approach helps business owners achieve better outcomes and navigate smoother, more successful transitions.

Childcare business owners choose HINGE Advisors because the firm represents the best interests of early childhood education school sellers exclusively. Unlike general business brokers, HINGE combines deep industry expertise with a proven process and an unmatched buyer network to help owners maximize the value of their business and real estate, ensure cultural alignment, achieve a successful transition, and avoid unforeseen issues post-closing.

Since 2003, HINGE has:

• Successfully closed 350+ early education transactions

• Helped early education sellers gain more than $1 billion in business value

• Built a proprietary network of 650+ active education buyers and investors

• Assembled a team of former childcare business owners, financial experts, commercial brokers, and real estate professionals with 300+ years of combined early education experience

From business valuation and preparation to competitive marketing, buyer selection, negotiations, and closing, HINGE provides expert guidance throughout every stage of the selling process, helping owners make informed decisions with confidence.

The HINGE Advisors transaction team brings together experienced early childhood education dealmakers who know how to expertly navigate the unique complexities of buying and selling childcare businesses and real estate.

Alec Ligon, Esq. — Transaction Team Leader
A licensed attorney and trusted advisor to childcare owners nationwide, Alec leverages his legal expertise in acquisitions, dispositions, and transaction strategy to help clients navigate complex business transitions and maximize value.

Mike Pepper — Transaction Advisor
With more than 35 years of commercial real estate experience, Mike has built and sold school portfolios across the United States, helping childcare owners navigate successful early education business and real estate transactions.

Laurie Denny — Transaction Advisor
Drawing on more than 15 years of experience in early education business growth and development, Laurie guides owners through the transaction process with in-depth knowledge and expertise across strategic positioning, negotiations, legal agreements, licensing, communications, and successful transitions.

Nan Rikard — Transaction Advisor
A lifelong early childhood education leader, Nan founded Big Blue Marble Academy and has been involved in more than 200 early education transactions, providing owners with firsthand insight into growth strategies, acquisitions, exits, and long-term planning.

Wes Simmons — Transaction Advisor
An experienced advisor to owners of traditional, Reggio, and Montessori preschools, Wes specializes in exit strategies, transaction management, negotiations, and diligence that help clients gain maximum business value and set their schools up for long-term success.

Yes. HINGE Advisors maintains a proprietary network of more than 650 qualified buyers and investors actively seeking early childhood education businesses across the United States. Every buyer is carefully vetted, and sellers choose which qualified buyers their business is presented to.

By leveraging our established buyer network, HINGE can confidentially market your school to serious, financially capable buyers, increasing competition and maximizing value while protecting your confidentiality throughout the process.

After contacting HINGE Advisors, an advisor will reach out to learn more about your school, your goals, and what you’re looking to accomplish. There’s no pressure. We’re glad to offer our perspective and support your success story.