Your Path to Peak Performance
You don’t have a knowledge problem. You have a structure problem.
Most business owners already know what they should be doing – but somewhere between knowing and doing, focus slips and momentum fades.
The Elevation Performance Playbook gives you a system.
Twenty-two practical disciplines designed to sharpen focus, strengthen execution, and build consistent momentum – without relying on willpower.
Start with one. Install it. Build from there.
What I Do
I spent 27 years building Trent Capital Management and grew it past a billion dollars in assets before I sold it. I’ve been the owner in the room.
Today that experience runs in two directions.
M&A Advisory
As a founding partner at Optima Mergers & Acquisitions, I work with owners of founder-led companies, typically $5M to $50M, to understand what the business is worth today, what’s suppressing that number, and what it takes to be ready when the right buyer or the right moment arrives.
Most owners get exactly one transaction. The difference between a good one and a painful one is usually decided two or three years before anyone signs a letter of intent: clean financials, operations that transfer, a story a buyer believes, and an owner who isn’t the whole machine.
That’s the work. Starting it early is the whole advantage.
What’s Holding the Number Down?
Owners ask what their business is worth. It’s the right question, and there’s usually a more useful one underneath it.
Maybe too many decisions still run through you. Maybe too much revenue depends on a handful of relationships. Maybe the financials need explaining, or the leadership team isn’t deep enough yet.
Most owners can make that list themselves, given a quiet hour. What’s harder to see is what each item costs.
That’s the strange part about building a successful company. Being the person who decides, owning the important relationships, knowing how everything works: those are real strengths. They’re part of how you built it. Eventually they’re also what limits it.
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Validation From Your Peers
Trent Success truly lives up to its name. David and his team elevated my business to new heights by activating comprehensive plans that energized my operation, skillfully transforming vision into reality and helping me exceed financial targets. David’s passion for client success is evident in every interaction, ensuring alignment towards our goals.
Being a business owner can feel isolating, especially at the top. Joining David Trent’s one-on-one coaching and CEO roundtable provided the mentorship and peer guidance I needed to conceive a plan, grow my business, and establish an exit strategy. My experience and growth as both an entrepreneur and as a person—along with the increase in my business’s value—have been profound. The insights shared by other business owners are invaluable. It’s a truly unique experience where you learn how to scale your business effectively.
As a business owner ready to exit, I found Trent Success invaluable. I had built my company but lacked the necessary M&A contacts and financial support to execute my exit plans. David Trent and his team provided the crucial connections and prepared my company to showcase its strengths when it mattered most. David’s experience in exiting his own firm brings a level of expertise that’s truly beneficial. His guidance as a business advisor drove real results, optimizing my company’s value and ensuring a smooth transition. For business owners planning their exit, Trent Success offers expert support.
One Idea Behind All of It
Advisory work, transactions, strength, and the books all come from the same place.
I spent 27 years building a company and eventually sold it. Along the way I learned that some of the habits that help an owner build a successful company become the things that keep it dependent on him.
I’ve also learned that what we put off compounds, whether it’s leadership, systems, hard decisions, or our own physical strength.
My work today is about doing that work earlier. Strengthen the company before a buyer makes the weaknesses urgent. Understand what creates value before you’re negotiating it. Build leadership before you need it. Take strength seriously before losing it makes the decision for you.
And think about what you’re building toward before you arrive there.
