One question tells you everything about the advisor you are about to hire. Does pineapple belong on pizza? The answer itself does not matter. How they answer it does. People who give squishy non-answers to simple questions give squishy non-answers when the deal gets complicated. You DESERVE direct answers. Your exit DEPENDS on them. Scott Sylvan Bell filmed this at Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park on the North Shore of Oahu — pineapple capital of the islands.
What Pineapple on Pizza Has to Do With Hiring an M&A Advisor
When you talk to an attorney and ask a question, they say “it depends.” They are protecting themselves. But when you are working with an M&A advisor on the most important financial event of your life, you need direct answers — not cover. There are three kinds of answers: I know, I don’t know, and we need to think this through together. All three are acceptable. What is NOT acceptable is a non-answer dressed up as wisdom. An advisor who will not pick a team on a pizza topping will not pick a team when the deal gets complicated either. That is your signal.
What does pineapple on pizza have to do with hiring an M&A advisor?
How somebody answers a simple question reveals how they will interact with you when the work gets hard. An advisor who hedges on harmless questions will hedge on important ones. The pineapple test filters out non-committal advisors before you invest months of your life in a process that requires decisive guidance at every stage.
How Direct Answers Signal Advisor Trustworthiness
When Scott Sylvan Bell is asked a question he does not know the answer to, he says he does not know. When he knows the answer, he gives it. When it genuinely depends, he says that and explains why. That three-part answer set is what honest advisory looks like. Compare that to the advisor who says “it depends” to EVERYTHING — even basic valuation questions, even timeline questions, even questions about what a buyer will care about. That advisor is protecting themselves, not you. You are the one selling. You need clarity. See also: 5-4-3-2 Exit Planning Framework.
How should an M&A advisor answer questions you ask them?
A trustworthy M&A advisor gives one of three answers: a direct answer when they know, an honest “I don’t know” when they don’t, or a contextual explanation when the answer genuinely depends on variables specific to your situation. What they should never do is give a vague, non-committal response to avoid taking a position. You cannot make good decisions based on non-answers.
Picking a Team: The Decision-Making Filter
Scott’s standard: yes, pineapple belongs on pizza. Pepperoni and pineapple is the call. Add garlic on top while it is cooking and you have reached exit level 1 billion. But here is the real point. You should have filters — questions you run every advisor, every consultant, every potential partner through. The pineapple question is one filter. It reveals whether the person across from you will take a position, defend it, and still be respectful if you disagree. That is the professional quality you want inside a deal. If they cannot pick a team on pizza, how are they going to navigate a disagreement with your buyer’s counsel? See also: Exit Ratio 360™.
Why is picking a team important when evaluating an advisor?
Advisors who cannot commit to a position cannot advocate for you. Selling a business requires someone willing to take and defend positions under pressure — with buyers, with attorneys, with investors. If your advisor hedges on everything, they are optimizing for their own comfort, not your outcome. Pick advisors who pick teams. You can disagree respectfully. You cannot navigate a deal with someone who never picks a side.
What Filters to Use When Choosing an M&A Advisor
Build your list before you interview anyone. Questions that reveal directness, questions that reveal experience, questions that reveal alignment with your goals. Ask about the hardest deal they ever navigated and what they did. Ask what they would tell a seller who overvalued their business. Ask the pineapple question. Watch how they answer each one. You are not looking for perfect answers — you are looking for the pattern of how they communicate. That pattern is what you will live with for twelve to twenty-four months during your exit process. See also: READY Framework.
What filters should you use when choosing an M&A advisor?
Ask how they handled a deal that nearly fell apart. Ask what they would tell a seller whose valuation expectation was unrealistic. Ask the pineapple question. You are evaluating communication style, directness under pressure, and alignment with your interests over their own. The pattern of how someone answers simple questions predicts how they will handle hard ones.
The North Shore Context: Why Pineapple Matters Here
The North Shore of Oahu was pineapple central for decades. Dole grew fields just a few miles from Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park. There is historic weight to filming a video about pineapple on pizza in a place that produced the ingredient. The point lands harder here than anywhere else. And Spaghetti’s Restaurant in Haleiwa — open since 1998, nearly 30 years of operation — is the reference point for a pizza that earns a yes to the pineapple question every time.
What is the best pizza on the North Shore of Oahu?
Spaghetti’s Restaurant in Haleiwa has been serving the North Shore since 1998. The pizza is tremendous and the staff is exceptional. If you are visiting the North Shore, it belongs on the list. Order the pepperoni and pineapple. Add garlic on top while it cooks. Then decide for yourself whether pineapple belongs.
Decision Making Under Pressure: The Business Application
Every deal has moments that require a decision with incomplete information. The advisor who hedges in calm moments will freeze in those moments. You need someone who can say: here is what I know, here is what I do not know, here is my recommendation based on the information we have. That is decisive advisory. That is the standard. When the buyer’s team pushes back on your financials or your multiple, your advisor cannot say “it depends.” They need a position, a defense, and a path forward. The pineapple question is a proxy for all of that.
How does decisiveness in an advisor affect the outcome of your business sale?
Decisive advisors command respect at the negotiating table. When your advisor takes and defends positions consistently, buyers and their counsel recognize that they are dealing with a professional who will not be moved by pressure tactics alone. Advisors who hedge on everything signal to the other side that they can be worn down. Decisiveness is not stubbornness — it is professional credibility that protects your number.
Full Transcript
One of the most common questions asked in life that is important is: does pineapple belong on pizza? And this answer has weight when you hire a consultant or M&A advisor, because how somebody answers a question is going to be how they interact with you when they work with you. I’m Scott Sylvan Bell coming to you live from consulting, secrets, money, perfect day to talk about growth opportunities, consulting, M&A advisory, and does pineapple belong on pizza? Coming to you live from Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park on a rainy day.
When you talk to an attorney and you ask them a question, they give you “it depends” — because what they’re trying to do is protect themselves from getting into legal issues. When you’re working with an M&A advisor or consultant, there’s going to be times you say: I need an answer. I don’t know everything under the sun. There are things I don’t know, there are things I do know, and there are times where I say: we’re going to talk this through, and it’s going to depend upon your situation. Three answers.
The people who give squishy answers or non-answers in the beginning are going to do that at the end. So you may not enjoy pineapple on pizza. But at least you have a direction that you’ve decided to take. At least you’re picking a team. For me — yes, pineapple deserves on pizza. The North Shore of Oahu is where Dole grew a ton of pineapple for the longest time. Pineapple central. There’s a restaurant in town called Spaghetti’s. Been around since 1998. Their pizza is tremendous. And yes, in the rain, I have a slice of pizza with pineapple on it.
I prefer pepperoni over ham, so I always get the pepperoni and pineapple. But I am willing to 100% go on the record and say: when it comes to you selling your business, I will give you what I know will help you. If I don’t know the answer, I’m going to tell you I don’t know. That’s one of the most responsible things somebody can do. If somebody won’t pick a team and they won’t pick an answer — it’s indicative that you’re probably going to have problems in the future.
Have tests. Have filters you run through when you want to do business with somebody. One of my filters is: Scott, would you put pineapple on pizza? My answer is: heck yes. 100 times over. Pepperoni, pineapple, sprinkle some garlic on top while it’s cooking. Oh my goodness — flavor buds at exit level 1 billion. Devise your questions that you want to ask your M&A consultant. One of them, believe it or not, should be: do you put pineapple on your pizza? Because you’re going to see how people squirm and how people answer questions. Aloha. Mahalo.
Related: 5-4-3-2 Exit Planning Framework | READY Framework | Exit Ratio 360™ | Exit Ratio 360™ on Amazon
About Scott Sylvan Bell
Scott Sylvan Bell is a mid-market exit strategy consultant and the creator of the Exit Ratio 360™. His book is available on Amazon.