Insights
What we've learned, written for owners.
No jargon and no borrowed advice. These are the questions owners ask us most, answered the way we'd answer them across a kitchen table — including the deals that didn't happen.
From the buyer's side
Personal
A deal we walked away from, and why
Good numbers, a willing seller and a handshake in the car park. We still said no — here is what changed our mind.
4 min read
Personal
What surprised me during our first acquisition
The legal work was the easy part. The human part is where the real work of an acquisition happens.
4 min read
All articles
Everything an owner asks before they decide.
Timing
3 min read
How to know when it's the right time to sell
The best time to sell is rarely the moment you first think about it — and almost never the moment you're exhausted.
Value
3 min read
What makes a business attractive to a buyer
Buyers are not really buying last year's profit. They are buying their confidence in next year's.
Value
4 min read
How businesses are valued — and why turnover isn't everything
Turnover is a headline. Buyers price sustainable profit, adjusted for risk and for how much of it depends on you.
Process
4 min read
What happens during due diligence
Due diligence is not a test you can fail on charm. It is a structured check that what you have described is what exists.
Process
3 min read
Selling shares versus selling assets
The same business, two very different transactions — with very different consequences for tax, staff and risk.
Value
4 min read
How to prepare a business that depends heavily on its owner
Owner dependence is the single most common reason a good business gets a disappointing offer. It is also fixable.
People
3 min read
Protecting employees and customers during a sale
The people who made the business valuable deserve more than a memo on completion day.
People
3 min read
What happens after an acquisition
The interesting part of a deal starts the day after completion — and mostly it should look uneventful.
Process
3 min read
Common reasons deals fall apart
Most collapsed deals were not killed by price. They were killed by surprises, drift and silence.
People
3 min read
Questions every owner should ask a potential buyer
You are interviewing them too. These are the questions that reveal what happens after your name comes off the door.
People
3 min read
Trade buyer, investor or private individual — what's the difference?
Three types of buyer, three very different futures for the business you built.
Process
2 min read
How confidential conversations are handled
Exploring a sale should never put your staff, customers or suppliers on edge. Here's how we keep it quiet.
Timing
3 min read
Can you sell while remaining involved?
Yes — and for many owners a gradual exit produces a better outcome than a clean break.
Value
3 min read
What buyers look for in management information
Good numbers, produced promptly, tell a buyer more about how a business is run than any pitch deck.
Value
3 min read
Why recurring revenue increases attractiveness
A pound of contracted income is worth several pounds of project income when someone is pricing your business.
Value
3 min read
The warning signs buyers spot immediately
Experienced buyers form a view in the first hour. These are the things that shape it.
Value
3 min read
Five changes that can increase value before a sale
None of these need capital. All of them change how a buyer sees the risk in your business.
Personal
3 min read
What to do if your children don't want to take over
It is one of the most common conversations we have, and it is not a failure of succession planning.
Timing
3 min read
How long selling a business realistically takes
From first conversation to money in the bank, six to twelve months is normal. Preparation is what varies.
Start a confidential conversation.
No broker, no obligation, and nothing shared with anyone. Just a private conversation about what you have built and what you'd like to happen next.