The approach
Selling well is years of small decisions, not one big one
The work is the same whether or not you ever sell: build the management depth, tidy the documentation, understand your value drivers, and know your likely buyers. When the moment comes, you negotiate from strength rather than catching up.
- 01
Start the clock early
If there's one thing worth telling every owner, it's this: start planning your exit three to five years before you actually want to walk away.
That's not a scare tactic. It's how long it genuinely takes to turn a business that runs well into a business that sells well — and those are not the same thing.
- 02
Due diligence is a rehearsal, not an exam
Every deal ends in due diligence. The smartest owners run their own version of it long before a buyer gets involved — across contracts, financials, employment, property and operations, on their own terms.
Skip that step, and a buyer's team finds the gaps for you. Every gap becomes a lever to renegotiate.
- 03
Build something worth copying first
Acquirers don't buy businesses out of sentiment. They buy them because ownership adds something they don't currently have — capacity, capability, market access, or a growth story that's cheaper to buy than to build.
Draw up a shortlist of organisations that would be a natural fit to acquire you, and work backwards from what would make you genuinely attractive to each of them.
- 04
Know what actually moves the number
Two sets of factors decide what a business is worth. Inside: the people you employ and the financial discipline behind the numbers. Outside: market position, competitive dynamics and timing.
The businesses that command the best multiples tend to have both working in their favour at the same time.
- 05
Growth is part of the pitch
Buyers aren't only purchasing what the business is today; they're purchasing what it could become under different ownership.
A credible growth story, backed by a coherent plan and a real pipeline, does more for your eventual price than almost anything else you can point to. It needs to be evidenced, and repeatable by someone other than you.
- 06
Know who you're selling to, long before you sell
Most owners assume their buyer will be a direct competitor. Sometimes that's right. But the highest offers often come from somewhere less obvious — an adjacent business, a company wanting your capability, a strategic buyer entering your sector.
The earlier you identify who those buyers might be, the earlier you can shape the business towards what matters to them.
- 07
Respect the practical timeline
Give yourself a minimum of three months to prepare properly once you've decided, and closer to a year if the business is substantial.
A data room, clean IP, and a first impression that holds up — website, materials, the tone of that first meeting — all form a buyer's opening view. Don't dress up what isn't there; an experienced acquirer sees through it.
Start the clock early.
The earlier this work begins, the more of it pays off. A first conversation is free and confidential — no pitch, just an honest read on where the business stands.
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