When business owners first think about selling, it is easy to be impressed by numbers. A long list of enquiries can feel like momentum. It can look like the market is responding well. It can even create the illusion that a good deal is just around the corner. In reality, a high volume of anonymous enquiries often means very little. What matters far more is whether there is genuine, credible, and qualified buyer intent behind the interest. That is where the real value sits. No

When owners prepare to sell, they often focus on profit, turnover, and valuation. Those matter, but buyers do not buy figures alone. They buy a business they believe can keep performing after the founder steps back. That is why management depth matters so much. A business can look strong on paper and still concern a buyer if too much depends on one person. If the founder controls the key customer relationships, makes most of the major decisions, settles operational issues, an

So when someone says “you do not pay anything”, the question is straightforward: who is paying them? If the buyer is paying them, then they are acting for the buyer. That does not make them dishonest or unprofessional. It simply means their incentive is to deliver the best deal for the acquirer, not the best outcome for you.

January is exactly when serious exits should begin. Not because of motivational quotes and fresh diaries. Because if you want a proper sale, at the right price, on the right terms, this is when the groundwork needs to start.

This article explains what deferred consideration actually is, why it exists, how it works alongside earn-outs, and the difference between a structured, well-negotiated deal and a poorly-prepared one that quietly costs the seller a fortune.

Like most things in life, there’s a positive and a negative. I am a fan of earn‑outs as a tool to enhance the sale value, not as a lever to grind the price down. But sellers need to be alive to some of the sharper practices buyers (and their solicitors) try to build into the share purchase agreement (SPA).

The Government’s sudden reduction of the Capital Gains Tax exemption for Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) transactions from 100% to 50%, with immediate effect, has raised eyebrows across the SME sector. For some, it feels like the end of an era. For This shift has not destroyed the model, it has simply stripped out the distortion. The businesses that were always suited to employee ownership will continue to see the benefits, it’s a welcome correction.

The Four Common Ways to Exit Your Business Every business owner will leave their business one way or another. You’ll either walk, sell, get pushed, or leave in a box. Those are the four outcomes and pretending otherwise won’t change the facts.