Sell my business

Who we help sell

Our office is at Chiswick Business Park in London W4. We work with owners and buyers in English and Ukrainian.

Typical sectors include hospitality, retail, services, manufacturing, healthcare and care homes, construction and trades, online businesses and logistics. Whatever the sector, buyers look closely at two things: clear accounts, and whether the business can carry on without its founder.

Owners sell for different reasons. Some are planning retirement. Others want capital for a new venture, have a business partner who wants to exit, or are relocating. Sometimes the company needs more money to grow than the owner wants to put in personally, and bringing in a buyer can be the cleaner answer.

A full sale is not the only way out. On the first call we discuss three options with you:

• a full sale of the business
• the sale of a majority stake, where you keep a minority holding
• a sale to your management team

Which route fits depends on what you want from the sale, how involved you want to stay and what buyers are prepared to offer. We agree the route with you before the business goes to market, because it shapes the buyers we approach and the information they receive.

How selling your business works

Selling a business involves six stages. We run the commercial side of the sale, while your own solicitor and accountant advise on the legal, financial and tax detail.

1. Valuation and exit plan

We start with a free introductory call to understand the business and your goals. Once you instruct us, we work out a valuation range and talk through timing, the exit route and what a handover might look like, so the asking price rests on figures rather than hope.

2. Preparation and information memorandum

We work with you on a financial clean-up and check that the legal side is ready for a buyer's questions. Then we write the information memorandum. It sets out what the company does, how it earns its money, how it has performed and how it runs day to day. Gaps found at this stage are far easier to deal with than gaps a buyer finds later.

3. Blind profile and buyer search in the UK, the EU and Ukraine

We write a blind profile that describes the opportunity without the company name. It gives a buyer enough to judge whether the business fits, but not enough to identify it. We take it to suitable buyers, in English or Ukrainian as needed.

4. NDA and qualified buyers

A buyer who wants to know more signs an NDA first. We check who they are and whether they can fund the deal before the company name changes hands. Curiosity is not the same as the means to buy, and this step separates the two.

5. Offers, heads of terms and due diligence

We help you compare offers on more than the headline price, because payment terms, conditions and timing change what an offer is really worth. The agreed points go into heads of terms. The buyer then runs due diligence on the business, with your solicitor and accountant beside you.

6. Completion and handover

The solicitors on both sides finalise the sale documents. On completion the buyer pays the agreed price and ownership passes to them in the form set out in the deal. Any handover period follows the terms agreed in the deal. Our success fee falls due only at this point.

Getting from preparation to a buyer typically takes 4 to 8 months. Your sector and the state of your documents decide where you land in that range, and no timeline can be guaranteed. For a fuller picture, read our guide on how to sell a business in the UK.

Preparing your business so buyers want it

A buyer judges a business partly by how easy it is to understand and to take over. Before it goes to market, we work with you on the areas buyers look at first.

• Finances: tidy accounts, profit shown clearly and kept apart from the owner's personal spending, and up-to-date management accounts. Clean figures build trust and make the value easier to see.
• Brand and presentation: a consistent brand, a website and online presence that match the business, good photos and a clear description of what you do. First impressions shape how a buyer reads everything that follows.
• Customers and contracts: which clients bring the revenue, how long contracts run and how much of the income repeats. A spread of customers and written agreements make the income look safer.
• Operations: processes written down, key staff and suppliers in place, so the business does not depend on you every day. That lowers the risk a buyer takes on.
• Legal matters: contracts, leases and licences in order and ready for due diligence. Organised paperwork avoids delays once a buyer starts checking.

This work is part of our service before the business goes to market, and it means fewer surprises during due diligence.

What it costs to sell your business

We publish our fee, so you can weigh it up before the first call.

We charge a success fee of 3% to 10% of the deal value. It is paid only on completion, out of money you have already received from the buyer. There is no upfront fee.

The exact rate depends on the size and complexity of the deal. We agree it with you in writing, so you know the rate before any work begins.

You can leave the contract at any time without penalty. If your plans change halfway through, you are not tied in.

Some costs sit outside our fee. You pay your own solicitor and accountant, who act for you on the sale documents, the tax position and the figures. You agree their scope and charges with them directly.

What is my business worth?

The honest answer to "how much can I sell my business for" is a range, and it comes from method rather than guesswork. An asking price set too high tends to put serious buyers off, while one set too low gives away money you have earned. We use three methods:

• Earnings multiple. We take the profit the business can keep producing and apply a multiple that suits its size, sector and risk.
• Assets. We look at what the business owns, net of what it owes. This carries more weight where equipment, stock or property make up much of the value.
• Cash flow. We estimate the cash the business is likely to generate in future and judge how dependable those forecasts are.

Several things move the figure up or down. Profit that repeats year after year counts for more than one strong season. A business that runs without its owner tends to be worth more than one that leans on them every day. The same goes for a customer base where no single client carries the revenue. Written contracts and the state of your sector count too.

For a quick estimate, try our free business valuation calculator, or read our guide on how to value a business in the UK. To talk it through with a broker, fill in the short enquiry form and we will contact you within 24 hours to arrange a free introductory call.

Confidential from the first call

News of a sale that leaks too early can unsettle staff and make customers hesitate. Competitors notice as well. So we control what the market sees and when.

The market only ever sees a blind profile without the company name. A buyer learns the name only after signing an NDA, and only once we have checked that they can fund the deal.

Your staff and customers should not learn about the sale early through our marketing. When and how you tell your team remains your decision.

Buyers across the UK, the EU and Ukraine

We look for buyers in all three markets. The people who buy businesses like yours tend to fall into a few groups:

• trade buyers who want your customers, sites or skills
• investors looking for an established business with steady earnings
• individuals relocating to the UK or expanding into a new market
• buyers from the EU and Ukraine who would rather acquire a UK business than build one from nothing

Reach matters for price because a business is not worth the same to every buyer. A company that fits an acquirer's existing operations, or gives an overseas buyer a working base in the UK, can be worth more to them than to someone with no such reason. A wider search gives you a better chance of finding that fit. It cannot guarantee a particular price, but it gives you more buyers to choose from.

A weekly report, written into the contract

Every week you receive a written progress report, and the contract obliges us to send it. It covers what we did that week, where buyer interest stands and what happens next.

You do not have to chase us for an update. If a buyer drops out, the report says so and sets out the next step we propose. Because it is in writing, you have a record to look back on, and a simple way to hold us to the plan we agreed.

Your broker

Selling a business is personal, so you should know who is handling yours. You work with a named broker who learns your numbers, your reasons for selling and the terms you will not accept.

You can meet the team before you decide to work with us.

Tax when you sell a business

When you sell a business, Capital Gains Tax may be due on the gain. Business Asset Disposal Relief can reduce the tax on qualifying gains, up to a £1m lifetime limit. The relief's rate has been rising in stages since 2025, so check the current rate, and whether you qualify, with your accountant.

A share sale and an asset sale are taxed differently and leave liabilities with different parties. In an asset sale, TUPE protects employees, who move to the buyer on their existing terms. In a share sale the employer stays the same company, and only its owners change. Your solicitor and accountant should advise on the structure before you sign heads of terms.

This is general information, not tax advice.