Succession planning, exit readiness and M&A support for UK business owners
If it can't run without you, you don't own a business. You own a job.
We build the leadership team that runs the business without you, ready for you to step back, handover or sell.
A business that runs without its founder is worth more. We build the team that makes that true.
What are the options for a business owner's exit?
Step back. Handover. Sell.
Four steps to the door
How we prepare a business for sale or exit.
- Find the dependency.Using the DASH™ framework: every decision, relationship and piece of knowledge that sits with you.
- Build the team.Develop who can step up. Recruit who's missing, up to MD.
- Plan the handover.Real responsibility before the handover, not after.
- Get exit-ready.People and structure risks fixed before due diligence finds them.
What do buyers look for in a business's people and structure?
Buyers pay for profit they can keep.
Six people risks that come up in due diligence, what each one does to the deal, and what we fix before a buyer finds it.
- Founder dependency.Customers, decisions and knowledge sit with you.Lower price, or you're tied in with an earn-out.
- No second tier.Nobody ready to step up if a key person leaves.Higher risk, lower multiple.
- Key people who could walk.No retention or incentive plan for the people who matter.Value leaves after the deal.
- Roles and contracts not documented.Who does what lives in people's heads.Due diligence drags and the price gets chipped.
- Decisions with no clear owner.The business runs on goodwill, not structure.Buyers see risk where you see loyalty.
- A structure that won't integrate.Overlaps and gaps with the buyer's own team.Integration costs come off the price.
How long does it take to get exit-ready?
Start two years out. Earlier costs less.
- 24 months outFind the dependency with DASH™. Design the leadership team the business needs without you.
- 12 to 18 monthsRecruit and develop the second tier. Plan the handover: real responsibility, tested before it counts.
- 6 to 12 monthsDocument roles, contracts and decision rights. Retention and incentive plans in place.
- The deal and afterPeople and structure due diligence, then the combined structure after an acquisition. M&A support alongside your advisers.
Is your business too dependent on you?
The two-week test.
If you disappeared for two weeks, what would happen? Answer these honestly.
- Decisions.How often do they come back to you?
- Hiring.When you hire someone, does your workload actually go down?
- Problems.When something goes wrong, who fixes it?
- Visibility.How often do you chase information you should already have?
- Two weeks away.Would the business run, slow down, or stall?
If two or more answers point back to you, the business isn't ready to sell yet. That's fixable, and it's what we do.
Stepping back from the detail.
Nicola and I had a fabulous session going through her DASH framework for founders looking to step back from the detail of the business. She guided the discussion skilfully and with compassion and real understanding of what it's like to seriously look at stepping back and letting others come into the core of the business.David B HorneFounder, Add Then Multiply. £100m+ raised, 30+ acquisitions and exits
Questions
Succession planning: frequently asked questions.
Who is succession planning for?
Owners of UK businesses who want to step back, handover to a management team or the next generation, or sell. The earlier you start, the more choice you have.
How much does succession planning cost?
It starts with an Edge Review at a fixed fee of £3,000 + VAT. The work after that is priced as a fixed fee, agreed in writing before we start. Recruiting a Managing Director or other senior roles is at our fixed senior and director fee of £7,500 + VAT per role.
What do buyers look for in a business before they buy it?
On the people side, buyers check how dependent the business is on the founder, whether there is a second tier ready to step up, whether key people will stay, whether roles and contracts are documented, and whether decisions have clear owners. Each gap lowers the price or adds an earn-out.
What are the options for exiting a business?
Three routes: step back (keep the business and hand the day job to a leadership team), handover (to managers or the next generation), or sell (trade sale, private equity or a management buyout). Each needs a team that runs the business without the founder.
Why does founder dependency lower the value of a business?
Buyers pay for profits they can keep. If customers, decisions and knowledge sit with the owner, the risk goes up and the price comes down, or you're tied in with an earn-out.
How long does it take to get exit-ready?
Typically 12 to 24 months to build and prove a leadership team that runs without you. Starting early protects the price.
Do you support mergers and acquisitions (M&A)?
Yes, on the people and structure side. Before a deal we review the leadership team, key roles, contracts and reporting lines, so the risks are found and fixed before a buyer or investor finds them. After an acquisition we design the combined structure, decide who owns what, and recruit any gaps, so the deal delivers the value it was bought for. We work alongside your corporate finance and legal advisers.
Do you work with our corporate finance and legal advisers?
Yes. We handle the people and structure side alongside your corporate finance, legal and tax advisers.
Can you recruit a Managing Director?
Yes. We assess your senior team, develop those who can step up and recruit the roles you're missing, up to and including MD.
Thinking about the exit?
Start with the team.
A free 30-minute call with Nicola. No pitch. You'll know whether you need to hire, and what it should cost.