The Simple Path to Selling Your Business
Boutique M&A advisory. Professional valuation. Strategic buyer identification. Principal-led throughout.
Know What It's Worth Before Marketing
Most brokers list your business without a price and wait to see what comes in. You're negotiating blind. We establish a formal valuation first — so you know your baseline, and you can walk away from bad offers with confidence.
Fix What Could Kill Your Deal
We identify issues that will derail a sale before you waste months negotiating. If your business isn't ready, our honest assessment can save you £100,000s in wasted fees. If it is ready, you go to market fully prepared, with strength.
Get the Right Buyer to the Table
We don't spray your business across the market hoping someone bites. We research buyers who will actually value what you've built, approach them confidentially, and negotiate from first offer to final completion. Same senior advisor throughout. No handoffs.
Take the 13-minute assessment. Get your score across 8 value drivers, see how you compare to peers in your industry, and receive a ballpark valuation based on 90,000+ business assessments — completely free.
Businesses scoring 80+ receive 71% higher offers • Businesses scoring 90+ receive 7.1× higher offers
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Businesses scoring 80+ receive 71% higher offers • Businesses scoring 90+ receive 7.1× higher offers 〰️
"What was invaluable was Zach's ability to take all our data and look at it from the acquirer's perspective. Whereas I saw it from my tunnel vision—how I use it internally—he saw it completely differently. Nine times out of ten, the acquirer's view was very different from ours. We had 82 meetings over the process, but it didn't feel like that. The process felt manageable, even though it was intensive."
Maurice Buckley, CEO and Co-Founder, The Higher Lab (Cloud-based recruitment platform)
Why Business Owners Choose ETSC
Fully qualified business valuer (IMAA & ACCA) │ Fellow of the Institute of Consultants — bound by professional code of conduct │ │ 30+ years M&A transaction experience
In an Unregulated Industry, Credentials Matter
UK business sales have no regulatory oversight. Zach Dogar is a fully qualified valuer (IMAA & ACCA), internationally certified through the International Institute of Business Valuers, a Fellow of the Institute of Consultants (bound by their code of conduct), and has 30+ years M&A experience. These credentials combine UK and international valuation standards. Most advisors can't offer them.
ETSC Insights, Powered by Value Builder
Access to the Value Builder System (90,000+ businesses assessed), Built to Sell Radio (500+ episodes, 3M+ downloads), and 14+ eBooks. The Value Builder methodology systematically identifies gaps across the 8 drivers that determine your business value — giving you a clear roadmap to increase what buyers will pay before you go to market. We don't just advise — we give you the tools to make informed decisions.
"Our accountant said, 'I can't believe the level of sophistication in your business right now. You're doing just over a million in turnover, but you're already talking like a £10 million business. The things you're discussing are blowing me away.' With Zach, we see this as a long-term journey. He brings external M&A experience and helps us understand how our business will be viewed externally."
Andrew Smart, Partnerships Director, VST Venues (Event & conference venues)
Most Businesses That Go to Market Never Find a Buyer
It’s well known that over 75% of businesses that go to market fail to sell—not because they're bad businesses, but because they're handled unprofessionally.
No Professional Valuation
Brokers list with "offers invited." Buyers test you. You negotiate blind and leave money on the table.
Issues Found Too Late
Dealbreakers surface in due diligence. The deal collapses. Your business is publicly "damaged goods.
Wrong Advisors
Accountants, solicitors, AI tools, or doing it yourself—none have M&A experience. Buyers exploit inexperience
We work differently. Formal valuation. Dealbreaker analysis upfront. 30 years M&A experience representing you throughout.
“Zach came up with a valuation that would be the price we would get—which is actually what happened. From the very first buyer, we got the asking price. The valuation was spot on. The personal touch was incredible—Zach was always there, holding our hands all the way through. For any query, what Zach said or advised turned out to be correct.”
David Masters, former owner of David Masters Limited (Wellness Services)
We Work With Businesses Across Various Sectors
Our Valuation Methodology Is Sector-Agnostic
The fundamentals that drive value—revenue quality, profit margins, growth trajectory, owner dependency, transferability—apply universally. If you've built a profitable, established business, we can value it properly.
What unites our clients: Enterprise value typically £1m-£50m. Established and profitable. Ready for a proper exit. They value expertise over lowest fees.
Technology & Software
SaaS platforms, software companies, IT services, managed service providers, tech-enabled businesses.
We understand ARR multiples, churn metrics, customer lifetime value, and the specific questions strategic buyers and PE firms ask. We know the buyer landscape and what drives premium valuations in technology.
Professional Services
Recurring revenue businesses, contract-based services, operational businesses with established customer bases.
Whether service-driven or operations-driven, we value what buyers care about: revenue quality, customer retention, margin sustainability, and how well the business runs without constant owner involvement.
B2B & Established Businesses
Consultancies, agencies, advisory firms, specialist service businesses.
We understand how service businesses are valued—people dependency, client concentration, margin sustainability, and transferability of relationships. Our methodology identifies what makes service businesses sellable.
"For a service-based business like ours, confidentiality is absolutely critical. If our staff or clients found out we were selling, it could have disrupted operations. You kept everything completely confidential. Within four months of coming to market, we had four or five different buyer options. You fought for us and made the process painless."
Stefan Buys, Founder and Former Partner, NSIS Systems LLP (IT Services)
Your Next Step Towards a Successful Exit
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Ready to Find Out What Your Business Is Worth?
Start with your free Sellability Score. 13 minutes. Instant results. Ballpark valuation included.
The Sellability Score assesses your business across 8 value drivers, benchmarks you against peers in your industry, and gives you a ballpark valuation based on 90,000+ business assessments worldwide.
It's the same assessment we use before formally engaging with every client. Most business owners are surprised by what they discover.
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Already completed your score?
Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your results and explore your exit options.
Every consultation is with Zach directly — not a junior, not a screener, not an automated process. You'll get an honest assessment of your exit options, a realistic view of what your business could achieve, and straight answers to the questions you've been asking yourself.
No obligation. No fees until formal engagement. Just 30 minutes of senior M&A expertise focused entirely on your situation.
"The valuation is a number, but what I really valued was learning about the history of my own business and gaining insights into how we'd been running finances and what we could do in the future. You called me on a Saturday morning to discuss my situation. The service went way beyond what I expected from an advisor."
Hutton Henry, Founder, Beyond M&A
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Your business is worth what a qualified buyer will pay for it — but that number isn't random. It's based on measurable factors: revenue quality, profit margins, growth trajectory, customer concentration, owner dependency, and how well your business runs without you.
Rules of thumb (like "3× profit") don't work. Different buyers value businesses differently. Strategic buyers pay more for businesses that fit their acquisition strategy. Private equity firms value recurring revenue and scalability.
The Sellability Score assesses your business across 8 value drivers and provides a ballpark valuation based on 90,000+ business assessments. For a formal, defensible valuation, you need a qualified valuer (IMAA, ACCA, or IIBV accredited).
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6-12 months from formal valuation to completion is typical for well-prepared businesses in the £1m-£50m range. But this varies significantly based on how ready your business actually is.
Typical timeline breakdown:
Valuation and preparation: 4-8 weeks
Marketing to qualified buyers: 8-12 weeks
Negotiation and offers: 4-8 weeks
Due diligence: 8-12 weeks
Legal completion: 4-8 weeks
What accelerates the process:
Businesses that sell faster have formal valuations before marketing, clean financials going back 3+ years, identified and addressed dealbreakers early, strong management teams, documented systems, and realistic price expectations based on research.
What causes delays:
Owner dependency discovered in due diligence forces renegotiation or kills deals. Customer concentration (one client >20% of revenue) requires risk adjustments. Poor financial records extend due diligence by months. Unrealistic price expectations mean wasted time with buyers who can't meet your number. Issues found late that should have been identified upfront derail momentum.
The hidden cost of speed:
Rushing to market without preparation doesn't save time—it costs you months and often the deal itself. Deals that collapse after 4-6 months of negotiation damage your business. Staff become unsettled. Customers sense uncertainty. Competitors hear rumours. And getting serious buyers to re-engage after a public failure is nearly impossible.
What you can control:
Get a formal valuation before approaching buyers so you know your realistic baseline. Identify dealbreakers early using the 8 Value Builder drivers—fix what can be fixed, price for what can't. Prepare financial records, contracts, and operational documentation before due diligence starts. Choose professional M&A representation rather than relying on accountants or doing it yourself.
Businesses prepared properly complete faster and at higher prices. Businesses rushed to market either fail or accept discounted offers to avoid collapse.
The realistic timeline most founders underestimate:
Plan 2-3 years before your ideal exit date. Use year one to build sellability (reduce owner dependency, diversify customers, systematise operations). Use year two to optimise financials and prepare documentation. Use year three for the actual sale process.
This isn't delays—it's maximising what buyers will pay for your 20+ years of work.
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UK business sales are completely unregulated. Anyone can operate as a broker with no qualifications, no professional memberships, and no code of conduct to follow. This creates significant risk for business owners.
Business brokers typically handle smaller transactions (under £1m), list businesses on marketplaces, and work on volume. Many charge upfront fees of £5,000-£15,000 regardless of outcome. They use a "spray and pray" approach—broadcasting your business to buyer lists with no targeting or confidentiality. Most aren't qualified valuers and rely on rules of thumb rather than formal methodology.
M&A advisors vary significantly. Some are qualified professionals with credentials and professional oversight. Others are unregulated operators using a fancier title. In an unregulated industry, titles mean nothing—credentials and professional memberships are what matter.
The cost of choosing wrong:
Working with an unqualified advisor can cost you hundreds of thousands in lost value and 6-12 months of wasted time. Poor representation means accepting lowball offers, issues found late that kill deals, confidentiality breaches that damage your business, and having to restart the process after a public failure.
How ETSC is different:
We're qualified business valuers (IMAA, ACCA, IIBV certified). We're bound by the Institute of Consultants' professional code of conduct. We establish formal valuations before marketing, not guesses based on rules of thumb. We're accountable to professional bodies—not just operating in an unregulated space.
In an unregulated market, verify credentials. Check professional memberships. Ask if they're qualified valuers, not just brokers with better branding.
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According to Value Builder research, around 75% of businesses that go to market never complete a sale. The main reasons:
No defensible valuation: Brokers list with "offers invited." Buyers test price immediately. Without a researched baseline, you negotiate blind.
Dealbreakers found too late: Owner dependency, customer concentration, or financial issues surface in due diligence and kill the deal.
Wrong advisors: Accountants and solicitors advise from their narrow expertise. They don't understand M&A process, buyer psychology, or deal structure.
Poor buyer targeting: Broadcasting to every buyer list attracts tyre-kickers, not serious acquirers.
Most failures are preventable with proper preparation and professional representation.
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Yes. Going to market without a formal valuation weakens your negotiating position and often costs you £100,000s.
Without a valuation:
You don't know if offers are fair
Buyers sense you're guessing and test aggressively
You waste months fielding lowball bids
You often accept less than your business is actually worth
A formal valuation (not a broker's "market appraisal") gives you:
A defensible number backed by methodology
Confidence to reject bad offers
Leverage in negotiations
Clear understanding of what drives value
Qualified valuers (IMAA, ACCA, IIBV certified) use recognised methodologies. Most business brokers aren't qualified valuers and rely on rules of thumb.
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The Sellability Score is a free assessment that evaluates your business across 8 value drivers: Financial Performance, Growth Potential, Switzerland Structure (customer/supplier dependency), Valuation Teeter-Totter, Recurring Revenue, Monopoly Control, Customer Satisfaction, and Hub & Spoke (owner dependency).
You're scored 0-100 and benchmarked against 90,000+ businesses in your industry. The assessment also provides a ballpark valuation.
Research shows businesses scoring 80+ receive 71% higher offers. Businesses scoring 90+ receive 7.1× higher offers.
The score identifies gaps that reduce value and provides a roadmap to address them before going to market.
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The best time to sell is when:
Your business is growing, not declining
You have 3+ years of consistent financials
The business runs without you day-to-day
You have strong management or systems in place
Market conditions favour sellers in your sector
Don't wait until:
You're burned out and performance is declining
A key customer leaves
Health or personal circumstances force urgency
Market conditions turn against you
Most successful exits are planned 2-3 years in advance. This gives you time to build sellability, address weaknesses, and choose your timing rather than being forced to sell in unfavourable conditions.