Why We Start the Exit Conversation Five Years Early
Most business owners first think seriously about selling their company when something forces the question. A health scare. A difficult year. A competitor’s sale that makes them wonder what their own business might fetch.
At this point, the typical route is to call a broker, who will typically - unless the company is very large - value the business based on last year’s numbers, write a one-page summary, and start ringing around buyers. It’s transactional by design. The business sells for whatever it happens to be worth today — not what it could have been worth with a few years of deliberate preparation.
At Peatling Group, we do things differently. We prefer starting the conversation five or even ten years before you think you may want to sell (or ‘exit’). Here’s why.
Value gap
Every business has two valuations: what it’s worth today, and what it could be worth with the right changes in place. The gap between those two numbers is often significant — the right kinds of adjustments a couple of years out can double or treble a company’s value in the eyes of buyers.
Issues like low profitability, founder dependence, or informal/irregular processes can all make for an underwhelming valuation at exit. These things can all be improved, but are best worked on over time — not three months or less before you want to be speaking to potential buyers.
We started Peatling Group so that we can partner with you to do just this kind of work. We can guide you through changes which both help your business operate better today, and be worth significantly more tomorrow. Our ‘Strategy on Tap’ service means that for a low quarterly retainer we become part of your team. And if you choose to ultimately partner with us to sell the business too, we can represent you with a genuine, deep understanding of your business and end market. We believe this approach maximises your chances of a successful, rewarding exit.
The one non-negotiable is trust
We want to partner to get the business in the best possible position it can be. But even then, all companies will have problems - which need to be weighed up by potential buyers. We often come across founders who assume that they cannot sell because of one issue or another. However, in our experience, there is only one non-negotiable — without which a deal will not get done — the buyer has to trust the information he/she receives, and the people who they interact with during the transaction. If trust is present, then the road is clear to construct a deal which gets good value for the founder’s business.
This is another reason why preparation - and the right exit advisor - matters so much. Clean accounts, well-documented processes, transparent customer data, and a clear story about the business’s future — these don’t just make the business look better on paper. They build trust. They signal to a buyer that this is a business run by someone who understands what they have and has nothing to hide. That trust translates directly into a higher price and smoother negotiation.
A traditional business broker earns their fee when a deal completes. Their incentive is to get a transaction done. That means their interest is in speed, not in building the trust that maximises the price you achieve or ensuring you sell to the right buyer on the right terms.
Our model is different. We work with you on a retained basis as a strategic advisor — typically starting long before any buyer conversations happen. Our job is to help you build the credibility and evidence base that gives a buyer confidence, and to ensure that when you do go to market, every question a buyer asks has a well-prepared answer.
What “sale readiness” actually looks like
Financial clarity. We build EBITDA analyses that show the true underlying profitability — the number a buyer will base their offer on.
Owner dependency. If the business can’t run without you, it’s worth less. We help you build systems and processes that transfer your knowledge into the organisation.
Customer concentration. We analyse your customer data to understand concentration risk and help you address it before a buyer raises it as a negotiating point.
The buyer universe. A trade buyer, a private equity firm, and a management buyout team all value different things. Understanding your likely buyers early shapes how you position the business.
Deal structure. Share sale or asset sale? These structural questions have major implications for how much you take home after tax — and they’re best thought through years in advance.
Our background
Before founding Peatling Group, I spent years working at PLC level in corporate strategy and M&A — including a role as Head of Strategy at Blue Prism, a technology company that was ultimately acquired for $1.65 billion.
The frameworks, rigour, and strategic thinking that drive billion-pound deals are rarely applied to smaller businesses — even though the principles are exactly the same. That’s the gap Peatling Group exists to fill. We bring Fortune 500 thinking to founder-led businesses with £1–50 million in turnover. Not as a theoretical exercise, but as practical, hands-on advisory that changes how you run and ultimately sell your business.
Where to start
If you’re a business owner and the thought of selling has crossed your mind — even if it’s five or ten years away — the best time to start planning is now. We’ve built a free Sale Readiness Scorecard that takes about five minutes to complete. It covers the areas that buyers care about most and gives you an honest picture of how prepared your business is today. No email required, no sales pitch — just a useful starting point.
And if what you see makes you want to have a conversation, we’re here. We’re happy to talk years before you’re ready — because that’s when the most valuable work gets done.
Take the Sale Readiness Scorecard → peatlinggroup.com/sale-readiness
Book a free conversation → peatlinggroup.com/appointments