Journey 03 · Founder planning an exit
You're planning to sell — and you only get to do this once.
Consolidator interest in UK advice remains strong, but headline multiples hide enormous variation in deferred consideration, earn-out conditions and what happens to your team and clients. Preparation is worth more than negotiation.
Who this is for
Owners and founders considering a full or partial sale, a consolidator deal, an internal succession or a phased retirement.
What we hear most
- —Headline multiple versus what actually lands in your bank account
- —Earn-out targets you may have no realistic control over
- —Consumer Duty, file quality and the diligence issues that reprice deals late
- —What happens to long-serving staff and long-standing clients
- —Whether an internal succession beats a trade sale for you
The process
A guided route, not a search box.
We deliberately don't leave you to work this out alone. Each stage has a defined output, and you decide whether to go on to the next one.
01
Readiness review
An honest view of what a buyer will find: recurring income quality, client demographics, file standards, key-person risk.
02
Value improvement
The twelve to twenty-four month programme that moves the multiple — and, more importantly, protects the deferred element.
03
Buyer mapping
Consolidators, national firms, private-equity backed groups, regional acquirers and internal succession, compared on fit as well as price.
04
Process management
A controlled process with confidentiality, structured information sharing and competitive tension.
05
Deal & integration
Support through heads of terms, diligence and the earn-out period, so the deferred consideration actually pays.
What you walk away with
Readiness report
Diligence-style review of your business through a buyer's eyes, with a prioritised fix list.
Value roadmap
Practical actions ranked by impact on both headline price and deferred consideration risk.
Buyer shortlist
Acquirers whose model, culture and integration record fit your clients and your team.
Deal support
Independent commercial input alongside your corporate finance and legal advisers.
How to read this information
Everything published here is compiled from publicly available sources — firm websites and disclosure documents, FCA registers and published notices, Companies House filings, published accounts, trade press reporting, and publicly posted reviews on platforms such as Trustpilot, Glassdoor and Google. Quotes are reproduced as published by their authors.
None of it is Fortis Connect's personal opinion of a firm, and nothing here is a recommendation, endorsement, criticism or regulated financial advice. Terms, charges, propositions and ownership change frequently — always confirm the current position directly with the firm before making a decision. If you are a firm and believe something is out of date or inaccurate, email enquiries@fortisconnect.co.uk and we will review it and correct the record where the evidence supports it.