What to expect
An honest account of how it works with Acquity, from the first conversation to the day you step back.
The process
Every sale is different, but the shape of ours is the same. We move at the pace you are comfortable with, and we tell you what is happening and why at each stage. There is no obligation until you sign, and our first conversation costs you nothing.
Step one
It starts with a call or a coffee, whichever you prefer. An hour is usually enough. We want to understand the business, why you are thinking about this now, and what you would want from a sale. You do not need to have anything prepared.
Step two
If it looks like a fit on both sides, we go deeper: the numbers, the customers, the team, the equipment, the risks. We work with your accountant and your lawyer rather than around them, and you stay in control of what is shared and when.
Step three
We put the terms in writing and stand behind them. We do not come back at the eleventh hour to reopen the price or invent new conditions. If something genuine changes, we tell you early and plainly, and we work through it with you.
Step four
How this looks is yours to decide. Some owners stay for six months to make introductions and pass on what they know. Others hand over the keys and step away. Either is fine. We agree it up front, in writing, so there are no surprises.
Afterwards
Once it is done, the business carries on with the team in place and the name on the door. You are welcome to stay in touch, and we hope you will.
Our commitments
Questions
That is our intention every time. We buy a business for the people who run it, because they are the reason it works. If a role ever has to change, the person hears it from us first, honestly and in good time.
Only if you want it to. A name that stands for something in the market is part of what we are buying, so usually it stays.
No. Some owners like to stay for a handover, and we welcome it, but it is your call. If you would rather hand over the keys and go, we will have that ready.
Profitable, well managed and clean, in most industries. We look at the business before the sector: steady earnings, a team that runs it, and books that tell the truth.
The people who make the decisions, from the first call to settlement. You will not be passed down a chain of analysts.
Until you sign, you can walk away at any point, and we will not make it awkward. The first conversation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.
It depends on the business and on what you want. A straightforward one can move in a few months. Once we understand yours, we will give you an honest timeline rather than an optimistic one.
Nobody, unless you tell them. We sign a confidentiality agreement before we look at anything sensitive, and we contact no one at your business without your say so.
There is no script and no sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about your business.