You've built something real over the years. Ready to retire, or just ready to move on — here's a straight look at where things stand.
If you've tried to sell and it's gone quiet, or you're just starting to think about what comes next, there are really four routes open to you. Each has a real trade-off — nobody's option here is free of one, including mine. Here they are, straight.
You can. A broker can reach a wider pool of buyers, and for some businesses that's the right route. But you'll usually pay a listing fee upfront, then commission if it sells, and you're still relying on a buyer who can raise bank finance — which is the exact problem stalling a lot of sales right now. If you've already been down this road once without a result, ask yourself honestly whether trying again changes anything, or just repeats it.
It's always an option, and sometimes it's the only one left. But be clear-eyed about what it means: staff out of work, customers and suppliers left stranded, and years of work simply ending rather than continuing under someone else. You'd also usually walk away with far less than a sale would have given you, once wind-down costs are accounted for. Worth ruling out a sale properly before you rule yourself into this.
It works well when there's genuinely someone willing and able to take it on — and it can be the most satisfying outcome of all, keeping the business in the family. But be honest about whether that's really the case. Wanting to help isn't the same as wanting to run the business, and taking over isn't the same as being able to afford to buy you out fairly. If that's not really there, don't let hope hold up a decision that needs making.
This is where I come in. I buy the business directly — no broker, no listing fee, no waiting on a bank to approve someone else's finance. You're paid over an agreed period, funded by the business's own profits, protected by a legal charge over the assets, retention of shares or title until you're paid in full, and a written, solicitor-drawn agreement. The business keeps trading, your staff generally keep their jobs, and you get a fair total price without the deal being held hostage to a bank's decision.
Have a proper look at all four before you commit to one, particularly if your first attempt at a sale has already stalled. I'm happy to talk it through with you honestly, even if that conversation ends with me telling you a direct sale isn't the right fit — better that than you find out after months of waiting.
I'm Bob Parsons. I've built, run and sold these businesses myself — taxi firms, a garage, a tyre business, recovery. I'm 66 now, and I know exactly what it means to have spent decades on something and want a fair, straightforward way to hand it on.