OFF-MARKET ORIGINATION IS KEY FOR THE AMBITIOUS BUYER

In this short video, Unloq shares how we help the most driven business buyers, companies and individuals find better-fitting deals to help them grow.

We offer a counter-intuitive approach that’s changing the way in which people go about buying a company. Most acquirers, when they think about buying a business, start by looking at what is for sale, and unwittingly make a serious mistake in the process. By expending all their energy looking ‘on market’, even though it is apparently the most obvious starting point to find a business to buy, they limit the outcome. It’s the mind-set we all adopt: we expect to buy things that are available for sale.

Finding the Best Fit is More Important Than the Best Price

However, given a few months of frustration, there is a dawning realisation that it’s hard to find companies that are the right fit. When you do find one, it’s an equally tough journey to get the information you need to evaluate, let alone meet inflated price expectations. Buying companies for sale, far from being a breeze, can be a disappointing time-sink that will challenge the most patient of entrepreneurs.

So, it may come as a surprise to you, that the majority of companies which are sold were off-market when approached, and apparently not for sale at that time. Far from sitting on the fence, owners are approached directly, sell to competitors, find international buyers or even dispose to existing management teams without ever going up for sale.

Seek and You Will Find the Right Company Acquisition

You can take advantage of this situation with Unloq: rather than limiting to ‘for sale’ we limit to ‘right fit’. We analyse the companies in your target region and we approach them privately. We reach over half of the shareholders in businesses we target and, though some confirm they are not for sale, in many cases, owners are receptive to exploring a sale.

More than this, our clients have direct conversations with the shareholders, avoiding advisors on both sides until there is potential in the approach. Often they are also the only buyer under consideration and, whilst the vendors still expect a good offer, the process is not as fraught as it would otherwise be.

Clients waste less time down rabbit holes, fruitlessly chasing NDAs, IMs, Advisors and Owners for the information they need. You have exclusive discussions, with both sides being assured of confidentiality and progress happening much more rapidly.

The eventual terms of deals we’ve sourced reflect the same multiple ranges as on-market disposals. So neither side loses out. Acquirers are more likely to buy the kind of business they were actually looking for, and the Vendor avoids the pitfalls, cost and risk of going up for sale.

So, if you want a more effective route to increasing your deal flow, call 01962 609 000 or email the team through the Unloq website. Let’s connect.