Looking to sell your business? You’re not alone – and the decisions you make early in the process can have a significant impact on how smoothly it goes, and how much of the proceeds you actually keep.
This isn’t a blog designed to tell you what to do. Every business and every owner is different. But there are a few things worth understanding before you begin.
Know who you’re selling to – and why it matters
Business sales in the telecoms and IT sector happen in a number of different ways. Some owners work with brokers, who market the business to multiple potential buyers. Some go direct to an acquirer. Some receive an approach out of the blue.
Each route has its merits. A well-connected broker can generate competitive interest in your business. A direct buyer can offer speed, certainty, and a more discreet process. Understanding the difference – and what matters most to you – is worth thinking about before you engage anyone.
At Tech Acquisitions, we buy direct. That means when you speak with us, you’re speaking with the people making the decision. There’s no chain, no marketing process, no wondering who’s seen your details. For owners who value discretion and a clean process, that directness often has real appeal.
Two ways to sell your business
Most business owners don’t realise there are two fundamentally different ways a sale can be structured – and the difference can be significant when it comes to your taxes.
Asset Sale
In an asset sale, you sell the customer base and assets of the business. It’s often simpler and quicker to complete. However, the tax treatment can result in a considerably larger bill for the seller, meaning less of the proceeds end up in your pocket.
Share Purchase
In a share purchase, you sell the shares of the company itself. This can unlock Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR), which reduces the rate of Capital Gains Tax you pay – and can make a meaningful difference to how much money you walk away with.
The reason a share purchase is trickier, when you buy shares, you take on the whole business – liabilities included. The legal complexity and risk exposure can be more significant, and many acquirers simply aren’t willing or able to take that on.
This is where Tech Acquisitions offers a genuine advantage. We are able to acquire businesses via share purchase – which means you can benefit from BADR – and we have the experience and structure to handle everything that comes with it. It’s worth understanding this before you begin conversations with any buyer, because not every route to sale will offer you the same outcome.
When to start thinking about selling your business
One of the most common things we hear from business owners is that they wish they’d had a conversation with us sooner.
Not a commitment – just a conversation. Understanding what your business might be worth, what a buyer looks for, and what the process actually involves gives you options. It means that when you’re ready to move, you’re making an informed decision rather than a reactive one.
If you’re in the early stages of thinking about an exit, you don’t need to have everything figured out. A quiet, no-obligation conversation is always a sensible first step.
What business buyers are looking for
Every buyer is different, but most are looking for similar fundamentals: a solid client base, reliable recurring revenue, a team in place, and a business that isn’t entirely dependent on the owner being there every day.
If your business has those things – even imperfectly – it’s likely to be of interest to the right acquirer. You don’t need to be running a perfect operation. You need to have built something real.
At Tech Acquisitions, we work with businesses across the telecoms and IT sector. When we acquire a business, we typically integrate it into the group and continue operating it – meaning your clients, your team, and your reputation carry on. That continuity matters to many of the owners we work with.
Get clear on what a good exit looks like
Selling your business isn’t just a financial transaction. For most owners, there are personal dimensions too: what happens to the team, what happens to the clients, what your own next chapter looks like.
Getting clear on what a good exit looks like for you – not just financially, but in terms of the things you care about – helps you evaluate your options clearly. It also helps any buyer understand what matters to you, which makes for a better conversation.
When is the right time to sell your business?
There’s often a perception that you need to be at the peak of your business’s performance to sell. In reality, the right timing is more nuanced than that. A business with strong fundamentals and a clear trajectory will attract interest at most stages of the cycle.
What matters is being ready – and being informed.
How to start the process of selling your business…
Whether you’re actively looking to sell or simply curious about what your business might be worth, the best thing you can do is start talking.
If you’d like that conversation with Tech Acquisitions, we’re happy to have it. We work directly with owners. We keep things discreet. And we’ll always tell you what we honestly think.