Many business owners assume that selling a company is primarily about finding a willing buyer and agreeing on a price. In reality, buyers determine value very differently. The businesses that achieve premium valuations are typically those that have been carefully prepared for sale, marketed to the right audience and positioned to demonstrate future growth rather than simply historical financial performance. That was one of the central messages from mergers and acquisitions ad

One of the biggest misconceptions about selling a business is that finding a buyer is the hardest part of the process. In my experience, that is often only the beginning. Recently, I worked with a business owner who had been trying to sell their company on their own for several years. During that time, they had received multiple offers from interested buyers and progressed through several sale processes. On one occasion, a transaction reached due diligence before ultimately

One of the most common misconceptions business owners have is that selling a business works much like selling a property. After all, both involve finding a buyer, agreeing on a price and completing a transaction. Yet that assumption often leads to frustration, disappointment and, in some cases, leaving significant value on the table. The reality is that selling a business is fundamentally different from selling a house. While property transactions are largely driven by ma

At Deal Leaders International (DLI), our work spans two distinct but closely connected parts of the transaction landscape. Our Corporate & Advisory division operates within the more complex end of the market, advising on larger corporate transactions that may involve institutional investors, private equity funds, listed entities and cross-border strategic buyers. These mandates often require sophisticated structuring, multi-layered negotiations and the coordination of nume

Many business owners think of selling their business as a decision firmly within their control, believing that timing is something they can choose based on when the business feels ready or when personal circumstances align. The reality, however, is that the market moves first, and your exit follows. What we are seeing right now is not a distant or theoretical shift in the M&A landscape, but a real-time repricing of businesses as global events begin to filter through into l

Recent deals in the food and beverage sector show that buyers of food and beverage businesses are becoming more selective. They are not backing businesses simply because demand is resilient, but those that control critical points in the value chain, can withstand operational scrutiny and offer credible routes to scale through category expansion, infrastructure or export exposure. This reflects a deliberate re-rating of strategically relevant assets across South Africa’s food