So often, the reality is that the sale of a business is highly emotional for the seller and entirely commercial for the acquirer. As a seller, you need to be aware of this and take it into account when responding to an acquirer’s questions. For example, when an acquirer asks how you have managed to keep staff morale at a high level, one’s instinctive response may be to talk about the fact that the business is like a family and staff see you as their “father”. That would be an

Most business owners feel a strong pull to get out there and chase a deal. Even when they know they haven’t fully thought things through, there’s often a belief that a quick win is possible, that perhaps there’s a shortcut to securing a great outcome. In reality, that shortcut rarely exists. The better approach is to prepare properly and be ready for a longer journey. That doesn’t mean you ignore opportunities that arise quickly. It means you are in a position to act on them