When business owners think about selling their company, they often imagine the moment when buyers are approached, and negotiations begin. In reality, a great deal of work takes place long before that moment arrives. One of the most critical stages in that process is what we call the Prep Phase, which sits immediately before a business is taken to market. This stage lays the groundwork to ensure the business is presented to the market in a clear, compelling, and credible w

There is a moment in almost every conversation with a business owner when the discussion turns to readiness. Someone will ask whether their business is ready to sell, whether the timing is right, or whether the market will support the valuation they have in mind. These questions rarely have simple answers. Selling a business is not a single event. It is a process that begins long before a buyer is ever introduced. At Deal Leaders International (DLI), the most successful e

If you are thinking about selling your business in South Africa, the first thing to understand is that the outcome is not determined by whether you find a buyer. It is determined by the process to find the right buyer. Most business owners who come to market can find someone willing to make an offer. The real challenge is knowing whether that offer reflects the full value of the business, or simply the value seen by one buyer in isolation. That distinction matters more than

For owners of businesses with EBITDA between R5 million and R15 million Selling a smaller business can be surprisingly difficult. Many companies in the R5 million to R15 million EBITDA range are too substantial for informal buyers, yet too small to justify the cost and complexity of a full traditional M&A process. That is why we’ve created DLI Direct . These businesses are typically strong and well-run, with solid fundamentals. Yet they often fall outside the

There is always a reason not to sell your business. Family considerations, key employees, market timing, tax, succession uncertainty, or simply the emotional weight of letting go of something you have built over decades. But what I have learned over time is this: the most successful exits are rarely reactive. They are deliberately shaped well before a business goes to market. I recently chatted to two of our executives at DLI, Nitish Mudgal and Taryn Henkel, about what re

In most transactions, we advocate for a structured go-to-market process to create competition and maximise value. Occasionally, however, a different path unfolds: a credible buyer approaches directly. In a recent transaction in the logistics and IT services sector, the shareholders were approached by an existing client interested in acquiring the business. What followed offers useful lessons on decision-making, trade-offs and the realities of deal execution in selling your