Trade sale
Selling to another business: a competitor, a supplier or a company looking to expand. Buyers may pay for strategic fit, and usually carry out thorough due diligence.
Services · Exit planning
Exit planning for UK founders, from a founder who has done it
Stratworth Advisory is an exit planning adviser for UK founders, led by Nik Spencer and his 3 successful business exits. Preparing a business for sale is different from selling it: we help you understand what drives your value, reduce the risks a buyer would find, and choose your route and timing, so you go to market from strength, and on your terms.
Who it is for
For founders with an exit on the horizon
Exit planning is most valuable while there is still time to act on it. It suits founders who:
- are considering a sale, or another exit, in the next one to five years
- want to understand what drives their business’s value, and what would increase it
- have had an approach from a buyer and want to be ready before they respond
- want an exit that works for them personally, not only on paper
- would rather prepare with someone who has been through it than learn in the middle of a deal
If the business is more likely to pass to your family or your managers, succession planning covers that route in depth.
Where it fits
Exit planning happens before the sale
Preparing a business for sale and selling it are different jobs. We do the first, so that you arrive at the second ready. Pinned to each stage is the question exit planning answers for it, while there is still time to act.
Stage 01
Deciding
Your goals, your timing and the routes that could deliver them.
With Stratworth
Settle it early
Which exit routes are open to me, and which suits what I want?
Stage 02
Preparing
Strengthening the eight pillars and fixing what a buyer would otherwise find.
With Stratworth
Settle it early
What drives my business’s value in a buyer’s eyes, and what is holding it back?
How dependent is the business on me, and how do I change that?
Stage 03
Going to market
Your deal advisers approach buyers while you keep the business performing.
Your deal advisers lead
Settle it early
How long do I need to prepare, and when should I start?
Stage 04
Due diligence and terms
Buyers test everything; your solicitor and advisers negotiate the detail.
Your advisers lead; Bespoke clients prepare with us
Settle it early
What will a buyer find in due diligence, and what should I fix first?
Stage 05
Completion and after
The handover, and the life you planned for.
Yours
Settle it early
What do I need from the exit, and what will I do afterwards?
Why Nik
Three exits, from the founder’s side of the table
Nik Spencer has sold businesses three times. He knows what the process asks of a founder, because he has been through it himself, and that experience shapes every SCALE2SELL® plan.
It is also why we work founder to founder: strategic precision and real-world insight, without the boilerplate.
Founders he has mentored and advised describe the difference in their own words: what people say about working with Nik.
- 1995Exit 1The UK’s first commercial-scale kerbside recycling service, sold to Biffa PLC
- 2006Exit 2WCR Municipal, which he co-founded, acquired by PFB
- 2010Exit 3Pure Recycling’s operating and land-owning entities exited to Kier PLC
Exit routes explained
The main routes out, in plain terms
Each route rewards different strengths and asks different things of the business. Knowing which you prefer, early, shapes everything else.
Private equity
An investment firm buys all or part of the business, often backing the existing management. Founders may keep a stake and stay involved for a period.
Management buyout
Your managers buy the business, usually with outside funding. It depends on a capable team and on terms that work for both sides.
Family succession
Ownership and leadership pass to the next generation. It needs a willing, ready successor and early, open conversations.
Employee ownership
The business passes to its employees, often through an employee ownership trust. The rules are specific, so take advice early.
Stepping back gradually
You keep ownership but hand over the running of the business in stages, with a sale possibly later.
Tax differs by route
We do not give tax advice. Take advice from your tax adviser early, because the route you choose can change what you keep. GOV.UK’s guidance on Capital Gains Tax for business is a useful starting point.
How the plans fit
Choosing the right level of support
Every plan includes the full SCALE2SELL® toolkits and a quarterly business readiness dashboard. The difference is how much time you spend with Nik, and how deep the exit work goes.
Essentials
£495/month
For founders a few years out, building readiness steadily: one 45-minute advisory call a month, with quarterly readiness reviews and recommendations.
About EssentialsAdvisory+
£1,250/month
Written for founders preparing for sale: two 60-minute calls a month, deeper valuation mapping, exit-readiness support and an exit pathway review.
About Advisory+Closest fit for exit planning
Exit Programme
£2,250/month
For founders roughly one to three years from exit: up to three hours a month, a quarterly review of your accounts and data-room readiness, an exit roadmap updated each quarter and a Strategy Day a year.
About the Exit ProgrammeBespoke
From£5,500/month
For complex transitions and M&A preparation: up to six hours of advisory support a month, a quarterly Strategy Day, and founder positioning and buyer negotiation preparation.
How to applyBespoke is by application, for up to two clients at a time: the Founder Discovery Session (£500) is the first step.
Compare plansQuestions
Exit planning, briefly
Short answers to what founders ask us most about exit planning. The full FAQ covers plans, the Vault and more.
All questionsDo you sell businesses or find buyers?
No. We prepare founders and their businesses for an exit. We do not market businesses, introduce buyers or run sale processes. When you decide to go to market, you appoint the advisers who do, and you arrive well prepared.
Will you value my business?
We do not produce formal valuations. Advisory+ and the Exit Programme include deeper valuation mapping, which helps you understand what drives your value and where it could grow. If you need a formal valuation, your accountant or a specialist valuer can provide one.
How early should I start?
Earlier than most founders expect. Much of what lifts value, such as recurring revenue, a stronger team and less dependence on you, takes time to build and longer to show in the accounts. Starting early gives you more choice about when and how you leave.
Is exit planning only for founders who want to sell?
No. The same preparation supports a management buyout, family succession, employee ownership or a gradual step back. The work that makes a business ready to sell also tends to make it better to own in the meantime.
Your starting point
Start with a clear view of where you stand
Take the complimentary Readiness Assessment, then book a complimentary Founder Conversation with Nik to talk it through.