Neil turned a redundancy and just two months of savings into a thriving accountancy business — then used acquisition to prove the model could scale.

GUEST

Neil — Founder of an accountancy practice; has completed two acquisitions and is building a scalable group.

EPISODE SUMMARY

After multiple redundancies and with only two months of cash in the bank, Neil set up his accountancy practice and grew it organically to around £350k turnover. A chance LinkedIn message from a sole trader looking to exit led to Neil's first acquisition — a micro deal that served as proof of concept. His second, larger deal came two years later and brought with it a qualified CTA, enabling Neil to restructure his management team and free himself from technical work.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

▸ Starting with a micro acquisition is a legitimate strategy — the proof of concept is as valuable as the revenue it adds.

▸ Monthly recurring revenue (direct debit-based) gives you a much clearer picture of what you're really buying.

▸ Acquiring outside your local area is entirely possible — Neil's first acquisition was in Bournemouth, far from his base.

▸ Half upfront, half after 12 months with clawback is a sensible structure for a small deal where client retention is the key risk.

▸ Acquiring a CTA (chartered tax advisor) as part of a deal can solve a management layer problem and free the business owner to step back.

▸ Intangible value — Google reviews, referrals, untapped upsell potential — often isn't on the deal sheet but is real.

DEAL HIGHLIGHT

First acquisition: a small fee bank in Bournemouth, structured as 50% upfront and 50% after 12 months with a clawback clause. Most clients were retained; Neil has since grown revenue from that client base above what the deal projected.

"If I can do it for three or four clients, why can't I do it for 30 or 40?"

Learn more: www.dealmakers.co.uk