Our Way of Working
Selling a business is not just a transaction. It touches your work, your people and what comes next for you. We think the way those conversations are handled matters.
Not a sales pitch
You might know you want to sell. You might only know that carrying on exactly as you are no longer feels right. Both are reasonable places to begin.
An early discussion is a chance to understand the business and what you want from it. It is not a request for an immediate decision, and it does not commit you to selling to Santune. We can be useful to each other only if we are able to speak plainly from the outset.
The working relationship
Discretion
Considering a sale can affect far more than the owner. Staff, customers and suppliers should not have to hear speculation before you have even decided what you want to do. We begin privately, and we do not treat an initial conversation as permission to tell anyone else.
If we go further, we talk about what information is needed and who needs to know. Until then, there is no reason for a conversation to become an announcement.
Continuity
Santune is founder-led. You are not passed from an introductory call to a deal team once the discussion becomes serious. Dealing directly makes it easier to ask the awkward question, explain the history behind a number, or say that something does not feel right.
A business built over years cannot be understood from a sales document alone. The conversation matters as much as the paperwork.
Candour
We would rather be clear about whether a business is of interest than keep an owner waiting on a possibility that is not real. If we discuss value, the assumptions behind it should be open to scrutiny, including by your accountant. A disagreement is something to talk through, not talk around.
Not every conversation will lead to a sale. That is a perfectly reasonable outcome, and better understood early than late.
Where to start
There is no need to package the business as a finished proposition before getting in touch. These are the kinds of things worth talking about first.
The business
The parts that make a business valuable are not always obvious in the accounts. Neither are the pressures that make an owner consider stepping back.
The people
A loyal team and long-standing customers are part of what has been built. It is sensible to talk about what matters to them before talking about a handover.
Your position
Some owners are ready to leave; others are still working out whether they want to. The conversation can start wherever you actually are.
Your own perspective
A decision about your business deserves independent advice. If a discussion progresses to terms, your accountant and solicitor should have the chance to review them before you sign anything. We would expect questions, and we would rather address them openly.
An important distinction
Speaking with us is not the same thing as putting your business on the market.
You can explore whether there is a fit without first making a public decision to sell.
When you want the detail
This page is about how we work with owners. The two possible routes, and the trade-offs of each, are explained separately.
A place to begin
Whether you are considering a change or simply want to understand your options, get in touch for a confidential conversation. There is no obligation to take it further.
Get in touch