(Generally sub £2m in turnover / enterprise value)

(Generally £2m - £50m in turnover / enterprise value)

Firms that handle "Main Street" businesses (smaller businesses) often call themselves Business Transfer Agents, Business Sales Agents or Business Brokers. They do not need to be registered and there is no one regulatory body covering what they do. Anybody can start a broking company with no prior experience or qualifications.

​Our organisation, iTABB, was created to monitor standards in the industry, set a code of conduct and create a voluntary registration scheme.

Transfer agents and brokers, unlike corporate finance firms etc discussed below, tend to take a business on only at the point where the owners wish to sell. Most don't offer a longer term exit preparation service or a 3 year / 5 year "grooming" service prior to going to market.

We offer a free service to help you find the right agent/broker to sell or buy a business.

​Agents selling the smaller b​usinesses:

​There is no clear distinction between earlier brokers and these.​ ​But firms in this category often have staff qualified in accountancy, valuation, tax, corporate finance and / or corporate law. Sometimes their main business is accountancy or wealth management. "Business disposal" is ancillary to their core offering.

​Firms in this category tend to take on only larger businesses. How they define "larger" varies from firm to firm.​

​Given their higher qualified staff & higher fixed costs they tend to charge larger ​retainers. Fees cover not just the sale but, also, extensive advisory services. Buyers of larger businesses tend to not use online marketplaces to source targets and, so, are more difficult to find. Intermediaries need to use ​a process that's more expensive & time consuming as it involves shortlisting hundreds of target buyers & approaching them individually​. ​
​

​Intermediaries / Advisers selling larger b​usinesses:

​​While a £10m business might be referred to as lower mid-market, it's not till you get to about £50m that you're considered firmly in mid-market territory. ​​Intermediaries operating here tend to have many highly qualified and experienced hands in corporate finance, deal structuring, financial analysis etc. They also tend to be have formal approval by bodies like the ICAEW. Most will be registered with and regulated by the FCA​.

​These firms tend to provide their advisory services on a longer time frame. They'd typically work with a business for 3-5 years providing strategic advice and preparing the business for a planned equity event. Some of these equity events are IPOs and these firms are capable of advising on and assisting with stock market listings as well as a range of other fund raising and capital restructuring mandates.

​Corporate / bulge bracket advisories​

​​​Commercial estate agents handle the acquisition and disposal of freehold commercial property (though some also take on the sale of ​businesses operating in leased properties).

As with business transfer agents and brokers, commercial real estate agents are not officially regulated and no formal qualifications are required to operate. Some, however, will have chartered surveyor expertise in-house and are ​members of RICS. RICS, or the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, sets standards for the profession which are available for viewing on the RICS website.

Where a commercial real estate agent takes on the sale of a leasehold business they operate very similarly to business transfer agents and business brokers. We do not offer a service matching you with the right commercial real estate broker. We recommend you use our advanced search facility where you can input your post code and a radius to find agents near you.
​

​Commercial real estate brokers​​

​​​​There are several other services available to sellers & buyers - from legal advice to exit planning to wealth management. This is not an area of focus for us but we do maintain a small number of listings for Succession Planners, Exit Planners, Wealth Managers and others.
​

​All other services​