Guide

Compare your exit strategy options

There's more than one way to exit a business, and the route you choose shapes the price, the process, and what happens to the people who work for you.

The four main exit strategy options are a trade sale, a management buyout, an Employee Ownership Trust, and a partner buy-in or family succession. Which fits depends on what you want from the sale, not just the highest price.

Take the Exit Readiness Assessment Compare the routes

The four main routes

Each explained in one line. Which one fits depends on your business and what you want from the sale.

Trade sale

A full or partial sale to a third-party buyer, often the route that maximises price.

Management buyout

Selling to your existing management team, keeping continuity for staff and customers.

Employee Ownership Trust

Transferring ownership to your employees, with its own tax treatment and legacy benefits.

Partner buy-in or family succession

Keeping ownership closer to home, on a timeline that suits you and the people taking over.

How to choose

A rough guide, not a rule. The right route depends on your goals as much as your numbers.

Price is the main priority, and you're comfortable with a new owner taking the business in a new direction → a trade sale is usually the strongest route.

Keeping continuity for staff and customers matters as much as price → a management buyout can protect what you've built.

You want to reward the people who helped build the business, and protect its culture → an Employee Ownership Trust is worth serious consideration.

Keeping ownership close to home, on a timeline that suits everyone → a partner buy-in or family succession fits better than a sale process.

Money and legal differ by route

Whichever route you're leaning towards, these two run alongside it, not after it.

Money

Adam Rhodes

Tax-efficient profit extraction, a clear view of your "Magic Number", and post-exit investment strategies to preserve and grow your wealth once the sale completes.

Legal

Debra Martin

Handles the M&A side directly: disposals, private equity deals, and ownership transitions, including third-party sales, management buyouts and Employee Ownership Trusts.

See how it comes together on Exit on Your Terms →

Common questions

Can I combine exit strategies?

Sometimes. A partial trade sale alongside continued family involvement, or a phased management buyout, are both possible. The right structure depends on your Deal Vision for the outcome.

Which route gets the highest price?

A trade sale is often the route that maximises price, but how the deal is structured affects how much of that price you actually keep.

Is an Employee Ownership Trust only for certain types of business?

No, but it suits owners who want to reward staff and protect culture as much as maximise price. It has its own tax treatment, worth planning for early.

Do I need to decide now?

No. Deciding the route late narrows your options; deciding it early keeps them open. You don't need to commit before you've compared them.

How do I know which route fits my business?

Start with the Exit Readiness Assessment, then talk it through with Neale, Adam and Debra. It's a conversation, not a quiz, since the right route depends on what you want, not just the numbers.