You may be ready to sell now, or you may only be starting to think about it.
Obsessed is acquiring established UK accountancy practices to own and operate for the long term.
If you’d like to talk about your practice, you can speak to us directly and in confidence.
Our current focus is owner-managed practices with recurring client relationships.
We look at the clients, team, earnings, systems, service mix and how dependent the business is on the owner.
Our typical target is £500,000 to £1.5 million of annual revenue, but we will consider smaller and larger practices.
Annual Revenue
Based
Managed
Client Relationships
Also considered
Some owners want to stop completely. Others want to reduce their involvement over time or stay with the practice after completion.
You may also be thinking about selling in the future rather than being ready to sell now.
We’re not currently targeting audit-led practices where continuing the audit work would require registrations or capabilities the group does not hold.
Obsessed is building a group of accountancy businesses through acquisition.
We want to buy good practices, keep them, and give them access to the wider group across accounting, advisory, marketing, recruitment, systems and growth.
01
We plan to keep the practices we buy.
We care about how the practice performs years after the sale, because we expect to still own it.
02
A practice is more than its client book.
The people in the business hold a lot of its knowledge, experience and client relationships.
We want to understand the team and how the practice works before deciding what should change.
03
Clients should feel looked after through the transition.
We want the handover and communication to be planned around the practice, its clients and the people who look after them.
The aim is to keep disruption to clients as low as possible.
04
The practice gets access to more support through the wider group.
Obsessed is building capability across accounting, advisory, marketing, recruitment, systems and business growth.
Acquired practices can use that support where it makes sense for the business.
That includes the team, clients, the practice name and what you want your own role to look like after completion.
01
We understand the team already in the business.
We look at roles, responsibilities, pay, development, dependence and how the team functions.
We don’t assume everyone or everything needs changing after the sale.
02
Smooth uninterrupted continuity matters.
Client communication and the handover should be planned around the relationships already in place.
The aim is to keep disruption as low as possible while the practice moves into the group.
03
We don’t assume the name should disappear.
If the brand name has built recognition and goodwill over time, there are often good reasons to keep it going.
How the practice is branded after completion will depend on the business and the deal.
04
Your role after completion is part of the deal.
You may want to leave after a handover period, stay involved for longer or reduce your role over time.
We discuss that before the deal is agreed, so everyone knows what the plan is.
Every deal is different, but most acquisitions go through the same broad stages.
The timing will depend on the practice, the information available and the terms we agree.
01
We’ll ask about the business, why you may want to sell and roughly when.
You don’t need to send us a full set of documents before we speak.
02
We look at the clients, team, recurring revenue, profitability, owner involvement, systems and service mix.
That gives us enough information to form a view on the business, its value and how a deal might be structured.
03
We agree the price, how and when it would be paid, and what happens after completion.
That includes your future involvement, the handover, employees, clients and any other terms specific to the deal.
If we agree the main points, we put them into Heads of Terms before due diligence and the legal work begin.
04
Financial, legal, tax and commercial due diligence takes place, and the transaction documents are prepared with the relevant advisers.
If anything important comes up during due diligence, we deal with it before the deal completes.
05
We work with you on communication with the team and clients, the transfer of responsibilities and your continuing role, if you’re staying involved.
The aim is to make the change of ownership as smooth as possible.
There isn’t one number or multiple we apply to every accountancy practice.
We look at recurring revenue, profitability, client concentration, the team, owner dependence, service mix, systems, record quality and any investment likely to be needed after completion.
We’ll explain how we’ve reached our valuation and how we propose to structure the deal.
How and when the price is paid can vary depending on the practice and what both sides agree.
01
No.
We’re happy to speak to owners who are ready to sell and owners who are thinking further ahead.
Speaking to us now doesn’t commit either side to a deal.
02
We don’t apply the same multiple to every practice.
We look at revenue, profitability, client concentration, the team, owner dependence, service mix, systems and the other factors that affect the value of the business.
We’ll explain the reasoning behind any proposal we make.
03
No.
Some sellers want a short handover. Others want to stay involved for longer.
What happens after completion depends on what you want, what the practice needs and what we agree as part of the deal.
04
That depends on the practice and the deal.
We want to understand the existing team because the people and client relationships in the business are an important part of what we’re buying.
Any proposed changes and employment implications would be dealt with as part of the transaction and the relevant legal process.
05
We agree how the change of ownership will be communicated to clients and how the handover will work.
The aim is to keep continuity high and disruption as low as possible.
06
Not automatically.
If the practice name has strong local recognition and goodwill, there may be good reasons to keep it.
We’ll decide how the practice should be branded after the sale based on the business itself.
07
Anyone whose agreement is needed for the sale will ultimately need to be on board before the deal can complete.
We’re happy to have an early confidential conversation with you first.
We won’t try to pressure another owner into selling.
08