"We want to buy your business" letters

[Benny Saltstein]

We're now getting handfuls of letters every week from people wanting to buy our business. Our business hasn't fundamentally changed in the last few years. Historically, we'd get maybe one or two letters every sixth months but now I have piles of them.

We're not looking to sell but my natural scepticism takes over and I have to start investigating. Some are brokers, some are family office types and some seem to be operating out of their bedroom.

I'm aware of facebook/tikttters boasting how they acquired business x with none of their own money going in and other fantasties so I wonder if that is partly fuelling the correspondence. Or, BPR changes fuelling disposals?

[Simpo Two]

Maybe you got onto a mailing list and they all just bought the same list.

What would they do if they bought all those businesses anyway? They can't run them all... do they offer £50 and then flog everything at auction?

[DSLiverpool]

Only work with enquiries from businesses or associated agents for businesses from your sector or investors ignore the rest

[Benny Saltstein]

Simpo Two said:

Maybe you got onto a mailing list and they all just bought the same list.

What would they do if they bought all those businesses anyway? They can't run them all... do they offer £50 and then flog everything at auction?

I hadn't considered mailing lists but figured it was more driven by people crawling Companies House and or Plimsoll reports (whatever they are).

[oddball1313]

I get them all the time, mostly from middle-men

I just tell them to move on, we'll just liquate the company and rent the factory out when we're ready to retire as we're too niche for anyone sensible to consider buying us. I assume they think we're stupid enought to fall for an offer which is based on a future figure that will never happen whilst they asset strip us.

[GingerMunky]

A few things at play here...

Brokers and M&A companies increasing just look at Companies House data to find targets and scatter gun hoping to sway and catch an owner at the right time.

The up tick is probably due to so much capital around with no where to go, there is a desperation to find suitable businesses in which to invest. Steer clear of brokers, they are the plague. But it might be worth sounding out some investment companies and family offices. If you don't want to sell you are in a great negotiating position so could get a great price.