Who we are

Built to fix a market that has failed SME owners.

Selling a good business should not be the hardest deal of an owner's life. For most British SMEs, it still is. Ideal Exit exists to change that.

The business-sale market is broken for small and medium-sized businesses. Owners who have spent decades building something valuable are handed a process that runs the wrong way round: a five-figure retainer before any work begins, a single buyer if you are lucky, and a take-it-or-leave-it offer at the end. The adviser gets paid whether the deal closes or not. The owner carries all of the risk.

We thought that was the wrong way round, so we built something better. Ideal Exit brings together a team with deep private-equity and investment-banking experience, assembled specifically to fix the market for SME owners. We carry the cost of getting your business to market, run a competitive process with the right buyers, and only get paid when you complete.

Zero retainer, zero upfront cost. Success fee only. A small fixed percentage of the final sale price, due once the deal is done. It is a simple promise, and it changes everything about who the process is built to serve.

The founders

Operators and dealmakers who have done it themselves.

A team that has built and sold businesses, run billions in transactions, and worked at the top of private equity and global finance.

Dan Bradbury

Founder & CEO

20 years building, buying, and selling owner-led businesses. Multi-exit founder, best-selling author, and adviser.

Chris Matthews

Co-founder

Head of AI at a nine-figure UK private-equity firm, with 30 years of operating experience across civil engineering and construction.

Daisy Johnson

Co-founder & Senior Adviser

140+ SME transactions; ex-Goldman Sachs (8 years).

Find buyers

Thinking about your own exit?

Enter your business website and we'll show you the buyers most likely to compete for your business. No retainer, success fee only.