Acquisition Insights

Real insights needed for you to make the best acquisition decisions.

POLICY

Companies House Reform 2026: What It Means for UK Deal Sourcing

Identity verification, limited partnership transparency, and new restrictions on corporate directors. Here's what's changing at Companies House in 2026, and what it means if you source acquisition targets from the register.

12 August 2026 · 3 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

Britain's Youth Jobs Crisis Is Real. Business Owners Can Do What Policy Can't Do Fast.

UK youth unemployment has hit 16.2%, the highest in over a decade, with 1.01 million young people NEET. The Dutch have a policy answer. Business owners have a faster one: the direct power to create a first opportunity.

30 July 2026 · 7 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

If CGT Aligns With Income Tax, Selling a Business Gets More Expensive. The Clock May Be Ticking.

If a Burnham government aligns capital gains tax with income tax, the cost of selling a business could nearly double. For owners thinking about exit, the window may be closing.

4 July 2026 · 9 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

A 50% Tax Rate Under Burnham. What That Means If You Are Earning Someone Else's Money.

Andy Burnham has signalled openness to a 50% top rate of income tax. The question is not just how much you keep, but whether employment is the right structure at all.

4 July 2026 · 9 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

Five Jobs That Will Survive AI. Or You Could Just Own the Company.

An AI expert says only five job categories will survive by 2030. The more interesting question is not which jobs are safe, but whether employment is the right frame.

10 July 2026 · 8 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

Stop Gambling. Buy a Business Instead.

Retail stock trading, property, and crypto are bets on things you cannot control. Buying a profitable business is a bet on yourself. The numbers explain why.

6 July 2026 · 9 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

808,000 UK Businesses Have a Director Over 60. Most Have No Plan.

Over 800,000 UK businesses are run by directors aged 60 or above. Most have no succession plan. Here is what the data says and what it means.

30 June 2026 · 6 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

When AI Reshapes Your Career, What Replaces the Income?

AI is reshaping white-collar work faster than most people expected. Some are responding not by retraining, but by buying assets instead.

July 2026 · 6 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

Why 80% of Business Sales Fail, and What Buyers Do Instead

80% of UK businesses listed with a broker never sell. The buyers getting deals in 2026 are not using brokers. Here is how they are finding businesses instead.

July 2026 · 6 min readRead article →
ACQUISITION STRATEGY

Buy and Build Strategy UK: One Business Is a Job. Three Is an Asset.

Buying one business gives you a job. Buying three strategically gives you something more resilient. Here is how the buy-and-build model works for individual acquirers.

July 2026 · 6 min readRead article →
MARKET INSIGHT

The £158bn UK Business Market That Never Goes on Sale

£158 billion in UK business assets sit with ageing sole directors who have no succession plan. Most will never reach a broker. Here is what happens to them instead.

July 2026 · 6 min readRead article →
ACQUISITION STRATEGY

How to Buy a Business Off-Market in the UK (2026 Guide)

Most of the best UK SME deals never reach a broker marketplace. Here's the complete playbook for finding, approaching, and closing off-market business acquisitions.

6 March 2026 · 8 min readRead article →
EMAIL DELIVERABILITY

Why Email Warm-Up Is Non-Negotiable for Business Acquisition Outreach

Sending cold outreach from a fresh domain without warming it is the fastest way to get your emails binned. Here's what warm-up actually does and how to do it right.

20 March 2026 · 6 min readRead article →
DEAL SOURCING

The Complete SIC Code Guide for UK Business Acquisition Targeting

SIC codes are the secret weapon for finding exactly the right businesses to acquire. Here's how to use them to build laser-targeted acquisition lists from Companies House data.

8 April 2026 · 5 min readRead article →
OUTREACH

How to Approach a Business Owner to Buy Their Company

The biggest mistake acquisition buyers make is leading with 'I want to buy your business'. Here's what actually works when reaching out to business owners.

24 April 2026 · 7 min readRead article →
DEAL SOURCING

How to Use the Companies House API for Business Acquisition Sourcing

Companies House holds data on 5 million+ active UK businesses. Here's how acquisition buyers are using it to find and target deal flow, without a broker.

12 May 2026 · 5 min readRead article →
PLATFORM

Looking for a BizCrunch Alternative? Here's How ownered.ai Compares

If you've been using BizCrunch, here's an honest comparison of the two platforms and who each one is best suited for.

28 May 2026 · 4 min readRead article →
ACQUISITION STRATEGY

What Is Off-Market Acquisition? The Complete Guide for UK Business Buyers

Off-market acquisition is one of the most powerful strategies for buying a business, but most buyers don't fully understand what it means or how to execute it. Here's everything you need to know.

17 June 2026 · 7 min readRead article →
PLATFORM

Best Platforms to Buy a Business in the UK (2026 Comparison)

From brokers and marketplaces to self-serve sourcing tools, here's an honest breakdown of the best platforms for buying a business in the UK in 2026.

24 June 2026 · 6 min readRead article →
ACQUISITION STRATEGY

First Steps to Buying a Business in the UK: A Beginner's Guide

Thinking about buying a business in the UK but not sure where to start? Here are the first steps every first-time buyer needs to take, before you look at a single listing.

1 July 2026 · 8 min readRead article →