Early-stage searcher: Can anyone help with Professional Services? (Australia)

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by a searcher from University of Queensland
in Sydney NSW, Australia

4mos ago

Early-stage searcher: Can anyone help with Professional Services? (Australia)

Hi everyone, I’m an early-stage searcher based in Sydney, Australia, currently in the learning and calibration phase before launching a formal search. My background is in finance / risk management and I’m particularly interested in small, transferable B2B professional services businesses (e.g. compliance, corporate services, governance-adjacent), where continuity, system and succession matter more than rapid growth. I’m spending the next few months: • understanding transferability risks • learning how owner-dependence is typically managed • speaking with brokers and practitioners • studying what makes first-time acquisitions succeed or fail in this space For those who have acquired or evaluated professional services businesses as a first deal: • what surprised you most? • what did you underestimate early on? • what would you do differently in hindsight? Appreciate any perspectives, I’m here to learn quietly and properly. Thanks in advance. Vanessa / Tien

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reply by a searcher 4mos ago
from University of Queensland in Sydney NSW, Australia

Thanks, appreciate the thought. I’m deliberately in learning mode right now and was mainly hoping to hear from people who’ve actually acquired in this space.

reply by a searcher 2mos ago
from Melbourne Business School in Melbourne VIC, Australia

Underestimated cost/expenses like legal DD, financial DD, broker fees for bank debt and reviewing purchase agreement can quickly go out of hand. You need to be ready to shell out $30K ~ $60K+ if a deal was to go from start to finish depending on the size and complexity of the deal. That was a rough cost for a sub $1M business acquisition that I am working on. Surprised me the most there are many unsophisticated brokers, sell-side lawyers and sellers in Australia who makes it hard to do a deal because they are not experience in selling a business. They are deal killers and are more prevalent in businesses doing sub $1M EBITDA. Work with other existing searcher, recruit board member/investor or advisor will help you overcome this issues as a first time searcher.