“We actually first started dialogue with the target years ago but the process (with previous advisors) failed to materialise. It was clear almost immediately that this time round the company was prepared, willing and able to meet the requirements of our deal process. We are excited to be able to add Milestone Communications to our group and look forward to years of shared success. Independence providing great deal stewardship in helping us both to get the outcome we wanted.”

“We had not conducted a transaction before and were certainly unaware of the deal options that were open to us. As a second generation owner operator, we took great comfort from being able to de-risk continuity but also benefit from the significant advantages of sale to an Employee Ownership Trust. Independences guidance over multiple years and straddling difficult Covid years proved great value and insight.”

“Our first two deals into our buy-build strategy were fraught with complication and delay which proved costly and put each deal at risk. Working with Independence on our third deal was like night and day - the process was conducted in less than half the time and end-to-end it never felt like the deal was at all at risk. A Carlsberg moment.”

“We had been approached continually by trade and private equity buyers but seemingly never found the right party or deal. The process was hugely distracting for a business already navigating high growth and all the pains that brings. Working with Independence we quickly established a perfect combination of the right buyer and the optimal transaction shape and with thorough preparation the deal was completed in weeks not months and with an outcome shareholders could not have dreamt of beforehand.”

“The world of M&A is very new to us but Independence very quickly helped manage our expectations on what our options were and what the process would look like. They took the time to really understand our business and we ran a successful marketing process, with pleasing volume and variation in buyers and offers. In the end, we found both a buyer and transaction shape which gave us the best of both worlds and using their software too we found the diligence process to be far less painful than first feared.”

“Having already aborted a previous sale process led by a national advisor, I was skeptical about what could be achieved, especially coming out of Covid. Independence ran an accelerated process geared at minimising risk & budget whilst proving concept quickly. The transaction completed to plan and their fee structure geared at sharing risk suited us well.”