Welcome to Bizma

Hey, I'm Chris and welcome to Bizma 👋

In 2016, I founded a startup called Messly with my best friend. We went through a series of ups and downs, pivots and near-death experiences, followed by four years of rapid growth, until we became the leader in our market.

In 2023 we were approached about an acquisition, and were fortunate to sell the company later that year. You can read about it here.

The process took around 6 months from the first enquiry to cash-in-the-bank. It was the hardest experience of my career.

Despite having worked in M&A for eight years as a lawyer and then a corporate advisor, I found the whole process confusing, at times terrifying, overwhelming and lonely.

You carry the weight of expectation of your team, investors and family. But you've never done this before. There's so much to learn, and you're expected to be an overnight expert in a hundred new topics, whilst keeping the business running too. You're exhausted and frazzled.

With so much on the line, it feels like one wrong move can see nearly a decade of work go up in flames.

I was surrounded by some great advisors, experienced Board members and other founders. But I struggled to find clearly-written, impartial advice to guide and empower me through the key decisions.

Word tends to get around after a sale, and I was quickly introduced to many other founders going through a sale (or hoping to). From seasoned entrepreneurs to first-time business owners, we all had the same struggle when trying to arm themselves with knowledge.

So I have created Bizma to provide you with guidance and support as you navigate the sale of your company.

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We empower business owners get the best price and terms when selling your company with detailed advice, tools and information.

I will bring together hard-earned learnings both a founder running an exit process, and an advisor supporting owners and buyers through an acquisition too.

Together, we'll help you to answer questions like:

Am I ready to sell my company?
How do I maximise the price I get? ... and what other factors should I consider if I get a bid?
How do I find a buyer?
Do I need more than one bidder? Should I run an auction?
What should I look out for when I get a Heads of Terms?
How do I know what my non-negotiables are in the discussion?
Why are lawyers so expensive? ... and how do I choose a good one anyway?
How do I keep in control of my business when I am running a sale?
Who do I tell once we have a bid?

...and many (many) more. I have around 150 articles similar to those in the pipeline.

Selling your company may be the most significant achievement in your career, and life-changing for you and your family too, and I hope to play a small part in getting that over the line for you.

You can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is published!