This is for owners who are not selling this year. Three years out, five, ten — or not sure, which is the most common answer. The decisions that set the price of a practice are made long before it goes anywhere near a buyer, and by the time an owner is ready to go, most of them have already been made by default.
Who it is for
Owners of accountancy practices, usually somewhere between £150,000 and £2m of fees, who recognise at least one of these:
- You have thought about what happens eventually and never written any of it down.
- Your clients deal with you personally and would notice immediately if you stopped.
- You have a manager who might one day take it on, and you have never tested whether they want to.
- You have had an approach from a buyer or a consolidator and had no basis on which to judge it.
- Your own retirement plans depend on a number you have never had checked.
What you end up with
A written plan, yours to keep, covering:
In the plan
- What the practice is worth now — a range, with the reasoning, based on your own fee list and accounts rather than a rule of thumb.
- What is holding that number down — owner dependency, client concentration, the fee mix, the shape of the team.
- What would raise it, in order of how much difference each one makes and how long it takes.
- Your routes out — internal succession, a sale, a merger, a phased handover, or winding down — and what each would mean for you, your staff and your clients.
- A timeline with the things that have to happen first, and roughly when.
- What to do in the next ninety days, which is usually four or five things and none of them dramatic.
How it runs
Pre-work. We send you a short set of questions and a list of what to dig out — the fee list, the last two years' accounts, who does what. An hour or two of your time, and it is the part that makes the session useful rather than general.
The session. Half a day, at your office or by video. We go through the numbers, the client base, the team and what you actually want out of the next few years. Most of it is questions you have thought about on your own and never had to answer out loud.
The plan. Written up and with you within about a fortnight, in plain English, with the numbers behind every figure shown.
The review. A date in the diary to look at it again, normally twelve months on, so the plan keeps up with what has actually happened in the firm.
What we will ask you for
Nothing that identifies a client, and nothing leaves us. In practice:
- A fee list by client — the service and the annual fee, no names needed.
- The last two years' accounts, and current management figures if you have them.
- Who is on the team, what they do, what they earn and their notice periods.
- What you take out of the business, and what you would need it to be worth.
What it is not
It is not a formal valuation report and it is not tax advice. Where something needs your own accountant or a solicitor, the plan says so and says why. It also does not put your firm in front of anybody: nothing is published, no buyer is approached, and your practice is not named to a third party at any point.
Practice Group buys practices, and you will know that already. The plan is a paid piece of work that stands on its own. If you would rather we were never a buyer for your firm, say so at the start and nothing else about it changes.
What it costs
A fixed fee, agreed before we start, covering the pre-work, the session and the written plan. We will confirm it on the first call once we know the size of the practice. There is no retainer and nothing ongoing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be thinking about selling?
No. Most owners who do this are three to ten years from an exit, and a good number never sell at all — they hand over internally or wind down. The plan covers every route, including the ones that are not a sale.
Will this put my firm in front of buyers?
No. Nothing is published, no buyer is contacted, and your firm is not named to anybody.
Is Practice Group going to try to buy my practice?
The plan is a paid piece of work and it stands on its own. If a sale to us is ever right, that is a separate conversation you start, and you can rule us out at the beginning.
Is the valuation something I can take to market?
It is a considered range with the reasoning behind it, based on your own numbers. It is not a formal valuation report.
How long does it take?
An hour or two of pre-work, half a day for the session, and the written plan within about a fortnight.
Ask about a Succession Plan
Tell us roughly where the practice is and we will come back with what the session would cover and what it would cost. Nothing is published and no buyer hears anything.
We will reply by email. We will not add you to anything, contact anyone about your firm, or pass your details on. Our privacy notice has the detail.
The guide to succession planning → · the free timeline planner · the owner dependency check