Grow faster by buying the right businesses.
The best businesses to buy are rarely for sale. As a buy-side adviser, we work only for you. We find them, talk to the owners in confidence and introduce you. You grow faster, and you make every decision.
While you wait, someone else may buy the business you wanted.
A free 30-minute call with us. Then you get a short written summary and a straight recommendation.
Deals Michael led in earlier roles. See the case studies
You want to grow by buying. Finding the right business is the hard part.
Deals find you by chance
An email from a broker. A rival at a trade show. A tip from your accountant. You never know what else was out there.
No time to look
You're busy running the business. Studying a market and writing to owners keeps slipping down the list.
The good ones aren't for sale
Many well-run businesses are never put up for sale. The owner would talk, if the right person asked in the right way.
What should you pay?
Asking prices suit the seller. You want to know what a business is really worth before anyone names a price.
Start with a talk. Then choose how much help you want.
It all starts with a free Expansion Briefing. If buying makes sense for you, we can help in two ways.
The Expansion Briefing
We talk about what you want to buy, why, and if now is the right time. Then you get a short written summary and the next step we'd take. That step may not be us.
Book an Expansion Briefing →Acquisitiv Target 45
We research 100 businesses that fit and agree the list with you. We contact the owners in confidence and make five introductions. You take it from there.
See Target 45 →Acquisitiv Expansion Partnership
Your deal team, without hiring one. We keep your search going and track every business you're talking to. We also help on live deals and organise your lawyers and accountants.
See the Expansion Partnership →Not sure which fits? Compare the two services.
You see the work, not just a promise.
Every business on your list has a record you can act on. It shows why it fits, who owns it, and what we do and don't know. It also shows where the talks stand. Each week you see who we've written to, who has replied and who wants to talk.
An introduction means an owner who fits what you agreed to look for. They have said yes to a private talk with you about a possible sale. It's not just a name on a spreadsheet.
See a sample business record and weekly report- Turnover (est.)
- £5.1m, from filed accounts
- Why it fits
- 65% of sales from repeat maintenance work. Housing association customers you don't serve
- Owner
- Founder, 64, no family in the business
- Status
- Introduction made Owner wants to know your plans for his staff
- Checked or estimated
- Turnover and owner checked. Profit margin estimated
Someone who has bought businesses, not just advised on them.
Michael Ferguson ran acquisitions as head of M&A at one of the world's largest family-owned spirits companies. He was also finance director at a FTSE-listed company. He started out at a global investment bank and a leading accountancy firm. Today he's a Partner at CDI Global in the United Kingdom. CDI Global is a mid-sized M&A firm with more than 45 offices in more than 30 countries. That gives your search reach far beyond the UK. We act only for buyers, and Michael leads your work himself.
Deals Michael led in past roles, as an adviser and as a buyer. Read the case studies → · About Michael →
From first call to meeting the owners
Talk it through
A free 30-minute call about what you want to buy and why. You get a written summary and our honest view.
Find and contact
We agree what you'd buy and what you'd walk away from. Then we write to owners ourselves, in confidence. Your name stays private until they agree to talk.
Meet the owners
We introduce you to owners who fit and want to talk. You decide who to go after. We can stay on to help with the deal.
Founder-led UK businesses with £5m to £100m turnover
It might be your first purchase or your fifth. You might buy a competitor or move into a new region. Or you might add a skill that would take years to build. We know financial services, food and drink, and industrial and technical services best. We also work in other sectors.
What founders ask us first
Is the Expansion Briefing really free?
Yes. You get thirty minutes with us. Then we send a short written summary. It covers what you told us, the gaps we see and our next step. There's no obligation. If buying isn't right for you now, we'll say so.
Do you guarantee I'll buy a business?
No one honestly can. With Target 45, we promise five introductions. Each is an owner who fits what you want and has agreed to a private talk about a sale. Whether a deal follows depends on the owner, the price and you.
Will owners know it's me?
Not until you agree. We contact owners for you without naming you. We only say who you are once an owner agrees to talk. This is usually after they sign an agreement to keep it private.
Do you act for sellers too?
No. Acquisitiv only acts for buyers. Michael is also a Partner at CDI Global, which helps people sell businesses too. So we check every search for conflicts, and your plans stay private.
The deal notes we don't publish.
A private briefing for founders who buy businesses. Through the month, we send short notes: what's selling, for how much, who's buying and one sector in detail. It goes to your inbox, not this website.
Free. Unsubscribe any time. What's inside →
Thinking about buying a business?
Book a free Expansion Briefing. It's a 30-minute call with us about what you want to buy and if now is the right time. Afterwards, you get a short written summary and an honest view.