Buy an established business
Skip the start-up risk. Acquire a trading SME with revenue, customers, and proven cashflow. Share or asset deal.
Acquisition finance
Buy the business. We'll fund the deal.
Trade purchases, management buy-outs, partner buy-outs, buy-and-build. bizbritain is an acquisition finance broker structuring £25k to £10m deals (cashflow-led, asset-backed, or Government-guaranteed) through specialist lenders who actually fund SMEs.
- Deal range
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£25k –
£10m Single facility or layered stack - Deal types
- 6 Trade, MBO, MBI, partner, franchise, buy-and-build
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- Excellent From 2,103 reviews
We work case-by-case to source the right structure. We're a credit broker, not a lender.
- FCA authorised Firm ref. 727207
- British Business Bank Business Support Partner
- 14 years Sourcing SME funding
- 11,000+ businesses Funded since 2012
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Excellent: 2,103 Reviews
What it's for
Acquisition finance for the deal you've already worked out.
Whether you're buying out the founder, taking over from a retiring owner, or rolling up a fragmented sector, we shape the facility around the deal, not the bank's standard form.
Management buy-out
Buy the business you already run. We structure the deal so the company can service the debt from its own cashflow.
Management buy-in
Bringing operator experience but not the ownership? We back MBIs where the buyer has clear sector pedigree.
Partner or shareholder buy-out
Clean exits for departing co-founders. Funded over 3–7 years with the company as borrower.
Franchise purchase
Single, multi-unit, or master franchise acquisitions. Brand-backed lending with terms specific to your franchisor.
Buy-and-build / roll-up
Build a platform, fund the bolt-ons. Sector consolidation strategies with revolving debt and equity layers.
How a deal stacks up
One deal. Multiple layers.
SME acquisitions rarely fund off a single line. We build a capital stack (senior debt, mezzanine, vendor loan, and your equity) sized to the target's earnings and the buyer's appetite for personal risk.
- Cashflow-led senior debt. 3–7 years, sized to maintainable EBITDA. The biggest layer in most deals.
- Mezzanine and unitranche. Junior to senior, fills the gap above asset value. Priced for risk.
- Vendor loan / deferred consideration. Owner stays partially in. Often the lever that gets a deal across the line.
- Buyer equity. Skin in the game. Typically 10–30% of consideration; less with strong vendor support.
The seller's layer
Vendor finance: how the seller can fund part of the deal.
In many SME acquisitions the seller leaves part of the price in the business as a loan. Lenders like it. It keeps the seller invested in a smooth handover, and it cuts the cash you need on day one.
What vendor finance is
The seller agrees to receive part of the price after completion, over an agreed period. The deal still completes in full on day one. The deferred part is documented as a loan from the seller to you. It works on share purchases and on asset purchases. In the £1m worked example above, the vendor loan is £150,000 of the price.
Earn-out, loan note, or deferred consideration
- Deferred consideration. A fixed amount, paid on agreed dates. The simplest form.
- Vendor loan note. A documented loan from the seller, usually with interest, usually ranking behind the senior lender.
- Earn-out. Payment that depends on how the business performs after the sale. Common where the price and the seller's expectations sit apart.
How lenders treat it in the stack
Senior lenders usually count a vendor loan towards your side of the deal, close to equity, provided it ranks behind them and cannot be repaid first. That is why meaningful vendor support can bring your cash contribution below 15%. The senior lender will want that ranking agreed in writing before completion. We negotiate it alongside the main facility.
The process
From first call to completion.
Acquisitions take longer than working-capital deals. There's a target to diligence, a vendor to negotiate, lawyers to keep on track. Here's how we run them.
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01 Day 1
Brief us
Target, deal value, your equity, sector experience. 30-minute call or the form below.
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02 3–5 days
Indicative structure
We come back with a capital stack and 2–3 lender routes. You see the shape before you commit.
Retainer paid; advisory work begins.
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03 Week 2–3
Lender introductions
We pre-qualify, package the case, and route to the credit teams most likely to fund it.
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04 Week 3–6
Heads of terms
Indicative offers in writing. We help you compare on rate, term, security, and covenant.
Stage 2 abort-fee trigger: credit-approved offers in hand. See our commission policy.
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05 Week 6–12
Underwriting & drawdown
Lender DD, legal completion, funds released to the vendor. We stay in the room.
Stage 3 abort-fee trigger on entering legal phase. Success fee payable on drawdown; retainer credited in full.
Eligibility
You're a strong fit if…
Acquisition lenders look at the buyer, the target, and the deal, in that order. Tick most of the boxes below and we should be able to help.
- You're 18+ and UK-resident with no recent unspent convictions for fraud.
- You've identified a target or have a real shortlist. We don't fund 'I'd like to buy something one day'.
- Sector experience. You've run, managed, or worked at a senior level in the same industry.
- Buyer equity available. Typically 10–30% of consideration. Less with strong vendor support.
- The target is profitable. Maintainable EBITDA the deal can be sized against.
- UK-registered acquisition vehicle or a clear plan to incorporate one before completion.
- Reasonable personal credit profile. Adverse history isn't an automatic no; specialist lenders price for it.
- Personal guarantees. Standard on most acquisition facilities. Scope and amount vary by lender.
Unusual deal? Tight timeline? Vendor walking?
Bridging facilities, deferred consideration restructures, late-stage replacements when an incumbent lender has dropped out: case-by-case is what we do.
Our fees
Independent advisory at a fixed fee schedule.
On advisory transactions we are paid by you, not by lenders. A marginal-rate fee from 3%, falling as the facility grows, with a retainer that is credited in full against the success fee at completion. If all lenders decline, no success fee is charged. bizbritain carries that risk.
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Marginal-rate model
Each percentage applies only to the portion of your facility within that band. From £25,000 to £10m.
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Retainer credited
Paid on signing, credited in full at completion. The only fee you pay if no lender offers you a facility.
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Zero lender commission
We accept no introducer commission, procuration fees, or arrangement income from lenders on advisory transactions.
Acquisition mandates also carry an abort fee if the deal terminates after credit-approved offers are issued: proportionate, capped, and only when we've delivered the offers. The full schedule is on our commission policy page.
Real deals
Acquisition deals supported.
Three recent SME acquisition deals we've worked on.
MBI · South West
£225k
Premium brand home furnishings business bought by an external operator. Unsecured loan stack comprised of £200k specialist facility plus £25k from a government scheme.
MBO · London
£670k
A coffee services business being bought out by their existing management team. Deal comprised of a £645k specialist facility plus £25k from a government scheme.
MBO · West Midlands
£5.5m
An industrial manufacturing firm in the West Midlands. Existing management buy out with a funding stack consisting of a £4m loan and a £1.5m revolving credit facility.
Latest 5-star reviews on Trustpilot
What buyers say after the deal completes.
Read every review on our Trustpilot profile.
Excellent
2,103 reviews
excellent experience
excellent experience. Zoe was a great helper throughout the application process. I can't recommend her enough.
Karen made an outstanding effort with…
Karen made an outstanding effort with helping me with my application, always stayed on top of my application and assisted me with every step , very good communication and fast responses thank you very much
I’ve had a great experience with the…
I’ve had a great experience with the whole start up loan process with a help from Karl. I was able to get my application approved pretty quick, recommend this company and service
Communication from Zoe was faultless
Communication from Zoe was faultless, helpful & swift with replies.
My loan advisor was very helpful and i…
My loan advisor was very helpful and i was very relax when talking with him(kiratjot) he done my application very fast i was very happy with them
FAQs
Buyer questions we hear every week.
If your question isn't here, fill out the form and a bizbritain advisor will answer it the same working day.
How much does bizbritain charge?
Our advisory fees follow a marginal-rate model. On the first £250,000 of your facility we charge 3%, falling to 2.5% on the next £250,000, 2% to £1m, 1.5% to £5m, and 1.25% on the £5m–£10m band. A retainer of £500 to £5,000 (depending on facility band) is paid when you sign the engagement letter and credited in full against the success fee at completion. The success fee is only payable on drawdown. For acquisitions, an abort-fee schedule applies if the deal terminates after credit-approved offers have been secured — the full schedule is set out on our commission policy page.
Do you take commission from lenders?
No. bizbritain accepts zero introducer commission, procuration fees, or arrangement income from lenders on any advisory transaction. We are paid by you, not by lenders, which means we recommend the right lender for your deal, not the one that pays us the most. Our full commission policy is published here.
What happens if my application is declined by all lenders?
If no lender offers you a credit-backed facility, no success fee is charged and no abort fee is charged either. You keep the work product — deal packaging, financial analysis, lender proposal — and you keep our findings on why the market declined. The retainer is the only fee paid in that scenario; bizbritain carries the time and expertise risk alongside you up to that point.
How long does the process take?
Most acquisition facilities complete within six to twelve weeks from engagement letter to drawdown, depending on deal complexity, target diligence, and lender response times. We give you a realistic timeline at the end of the initial conversation.
What is the abort fee and when does it apply?
The abort fee compensates bizbritain for advisory work invested in an acquisition that doesn't complete. It applies in stages: at Stage 1 (pre-credit-approval) only the retainer is retained; at Stage 2 (first credit-approved offer issued) it's 0.5% of the credit-backed facility, capped at 33% of the success fee; at Stage 3 (deal in legal phase after Heads of Terms) it's 1.0%, capped at 50% of the success fee. The full schedule and worked example are set out on our commission policy page. The abort fee does not apply if bizbritain fails to secure any credit-backed offers, or if all lenders withdraw without fault on the client's part.
Do I need to have a target business identified before engaging bizbritain?
No. We work with clients at every stage — from open searches with sector and size criteria to fully-identified targets in legal phase. Earlier engagement lets us structure the funding approach alongside the deal, which often produces a better outcome than running the funding process after Heads of Terms are signed.
How much can I borrow to buy a business?
From £25,000 up to £10,000,000 across the panel. The right amount depends on the target's earnings, the deal structure, your sector experience, and security available. We'll come back with two or three structured options so you can compare.
Can the Growth Guarantee Scheme be used to buy a business?
Often, yes. The scheme supports any legitimate business purpose, and each accredited lender applies its own credit policy to acquisitions. It gives the lender a 70% government-backed guarantee on facilities of up to £2m, which can unlock a yes on deals that sit just outside standard credit policy. The guarantee protects the lender, not you: you remain liable for the full loan. bizbritain arranges GGS-eligible facilities as one layer of the capital stack.
How much equity do I need to put in?
Typically 10–30% of consideration, depending on the target, your experience, and how much vendor support you have. That percentage is of the purchase price, not of the loan amount. Strong cashflow and a meaningful vendor loan can bring buyer equity below 15%. Asset-light service businesses tend to require more.
Can I buy a business if I've never owned one before?
Yes — provided you have meaningful sector experience, a credible plan, and the right capital structure. MBI lenders fund first-time owner-operators every week. We'll be honest with you on day one about whether your profile fits the target.
Can I use a Start Up Loan to buy an existing business?
Yes. The government-backed Start Up Loan scheme allows you to buy an existing business, provided you have not personally owned it for more than 60 months. It is a personal loan for business purposes: £500 to £25,000 per founder at 7.5% fixed over 1 to 5 years, up to £100,000 per business. You will need the target's financial accounts with your application. Larger deals combine it with the structures on this page.
Sources: GOV.UK: apply for a Start Up Loan · Start Up Loans: am I eligible?
Will applying affect my credit score?
Submitting your details on this page is an enquiry, not a formal application — it does not affect your credit score. A formal application later in the process may involve a hard credit check by the lender we introduce you to. We'll always tell you which checks happen, and when, before they happen.
Tell us about your deal
Send us the brief. We'll come back to you the same working day.
A named bizbritain advisor will be in touch the same working day to talk through your deal. Submitting this form is an enquiry, and it does not affect your credit score.
Looking for growth finance instead? Read about business growth funding.
Representative Example
A £600,000 senior acquisition loan over 5 years at 9.9% APR (variable, illustrative) results in monthly repayments of approximately £12,720 and a total amount repayable of approximately £763,000. Actual rates depend on lender, security, target performance, and credit assessment. This example is for illustration only.
- Monthly repayment
- ~ £12,720
- Total repayable
- ~ £763,000
- Representative APR
- 9.9% var.
bizbritain is a business support partner of the British Business Bank, delivering Start Up Loans and Growth Guarantee Scheme finance as part of a network of business support partners.
BizBritain Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for credit brokerage activity (Firm Reference Number: 727207). We are also registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for the processing of personal data (Registration Number: ZA062551). BizBritain Finance Limited is incorporated in England and Wales (Company Number: 08354773). Our registered office is Level 18, 40 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NR.
Last reviewed:
bizbritain finance acts as a credit broker, not a lender. We do not make credit decisions, and we do not lend to customers directly. Instead, we introduce customers to lenders and other finance providers. Some of the products we offer are regulated by the FCA, while others (such as finance for limited companies) are unregulated. Consumer credit products are subject to FCA rules, while unregulated finance does not offer the same protections.
We may receive a commission or fee from lenders or finance providers for introducing customers. This does not affect the interest rates or terms you are offered. You are under no obligation to use our services or accept any product shown to you.
All calls are recorded for training, monitoring and compliance purposes. Complaints: complaints@bizbritain.com · Complaints Policy · Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy · Terms of Use · Terms of Business.