 Nicola Draper
Founder Draper Hinks |
Did you know there are good and bad times in the year to sell an accountancy practice?Now is the best time to start the process of finding a buyer for your fees. We are busy with buyers telling us they are ready to grow and are keen to acquire.
Tell us if you want the buyer to be qualified, or have a certain skill set or experience. We match up the buyer with the seller and have brokered over 458 deals so far. We are the brokers that get results. It would be lovely to see you. |
Are you 100% remote working? We want to hear from you.
We have noticed that since Covid, there is a significant trend for accountants to be working from home, including those that have staff. Teams and Zoom meetings have replaced having to go into the office on a daily basis. We are getting more practices where the work is done 100% remotely and no face to face meetings are held with clients. If this is you, then please let us know. It means that as a seller you do not have to be restricted to buyers based in your area. We have a lot of buyers in this category that are registered with us. If you want to discuss this please email me at n.draper@draperhinks.co.uk or perhaps you would prefer to book a chat using https://calendly.com/draper-hinks/q_a.
Don’t leave selling your practice too late to enjoy your retirement.
Read our Vendor’s story with details of multiple paid
Details of another deal done in 2024
| Fees sold | £750,000 | Where | West Midlands |
| Qualified | ACA & ACA | Age | 64 & 60 |
| Time scale | 10 months | Type of Practice | 2 Partner Practice |
| Payment | Three payments | How paid | A third, a third, a third |
| Multiple | 0.85 x fees | When paid | Comp; 12 months; 24 months |
| Offers | 2 offers | Office & Staff | Office and staff kept |
| Results | One partner worked to end of handover, other partner stayed on for 5+ years post sale | ||
Income Multiples Paid in the last 12 months
| 2024 | Quarter | Average income multiple paid | Lowest income multiple paid | Highest income multiple paid | Lowest income multiple offered | Highest income multiple offered |
| Quarter 1 | Jan – Mar | 1.05 | 1.00 | 1.20 | 0.85 | 1.20 |
| Quarter 2 | Apr – Jun | 0.998 | 0.80 | 1.13 | 0.65 | 1.20 |
| Quarter 3 | Jul – Sept | 1.063 | 0.85 | 1.20 | 0.70 | 1.25 |
| Quarter 4 | Oct – Dec | 0.988 | 0.65* | 1.15 | 0.65 | 1.195 |
NB None of the above figures are to be reproduced in any way without express permission from
Nicola Draper.
* One off payment made on completion with no clawback.
Your Guide to Selling
We have been helping accountants sell and buy practices for more than 20 years, and during that time we’ve learnt so much. We have collated all of our knowledge and experience into our new eBook, which is the ultimate guide to selling accountancy fees. You can download your copy from our website for free.
Here is a testimonial from a vendor whose practice we sold in 2024:-
I received Newsletters from Draper Hinks over many years and when I was ready to retire I contacted them. I liked the fact that their approach was completely different to that taken by other brokers.
I liked the confidence that Nicola had in their process and had read success stories of other vendors in the same position as me. I liked the personal touch and the updates throughout the process. Having a timetable for offers and completion is a great idea. It really keeps the buyer and seller on track. Nicola was true to her word and things moved very quickly but that was to my time frame.
I would never have been able to find the potential buyers that Draper Hinks unearthed. Don’t waste time trying to do it yourself. I will miss my team and my clients; they are like family. I will certainly not miss the December/January deadlines nightmare!
I would definitely recommend Draper Hinks to anyone thinking about selling their fees.
Dawn O’Connor FCA (Permission given to print her name)
Please check out our website www.draperhinks.com where you can:-
- Download our Draper Hinks Selling Fees eBook.
- Book a time to talk to Nicola on Calendly via this link:-
https://calendly.com/draper-hinks/q_a
- Read our monthly Blogs that give regular market commentary.
- Read the vendor’s stories on the website.
Next Step
If you are thinking about selling your accountancy practice, please contact Nicola Draper at n.draper@draperhinks.co.uk or call her on 01788 816440.
You can also book a one-to-one appointment with Nicola through Calendly by clicking here https://calendly.com/draper-hinks/q_a.
Everything discussed will be totally confidential.