Over half (51 per cent) of advisers said they expect to exit or sell their business in the next five years, according to a poll by M&G Wealth.
The poll, which asked over 150 advisers, took place during a webinar ‘Future proofing your business for a sale - now or in the future’ which was jointly hosted by M&G Wealth and The Exit Partnership.
It found that around 16 per cent of advisers want to exit or sell within the next two years.
Victoria Hicks, managing director at The Exit Partnership, said: “It’s never too early to start planning your exit strategy – at the end of the day everybody exits at some point.
“The more time you have to plan, the more options that are available to you when the time comes.”
Hicks said there are two success factors when it comes to exiting an advice business.
“The first is getting the structure of the deal right – this includes terms and conditions, warranties and liabilities etc – and the second is succession planning,” she said.
“Essentially this boils down to making yourself, as the business owner, the least important person in the firm and creating the ability for the business and client bank to run successfully when you’re not there.
“This could involve the recruitment, training and development of members of staff, as well as investing the time to migrate client relationships to the new owners and advisers.”
When asked about their current preferred exit route, the majority (67 per cent) of advisers would opt for a sale to a privately-owned business.
Some 18 per cent would opt for an internal management buyout, 9 per cent for an external sale to a private equity/venture capital owned firm and just 6 per cent for an internal sale through an employee ownership trust.
Campbell Stanners, business development director at M&G Wealth Advice, said: “Given the demographic of advisers in the UK, it’s not surprising that around half of those we asked are looking to exit the industry in the next five years.
“It's clear there is a collective need to onboard a younger adviser population to service both existing and growing client demand.
“For advisers seeking to retire, investing time to understand the various exit options is vital. A good deal is more than looking at multiples – culture needs to come before cash.”
Stanners added: “Good data is key. The work that advisers will have been doing to prepare for consumer duty, in terms of better understanding client segmentation, service and fees will be hugely beneficial here.
In terms of whether advisers feel their business is future proofed for imminent sale, only one in 10 advisers polled agreed.
Over half (53 per cent) said that there are a couple of areas still to improve and over a third (34 per cent) admitted they still have a lot of work to do.
Stanners said: “In an industry, where personal relationships are so important, careful planning and getting the right fit for any business, no matter which route is chosen, will help to ensure the deal is financially beneficial for everyone involved.”
sonia.rach@ft.com
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