If your business is worth under $100m,
the mainstream M&A industry doesn’t care.
You're too small for top investment banks.
Business brokers will treat you like a house listing.
Accounting firms talk a good game, but they don’t have founders' street smarts.
That’s why we built DKZ.
We focus exclusively on entrepreneur-owned businesses - where we can have the most impact - bringing investment bank-grade M&A thinking and execution to a segment the industry routinely mishandles.
We work with businesses across the UK, USA, and Canada, and we run exit processes end-to-end.
As operators who've been on every side of the table - as founders, acquirers, and advisors - we know what a well-run process actually looks like.
We don't start with a pitch.
We start with the questions others can't ask - and we'll tell you honestly whether you're ready to go to market, or whether going now would cost you.
If we're not the right people to run your deal, we'll tell you that too, and point you towards someone who is.
Two things most people in this space won't say -
but that we think you deserve to hear before you decide.
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We start with the hard questions.
Before strategy, before valuation, before buyers - we ask: why do you want to sell, and how do you know that’s the right move?
Sometimes our strong view is not yet, or not at all because going to market now could cause you more damage than good. We're comfortable saying that - most people in M&A can't afford to.
And when an offer arrives, our job is to tell you whether it actually serves your goals, not to sell you the deal. -
Aligned economics.
Our retainers are modest and cover cost, not margin. We win when you complete the right deal - not when we get you to sign with us.
That means we're deliberately selective about who we work with, because we share the risk with you.
When we agree to run a deal, it’s because we think we can do exceptional work.
How We Run Deals
A disciplined process designed to create leverage and maximise your outcome.
We bring investment bank-grade M&A thinking and execution to a segment the industry routinely mishandles, and run your sale end-to-end - from strategy through to close.
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1: Positioning & Narrative
How your business is framed determines who shows up and what they pay. We develop the story that gives you the best buyer pool.
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2: Buyer Identification & Targeted Outreach
We build a tailored buyer universe - strategic acquirers and financial buyers - and approach them with context and intent. Precision, not volume.
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3. Managing Process & Momentum
We run the process so you can keep running the business. Follow-up is disciplined. Conversations are stewarded. Momentum is actively managed.
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4. Negotiation, Structure & Terms
When offers arrive, our job is not to sell you the deal. It’s to make sure it serves your goals — financial and personal — and to push hard on every point that matters.
Why it matters who you choose.
You don't get a second chance to make a first impression on buyers.
The intermediary you choose shapes everything in your deal - their thoroughness, the process, the outcome, and whether you're told the truth along the way.
We start with the hard questions. Before strategy, before valuation, before buyers - we ask: why do you want to sell, and how do you know that’s the right move?
Sometimes our view is don’t sell yet, or don’t sell at all. We're comfortable saying that.
Most people in M&A can't afford to - and when an offer arrives, our job is to tell you whether it actually serves your goals, not to sell you the deal.
Aligned economics. Our retainers are modest and cover cost, not margin. We win when you complete the right deal - not when we get you to sign.
That means we're deliberately selective about who we work with, because we share the risk with you.
Built by founders - not brokers, bankers or accountants. We come from building, backing, and selling businesses - not from institutions.
That changes how we think about risk, timing, control, and what a good outcome actually looks like for the person in the room who spent years building it.
Independent by design. No quarterly revenue targets, no deal quotas, no pressure to fill a pipeline.
If we take you on, it's because we believe we can do exceptional work - not because we need the retainer.
Start With A Conversation
If you’re thinking about selling, or you want to understand what a well-run process would look like for your business, reach out.
We’ll tell you quickly whether we’re the right fit, and what other recommendations we have.