“If I wanted to buy or sell a business in the UK or Ireland, I would immediately engage James Dixey Limited to act for me.”
Dany Wang
The Full Circle Education Group
Sell your business for what it’s truly worth
Specialist brokerage for education, care and compliance businesses valued between £1m and £20m.
Specialist-led, always personal
Completely confidential
Tens of millions in completed transactions
Sell your business for what it’s truly worth
Specialist brokerage for education, care and compliance businesses valued between £1m and £20m.
Specialist-led, always personal
Completely confidential
Tens of millions in completed transactions
Selling a business is one of the most significant decisions you’ll make. Having a broker who understands your sector and has been through the process themselves makes all the difference to the price you achieve, the process you experience, and the buyer who takes your business forward.
Who we are
Your business deserves the right exit.
We founded and exited our own business, so we know what’s at stake when you decide to sell. That experience, combined with over a decade advising owners across education, care, and compliance, means we know how to position your business to attract the right buyers at the right price.
Better multiples
Sector specialists consistently achieve stronger prices because we know exactly what buyers in your market will pay.
Wider reach
Access to thousands of vetted acquirers across private investors, trade, and independent buyers in the UK, Europe, and beyond.
Total discretion
Every potential buyer signs an NDA and is fully vetted before they see a single detail about your business.
Most brokers are generalists.
We specialise.
Education
From nurseries and independent schools to training providers and universities. We built and sold in this sector ourselves.
Care
Single-site residential homes to multi-location domiciliary providers. We know what buyers in this space scrutinise.
Safety and compliance
Fire and security, testing, facilities management. Recurring revenue and high barriers to entry attract strong buyer interest.
Other regulated services
From healthcare services to specialist regulated providers. If compliance and quality underpin your business, we understand your market.
What makes us different
Most brokers will take on any business. We specialise in education, care, safety and compliance, and regulated services because understanding what drives value in your sector is the difference between a good offer and the right one. Our buyers know that too.
James sold his own business before starting this one. That experience shapes everything we do. We know what it feels like to hand over something you've spent years building, and we never lose sight of that.
No detail about your business is shared until a buyer has signed an NDA and been fully qualified. Your staff, your competitors, your clients will not know until you are ready.
There is no call centre, no junior associate running your deal. You work directly with a senior advisor from first conversation to completion. Every owner does.
With access to thousands of qualified acquirers across private investors, trade, and independent buyers, we do not just find a buyer. We create the conditions for multiple parties to compete, which is how stronger outcomes happen.
What our clients say
“James was always responsive and on-hand throughout. I would highly recommend James to any founders who may be considering an exit.”
Ricky Tavares
The Career Portal
“James’ deep market knowledge, professionalism and personal attention facilitated three vendors in selling their businesses to Dukes Education.”
Atif Hasan
Dukes Education
“James knows the ELT industry inside and out and how to sell businesses in it. If you want to sell your School, engage James Dixey.”
Nick and Cally Albrecht
Summer Boarding Courses
What the process looks like
Based on your goals and circumstances, we'll help you develop a strategy that maximises value. Here's how the process typically works.
01
Initial conversation
We start with a confidential conversation to understand your business, your goals, and your timeline. No commitment, just an honest discussion about what’s possible.
02
Valuation and preparation
We assess your business and advise on what it could realistically achieve. Where there’s opportunity to strengthen your position before going to market, we’ll tell you.
Contact us
Tell us a little about your business and we’ll arrange a confidential conversation at a time that suits you.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers on selling your business, timelines, confidentiality, and how we work with owners.
We look at financial performance, recurring revenue, growth trajectory, the strength of your team, and how your business compares to recent transactions in your sector. We'll walk you through our methodology and make sure you understand how we've arrived at the range before we go to market.
Our fee is a percentage of the final sale price, agreed with you upfront before any work begins. There is also a marketing fee to cover the cost of preparing and presenting your business to market. We'll explain the full structure in our first conversation so you know exactly where you stand.
It depends on the business, the sector, and how prepared you are when you come to market. Some transactions complete in a matter of weeks, others take 6 to 12 months. We're always in active conversation with buyers who are looking, so if you're ready to move, it's worth having a conversation early — we may already have interest that's relevant.
Our network includes private equity firms, institutional acquirers, trade buyers, and independent operators across the UK, Europe, and internationally. We match your business with the right type of buyer based on what matters to you, whether that's price, cultural fit, or continuity for your team. Our approach is to generate multiple competing offers wherever possible, so you're negotiating from a position of strength rather than relying on a single bid.
Every engagement begins with a non-disclosure agreement. Buyers are vetted and bound by confidentiality before they receive any detail about your business. All documentation is shared through our secure client portal, and we control the flow of information at every stage.
We typically work with businesses valued between £1 million and £20 million. If you're not sure where your business sits, a conversation is the easiest way to find out.
Yes, and we'd encourage it. A business that's performing well at the point of sale is worth more than one where the owner has stepped back. We handle the process, the buyer management, and the negotiations so you can stay focused on the day-to-day.
That's completely fine. Many of the owners we work with start the conversation 12 to 24 months before they're ready to go to market. Early conversations help you understand what buyers look for, what drives your valuation, and how to prepare. There's no commitment and no pressure.
We’d welcome the opportunity to work with you.
With more than a decade of experience advising business owners through every stage of a transaction, our team would welcome the chance to understand your goals.