Straight answers
Selling your business, answered.
The questions owners, investors and acquirers ask us most, answered plainly. If yours is not here, ask us directly. It costs you nothing.
For owners
Selling to Verdani
Will my team keep their jobs if I sell to Verdani Capital?
Yes. Verdani holds and runs businesses for the long term rather than reselling them, so there is no redundancy programme on day one. Your team keeps their jobs, your management stays in place and your culture stays intact. This is the core of the model, not a concession made to win a deal.
Will my company keep its name and brand?
In 99% of cases, yes. The name stays over the door and the brand keeps trading. Verdani buys businesses because of what they already are. The reputation, the customer relationships and the name are part of the value, not something to be rationalised away.
How long does it take to sell my business to Verdani Capital?
Most Verdani deals complete in 8 to 14 weeks from first conversation. There is no tender process and no investment committee to win over. The people you meet on the first call are the people who decide.
Do I have to sell 100% of my business and walk away?
No. Verdani buys anywhere from 40% to 100% of a business. The preferred structure is an ethical partnership acquisition where you take cash out now, keep meaningful equity and stay involved on terms you set, including stepping back gradually over an agreed period. A full sale is available if that is what you want.
How does Verdani Capital value my business?
On sustainable earnings, not a headline multiple. After a first conversation Verdani reviews three years of accounts and gives an honest valuation assessment, then proposes a clear structure before anything is signed. Valuation is grounded in sustainable EBITDA, the quality and repeatability of your contracts, and how much of the business depends on you personally.
What size and type of business does Verdani Capital buy?
UK businesses with revenue between £1m and £80m in HVAC, mechanical and electrical, Renewable Energy, solar and battery storage, and Construction. Owner-managed, with a real team and a real order book. Usually profitable, though an underperforming business in a sector where the group already operates is also worth a conversation, because Verdani has turnaround experience and an operating business to put behind it.
Does Verdani Capital buy underperforming businesses?
Yes, in the sectors where the group already operates. Verdani has turnaround experience and an operating business in HVAC, mechanical and electrical, Renewable Energy, solar and battery storage, and Construction to put behind a company that has lost its way, so an underperforming business in those sectors is worth a conversation. Outside those sectors, Verdani only buys profitable businesses.
How is Verdani Capital different from a private equity firm?
Verdani is an operating group, not a fund. There is no external limited-partner money and no five-year exit horizon, so there is no pressure to strip cost out and flip the business. Verdani runs HVAC, M&E engineering, Renewables and Construction companies itself, which means it reads accounts and structures deals from operating experience rather than from a model.
What is an ethical partnership acquisition?
An ethical partnership acquisition is a deal where the buyer takes a majority or full stake, the founder keeps equity or a defined role if they want one, and the brand, team and culture are retained by design. Verdani commits to this in writing at heads of terms, so the promises made on the first call are the terms that complete.
Do I need to sign an NDA to have a first conversation?
No. The first conversation is confidential but informal. No NDA, no financial information required, no obligation. It exists so both sides can work out whether there is a fit before anyone spends money.
Can I sell my business and keep my staff?
Yes. Selling to an operator that intends to keep running the business is the most reliable way to protect staff. Verdani retains the team in every acquisition it makes because the team is what it is buying. A private equity buyer or trade consolidator often has cost synergies in the model from day one; Verdani does not.
Want the detail behind these answers? Read how we buy a business, step by step, or get an idea of what your business is worth.
For investors
Investing alongside Verdani
How do investors work with Verdani Capital?
Investors fund specific acquisitions alongside Verdani as business partners rather than as passive fund investors. Each opportunity is a named, trading UK business with three years of audited or filed accounts, a real order book and an operator-led management plan. Investors see the deal, the numbers and the structure before committing.
What returns do Verdani investors target?
Returns come from the trading profits and growth of real businesses, not from financial engineering. Verdani targets acquisitions at sensible multiples of sustainable EBITDA and grows them through operational improvement and bolt-on acquisition, with the group as a whole aiming for £100m revenue at 10%+ net profit by June 2028. Specific terms are shared per deal.
What is the minimum investment?
It depends on the deal. Verdani works with private investors, family offices and experienced business owners at a range of sizes, typically from £100,000 upwards on a single acquisition. Tell us what you have in mind and we will show you what fits.
Does Verdani Capital have acquisitions ready to invest in now?
Yes. Verdani runs a continuous pipeline of acquisition opportunities in HVAC, mechanical and electrical, Renewable Energy, solar and battery storage, and Construction, at stages from first conversation to heads of terms. Investors are introduced to the specific opportunities that match their sector interest, ticket size and preferred structure.
Can I invest as equity, debt or both?
All three. Investors can take equity in the acquisition, provide secured debt with a fixed return and defined term, or a blend of the two. The split, security, return profile and reporting are agreed per deal to suit the investor.
Is investing with Verdani Capital regulated?
Verdani Capital acquires and invests in businesses on its own account and does not provide regulated financial advice. Investment opportunities are only discussed with people who qualify as high net worth or sophisticated investors under the UK financial promotion rules, and every investor should take their own independent advice.
What makes an investment through Verdani different from private equity?
You are backing operators who run the businesses day to day, not a fund manager with a five-year exit clock. There are no management fees on committed capital, you own a share of a named business asset rather than units in a fund, and the businesses are held for the long term.
For owners scaling up
Growing by acquisition
What does Verdani do as an acquisition partner?
Verdani comes on board alongside the owner of a £5m+ business to help it grow. It brings its proprietary M&A methods to find, value, structure and complete acquisitions, and it brings operational experience and marketing resource to grow the existing business organically. Verdani takes a stake alongside the owner, so it is rewarded through the growth rather than through fees.
Who is the growth partnership for?
Owners of £5m+ revenue businesses in HVAC, M&E engineering, Renewable Energy or Construction who want the business to be materially bigger in five years and are open to having an experienced partner alongside them. Verdani partners with a small number of businesses at any one time.
How is this different from an M&A adviser, broker or consultant?
An adviser or consultant is paid a fee whether or not the plan works. Verdani comes in as a partner with a stake in the outcome, and the people doing the work are operators who have completed 30 acquisitions and scaled contractors in these trades. The advice comes from direct experience, and Verdani only does well when the business does.
What are Verdani’s proprietary M&A methods?
A sourcing and deal methodology built over 30 acquisitions: finding businesses that never reach a broker, approaching owners directly and confidentially, valuing on sustainable earnings, structuring and funding each deal, and taking it through due diligence to completion and integration.
What does the organic growth support include?
Operational experience from operators who have led teams of 500+ and scaled a contractor from £20m to £80m: job costing, scheduling, procurement, margin discipline and management structure. Plus the in-house marketing resource that markets Verdani’s own group companies: brand, website, lead generation, LinkedIn and digital, framework and tender support, and cross-selling across the group.
Read more about growing your business with Verdani as your acquisition partner.
The practical side
Practical questions
Where is Verdani Capital based and where do you buy?
Verdani Capital is based at Southbridge House, Southbridge Place, Croydon, Surrey. We buy businesses across the UK in HVAC, mechanical and electrical, Renewable Energy, solar and battery storage, and Construction. The first conversation can happen by phone, by video or at your premises, whichever suits you.
Which company will actually buy my business?
One of two established trading companies in the Verdani Group. Verdani Capital Two Limited (company number 13658177) is our primary acquisition vehicle. Verdani Services Limited (company number 11718358) is our operational support entity. You will know which one is buying, and why, at heads of terms, before anything is signed.
What happens to my premises, vehicles and equipment?
They normally stay with the business. We buy companies to keep running them, so the vans, tools, equipment and premises the team relies on usually stay where they are. If you own the premises personally, the options, such as a lease to the business, are agreed openly at heads of terms.
Can I stay on after the sale, and for how long?
Yes, if you want to. Most owners who sell part of their business stay involved, and your role and how long it lasts are agreed at heads of terms. Some stay on for years and keep equity. Others step back gradually over an agreed period, or hand over and leave. You set the terms and we put them in writing.
Do you buy underperforming or loss-making businesses?
Yes, in the sectors where we already operate. We have turnaround experience and an operating business in HVAC, mechanical and electrical, Renewable Energy, solar and battery storage, and Construction to put behind a company that has lost its way. Outside those sectors we only buy profitable businesses. Either way, we will tell you honestly whether we are the right buyer.
Find out more about Verdani Capital and the group behind it.
Ready for one honest conversation?
No NDA. No accounts needed. No obligation. You will speak to Lee or Scott.