#331 From Redundancy to £1 Million: Neil's Journey from Scratch to 650 Clients

In this week's episode of Business Buying Strategies, Jonathan speaks with Neil — a former accountant who lost his job in early 2020 and built a million-pound business in just five years.

Neil shares how he went from doing the odd tax return to running a team of 12, managing 650 clients, and completing three acquisitions in just two years. You'll hear how he turned redundancy into opportunity, overcame the chaos of COVID, and used acquisitions — not marketing — to scale rapidly and strategically.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How Neil built his business from scratch during lockdown

• Why acquiring 100 clients in a day beats signing 5 clients a month

• What he learned from buying a micro business — and what he did differently the next time

• The behind-the-scenes reality of two back-to-back acquisitions in 2024

• How he transformed from overworked solo founder to true business owner with a team and systems

• The mindset shift that turned Neil into a dealmaker — and future investor

Key Quotes: "I had three or four clients in January 2020. Now, we have 650 and a million-pound turnover." "You don't have to do this for 30 years to build real value — you just have to start." "Acquisitions changed everything. I became a business owner, not just a technician." Key moments:

• 00:30 – Intro: Meet Neil, from redundancy to dealmaker

• 04:00 – Starting a business with two months of savings

• 07:00 – His first acquisition: a micro business and proof of concept

• 11:00 – Deal two: 100 clients added in a single day

• 15:30 – Deal three: A 350-client acquisition and a management overhaul

• 21:00 – Letting go, building systems, and becoming the owner

• 26:00 – Dealing with challenges: TUPE, communication, and integration

• 30:00 – What's next: succession, EOTs, and giving back

• 34:00 – Final thoughts: De-risking, legacy, and your next chapter

Want to learn how to buy a business like Neil?

Download Jonathan's free book: https://dealmakers.co.uk/free-book

Or explore our trainings at: https://dealmakers.co.uk

** Looking for a great acquisition lawyer in the UK? Use mine! **

If you are looking for a lawyer in the UK to help you get the deal over the line, then use my own lawyer, John Andrews. You can phone his office at (0345) 2412494 or email him at johnandrews.deallawyer@jmw.co.uk.

Ready to get started?

Here's how you can start your business buying journey…

Download our free Business Buying Toolkit https://dealmakers.co.uk/business-buying-toolkit

Join our Business Acquisition FastTrack programme https://www.dealmakers.co.uk/fast

Already bought a business?

if you've already bought a business, you should be part of my Inner Circle group where we discuss raising capital, integration management, and exiting. Email Maria on hello@thedealmakersacademy.com for more information.