Episode #20
Guy Bartlett on What Actually Kills Deals and What to Do About It | Master Your Merger S2 Ep 20
Most deals that fall apart were not undone by the financials. They were undone by founders who never asked how much they needed, buyers who handed the process to their lawyers and stepped back, and teams left wondering whether they were going to keep their jobs. Guy Bartlett is the founder of Fidelis Advisory, a fractional M&A firm helping established business owners grow through acquisition, exit on their terms, and navigate complex company transitions. With nearly 30 years in business and over two decades of transaction experience, he has bought, built, advised on, and guided businesses across multiple sectors. He also brings 42 years of British Army Reserve service to the work, including commissioned service in the Royal Engineers and leadership training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In this episode: Why founders consistently price their businesses against what a peer sold for rather than what they actually need, and how that single gap reshapes the entire deal What it means to read accounts like the story of a business rather than like an accountant, and what the balance sheet reveals that the P&L alone never will How comparing "what could go wrong" lists with the seller before involving lawyers changes the tone of every conversation that follows What the first 30 days after close are actually determining, and why the most important question to ask the team has nothing to do with strategy Links: Fidelis Advisory: https://fidelis-advisory.uk/ Guest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@guybartlettofficial Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guybartlettuk/
