Stephen lives in France, works in the UK — and has completed four acquisitions of digital and creative agencies, two mergers, and one disposal.

GUEST

Stephen — Former COO; now building a UK digital and creative agency group from his base in France.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Stephen's acquisition journey began when he left a COO role at a $6m US business and discovered Jonathan Jay's webinar. Based in France, he has since completed four UK acquisitions in the digital marketing and creative agency space — sending out batches of letters, building a pipeline of 30–40 conversations, and completing his first deal with a distressed business owner. He reflects candidly on the difference between a distressed owner and a distressed business, and on the value of in-person mastermind events.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

▸ You do not need to live near the businesses you buy — Stephen operates entirely remotely from France.

▸ Sending letters in batches of 1,000 and following up consistently is the core of deal origination.

▸ The first call is the hardest; after six conversations, confidence builds naturally.

▸ There is an important distinction between a distressed owner (whose business may be healthy) and a distressed business — the former is a much better deal.

▸ Walking away from a deal at heads of terms is entirely valid — Stephen did it on his first serious conversation.

▸ In-person mastermind events deliver disproportionate value: the peer network, shared experience and real-time problem-solving accelerate progress significantly.

DEAL HIGHLIGHT

Stephen's first completed acquisition was a distressed business with a distressed owner. He structured it to limit downside: bought for £1, knowing the worst case was simply walking away and shutting it down — ensuring no significant capital was at risk.

"When I decided to leave, I came across a webinar of yours and I'm like, oh, this is possible — didn't even realise there was an option."

Learn more: www.dealmakers.co.uk