Colin, retired financial adviser

Why did you decide the time was right to sell your business?
I had a small company as my service organisation taking care of the compliance, administration, investment process and so on, and they decided that they weren’t going to be carrying on. At that time, I was in my late 60s, so it was a catalyst for me to decide whether I go through the process of finding another organisation for the rest of my career, or maybe take that as an opportunity to retire and go off and do other things that I knew wanted to do in life.

How were you feeling at the start of the process of selling your business?
I was feeling apprehensive, which I think is natural. I’d never sold a business before, so this was the first time. As time went by and the process began and continued, in addition to nerves, there was also excitement in the knowledge that I’d made a decision, this is what I was going to be doing, and beginning to think about the other things that I would be doing with the time available to me when no longer working.

What were the key things you were looking for in a potential buyer?
Most importantly was to make sure that my clients would be well looked after, that they would be in safe hands. Tom and Alistair from Monenti and I had worked together for a few years, so I knew them, and as we began to talk, I knew they were people with the same values as mine. So, that really was the most important criteria.

Why did you choose to sell your business to Monenti?
We had the same values. I also liked the fact that they were young, because quite a lot of my clients were retired, but had children and grandchildren as well. With Tom and Alastair, I saw the potential of my clients being able to have decades of consistency, which I feel is really important.

How did Monenti handle any issues that arose during the sales process?
Overall, it was very smooth because I think we had the same values and the same objectives we wanted to achieve. In the same way that I wanted to leave the clients in good, safe hands, they wanted to ensure that was the case.

How easy did Monenti make the sales process?
They made the sales process pretty easy for me. In addition to Alice and Tom, there were a couple of other financial planners who’d been taken on, and they too really wanted to work together with me to ensure that we had a smooth handover.

How have Monenti treated your clients since the sale?
My clients have been really happy with Monenti. I still keep in touch with quite a few of them, and almost without exception, they’re delighted that Monenti are looking after them.

How did you feel after selling your business to Monenti?
I feel really good on the basis that my principal priority was to make sure that my clients were well looked after, and they have been. So, I feel really good about that. I know that I made the right decision, and that gives me a lot of comfort.

Would you recommend that other advisers who are looking to sell or retire consider Monenti as an option?
Yes, I would definitely recommend other advisers to talk to Monenti. They’re a very dynamic organisation and the planners are relatively young, so that would ensure, I think, decades ahead of consistent advice for the client. So, yes, definitely talk to Monenti.