Leadership that sells

Saul Cohen - How to Build a Business Buyers Trust

Saul Cohen · August 3, 2026

Entrepreneur · Finance · Leadershipin

Interview with Saul Cohen

Saul Cohen - How to Build a Business Buyers Trust

Podcast: Leadership that sells

August 3, 2026 · 35 min

One of the biggest mistakes founders make is believing their business will be valued for what it means to them. It won't. Buyers pay for predictable cash flow and reduced risk, not emotional attachment. That's why this conversation with Saul Cohen matters.

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Saul Cohen - How to Build a Business Buyers Trust

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Leadership that sells

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Key topicsYour accounts are the story buyers use to decide what your business is really worthMost business owners treat accounts as something they need for tax, compliance, or year-end reporting, but buyers read them as a story about future risk. Saul brings a different lens from his background in risk, assurance, and acquisitions: the numbers are only valuable when they explain how reliable the business is, how cash is generated, and how exposed the company may be without the founder. He helps owners understand that valuation is not just a multiple applied to profit; it is a judgement about systems, clients, team structure, recurring revenue, legal exposure, and the confidence a buyer can place in the business. This is a strong fit for finance, CPA, founder, and professional-services podcasts that want to make accounting feel commercially urgent rather than technical. Before you buy a business, make sure you are not just buying yourself another jobAcquisitions can look like a fast route to growth, but first-time buyers often underestimate how easily they can inherit another owner-dependent business with weak systems and hidden risk. Saul speaks to operators who want to buy growth but need to understand whether the target company can generate value without the seller, whether the client base is defensible, and whether the numbers actually support the story being told. His SCORE framework gives listeners a concrete way to examine systems, clients, organisation, structures, and exposure before they fall in love with the deal. For acquisition entrepreneurship, SMB, ETA, and business-buying podcasts, this creates a grounded conversation about buying wealth rather than buying a more complicated workload. The founder wealth trap starts when the business looks valuable but cannot survive without its ownerFor £1M+ business owners, strong revenue can create a false sense of security when most of their wealth is still trapped inside one fragile, owner-dependent company. Saul reframes financial freedom as something more practical than stepping away from work: building a business that buyers, lenders, and future investors can trust without the founder holding every relationship, process, and decision together. Drawing from his work with owner-led companies and his own focus on exit readiness, he shows where value quietly gets stuck inside weak systems, unclear numbers, client dependency, and undocumented know-how. This gives founder and wealth-focused podcasts a sharper conversation about turning a business from an income machine into a sellable asset. View all topics →

About Saul Cohen

Empowering Entrepreneurs with Strategic Financial Advice

1 Business sold before starting his PwC careerPwC Assurance & Risk Management experience£1M+ Annual earnings of business owners he advisesCEO The Expert Eye

Saul Cohen is an experienced accountant, acquisitions advisor, and passionate advocate for entrepreneurship. With a distinguished career that spans top-tier firms such as PwC and leadership roles at The Expert Eye, Saul has honed his expertise in financial audits, risk analysis, and strategic acquisitions. He is committed to empowering entrepreneurs to transition from business operators to savvy investors, unlocking their full potential.

Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, including his father’s entrepreneurial journey, Saul has dedicated his career to helping small businesses and startups navigate the complexities of tax planning, acquisitions, and exit strategies. His holistic approach not only enhances business valuations but also enables entrepreneurs to reclaim their time and achieve financial freedom.

Saul’s work is characterized by a creative and practical approach to accounting, blending technical expertise with actionable strategies. His unique perspective resonates with successful business owners earning £1M+ annually, particularly those eager to optimize their wealth, prepare for business exits, or make impactful acquisitions.

As a podcast guest, Saul brings inspiring stories, actionable advice, and a passion for empowering entrepreneurs to achieve lasting success and drive positive change in their communities.

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About this episode

We unpacked what really drives business value before an acquisition, why so many founders accidentally damage their exit, and the commercial disciplines that genuinely increase enterprise value. If you're building with an eventual exit in mind, this episode is well worth your time.

In this episode

If you want to build a business that's worth more tomorrow than it is today, start here.

Build systems that reduce dependency on you.

Turn founder-led selling into a repeatable commercial engine.

Treat culture as a business asset, not a soft skill.

Understand how buyers think long before you decide to sell.

Focus on reducing risk as aggressively as increasing revenue.

Episode highlights

01:36 The most expensive leadership blind spot before an exit is usually the founder's own ego.

11:03 Business value is driven by cash generation multiplied by perceived risk.

13:20 Saul introduces the SCORE framework for increasing enterprise value.

15:50 Founder-led sales eventually become a valuation problem.

19:24 Why most founders are unconsciously competent and why that makes scaling harder.

24:49 The emotional mistake that destroys value during an exit.

30:20 Saul explains his people-first approach to acquisitions and private equity.

Links and resources

Saul Cohen

Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/cohensaul/

Website : https://theexperteye.co.uk/

Free business valuation call

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/2vJaGhCvAJxnEB4OntBb

Thanks for listening to Leadership That Sells. If you found this episode useful, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with another founder, MD or senior commercial leader who is building a business for long-term value. Your support helps more of the right people discover the show.

Guest: Saul Cohen