Your Business Hour

Getting your business right for sale and for a high value

Mark Mills · November 3, 2026

Entrepreneur · Leadershipin

Interview with Mark Mills

Podcast: Your Business Hour

November 3, 2026 · 53 min

Listen to Mark Mills on Your Business Hour.

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Getting your business right for sale and for a high value

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Your Business Hour

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Key topicsYour best buyer is the one who cannot afford to let someone else buy youMany founders walk into a sale thinking their business is worth whatever the accounts suggest, but the biggest exits usually happen when the right buyer sees something the spreadsheet cannot fully capture. A company that looks steady to one buyer can look like a shortcut, a defensive move, or a growth engine to another, and that difference can change the offer dramatically. Mark Mills OBE has built and sold five businesses, including Cardpoint at a £175 million valuation, and now helps owners shape the sale around buyer motivation rather than accepting a flat valuation. For founder audiences, this opens up a practical conversation about how to find the buyers with the strongest reason to buy, frame the business around strategic value, and create the tension that pushes offers upward. The fastest exit is usually the one that leaves the most money behindMany founders start thinking seriously about selling only when they are already tired, distracted, or ready to move on, which can push them into a rushed process before the business is truly buyer-ready. Speed feels sensible when the owner wants certainty, but it often means accepting today’s value rather than building the proof, sales momentum, and operational strength that gives buyers confidence to pay more. Mark Mills OBE has seen through his own exits and advisory work that the biggest uplift often comes from using the 18 to 30 months before sale deliberately, not just waiting for a buyer to appear. For founder audiences, this creates a practical conversation about what to improve before going to market, how to time an exit properly, and why patience can be one of the most profitable decisions an owner makes. The hardest part of selling your business is realising you are not the businessMany founders spend years preparing the numbers for an exit but far less time preparing for the identity shock that can come with handing over the company they built. A sale can look clean on paper while still bringing grief, doubt, relief, fear, and a sudden loss of purpose, especially for owners whose business has shaped their daily life for decades. Mark Mills OBE has sold five businesses himself and now guides founders through the full sale process, so he understands that a successful exit is not just about valuation, timing, and buyer interest. For founder audiences, this opens up a candid conversation about how to prepare emotionally for the sale, protect decision-making during the process, and step into life after exit without feeling like the best part of their story is behind them. View all topics →

About Mark Mills

OBE Business Sale Advisor Helping UK Founders Maximise Exit Value

5 Businesses built & sold£175M Cardpoint exit valuation6,500 Cash machines in Cardpoint network£500M+ Monthly cash dispensed by Cardpoint network

Mark Mills OBE is a business sale advisor who helps UK founders sell their businesses for maximum value.

He got into this work after spotting overlooked value as a child selling broken biscuits at school and then carrying that instinct into founding and exiting companies. The early biscuit story taught him to see what others ignore and to turn small advantages into commercial wins, a thread that runs through his approach to identifying hidden value in mature businesses. Over time that practicality led him from founding companies to deliberately learning from each exit and packaging those lessons into a repeatable system.

He has built and sold five businesses, most notably building and exiting Cardpoint at a £175 million valuation; Cardpoint floated on AIM at £7 million, grew to 6,500 cash machines and 300 employees, and dispensed over £500 million a month. Since 2007 he has worked as a Non-Executive Chairman and advisor applying his methods to other owners. In December 2024 he was awarded an OBE for services to Business and Charity and he holds the title of Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire.

Day-to-day he steps in as Non-Executive Chairman, works directly with founders to uncover hidden value, and manages the full sale process from preparation through to finding the right buyer.

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About this episode

Mark MillsOBE DL has built and sold 5 companies including Cardpoint Plc, Europe’s biggest independent cash machine operator which he exited in 2007.

Mark share with us a wonderful story about how it all started and his wife’s reaction when he decided to sell.If you are thinking about exiting your business, this is the podcast you must listen to first. Mark shares tips with us that enable you to sell your business at higher than expected valuations.

You can find Mark at www.mark.co.uk

Your Business Hour podcast is hosted by the founders of Champ Consultants, Chantal and Matthew Baker.

They are both accountants and bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and business tips to their chat. They interview guests who tell their business stories, as well as consider the latest topics in business and finance.

New podcasts are released weekly on a Tuesday and you can follow us on:

Instagram: @your.businesshour

Facebook: @your.businesshour

Guest: Mark Mills