Guy Bartlett · July 31, 2026

Podcast: Master Your Merger Podcast
July 31, 2026 · 40 min
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.
Listen

Fractional M&A Expert Helping Business Owners Grow Through Acquisition
Nearly 30 years In business£145M Transition revenue acquired by coached clients42 years Military service2006 Completed his first acquisition
Guy Bartlett is a seasoned entrepreneur, M&A expert, military veteran, and founder of Fidelis Advisory, a fractional M&A firm that helps ambitious business owners grow through acquisition, exit successfully, and navigate the complex realities of buying, selling, and transitioning companies.
Guy is not simply an adviser commenting from the sidelines. He leads a team of acquisition experts with hands-on experience in strategy, sourcing, negotiation, finance, deal structure, and post-acquisition integration.
With nearly 30 years in business and more than two decades of transaction experience, Guy brings a rare combination of commercial insight, deal-making expertise, and people-first leadership. His career began in sales, marketing, direct response, and data-driven growth, where he helped scale an agency from £32,000 in fee revenue to almost £7 million in turnover within six years. That journey gave him his first exposure to shareholder structures, acquisitions, and the realities of building business value beyond day-to-day revenue.
Since completing his first acquisition in 2006, Guy has bought, built, advised on, and guided businesses across multiple sectors. He later founded Business Buyers Club, where he helped entrepreneurs understand acquisition as a serious growth strategy, with coached clients acquiring an estimated £145 million in transition revenue.
Guy Bartlettis 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 dealWhat 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 willHow comparing "what could go wrong" lists with the seller before involving lawyers changes the tone of every conversation that followsWhat 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/
Guest: Guy Bartlett
The Next 100 Days PodcastGuy Bartlett - Buying BusinessesAug 2026Play episode →
Before You Buy or Sell a BusinessInside M&A from a Soldier's Perspective: How Guy Bartlett Built a 170 Million Dollar Track Record Buying and Selling SME BusinessesJul 2026Play episode →
The Business Growth Show with Athin CassiotisEP319 - Mergers and Acquisitions for Exponential Growth with Guy BartlettJul 2026Play episode →4+ podcast & stage appearances. Remote or in studio, broadcast-grade audio.