About Guy Bartlett
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. Through Fidelis Advisory, his team acts as a complete bolt-on M&A capability for established businesses that are ready to grow by acquisition but do not have the time, experience, or internal team to manage the process themselves.
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. Through Fidelis Advisory, he and his team have supported further client acquisitions, helping business owners identify the right opportunities, avoid costly mistakes, and structure transactions that work for the buyer, the seller, and the business being acquired.
Guy’s work is driven by a clear mission: to help good people acquire good businesses, protect the legacy of retiring owners, and prevent valuable companies from disappearing simply because there is no succession plan. He believes business is ultimately about people, and that every successful transaction must consider not only the buyer and seller, but the company itself - its team, customers, culture, and future.
Alongside his commercial career, Guy served for 42 years in the military, including commissioned service in the Royal Engineers, infantry leadership, UK operations, resilience, and liaison work with counterterrorism teams. That experience shaped his approach to leadership, resilience, communication, and decision-making under pressure.
As a podcast guest, Guy brings a grounded, candid, and deeply experienced perspective on acquisition-led growth, business legacy, leadership, resilience, and the human side of M&A. He speaks with authority, humour, and hard-earned honesty about what really happens when people buy and sell businesses - including the mistakes, risks, opportunities, and life-changing outcomes that rarely make it into the headlines.
Latest video
WTF… bad advice for unsuspecting acquirers!
Latest episodes
Key topics
The Best Acquisitions Are Run Like Military Operations, Not Sales Missions
Many entrepreneurs enter acquisitions focused on valuation, structure, and opportunity, but the real test often comes when pressure hits. A difficult negotiation, unexpected risk, or last-minute change can expose whether a leader has the discipline to stay clear-headed or the instinct to react emotionally. Guy Bartlett brings the lens of 42 years in military service to the world of business acquisitions, where resilience, risk awareness, and decision-making under stress are not abstract leadership ideas but practical survival tools. He shows how the same habits that help leaders operate in high-pressure environments can help entrepreneurs navigate complex deals without losing judgment. Listeners gain a sharper understanding of why mental discipline matters as much as financial strategy in M&A. They walk away with practical ways to stay composed, assess risk clearly, and lead steadier when a deal becomes volatile.
Buying a Business Is Not Just for the Wealthy, It Is for the Strategically Prepared
Many business owners assume acquisition is only available to buyers with deep pockets, investor backing, or large amounts of cash ready to deploy. That belief keeps capable operators stuck trying to grow from scratch, while viable businesses change hands through structures they never knew were possible. Guy Bartlett brings more than 20 years of acquisition experience to a conversation that challenges one of the biggest myths in business ownership: the purchase price is not the same thing as the cash needed on day one. He explains how seller finance, deferred payments, earn-outs, and carefully structured terms can create deals where the seller is protected, the buyer preserves capital, and the business has room to grow after completion. Listeners walk away with a more practical understanding of how acquisitions can be financed without needing a huge upfront bank balance. They learn how creative deal structure can open the door to business ownership while keeping the focus on long-term value, not just getting a deal over the line.
Stop Building from Scratch When You Can Buy the Growth You Need
Many business owners feel stuck after hitting growth plateaus despite relentless effort. They chase incremental organic growth, hire more people, tweak their marketing, and still wonder why the business is not scaling fast enough. Guy Bartlett draws from more than 20 years in acquisitions, where he has seen entrepreneurs bypass these limits by buying capability, customers, revenue, and market share instead of trying to build everything from scratch. He explains why acquisition can become the most realistic path to rapid expansion when organic growth has slowed down. Listeners walk away understanding how buying the right business can act as a scale accelerator, helping owners break through growth ceilings, open new revenue channels, and move faster than organic growth alone allows.
View all topics →
Latest video
WTF… bad advice for unsuspecting acquirers!
Latest episodes
Key topics
The Best Acquisitions Are Run Like Military Operations, Not Sales Missions
Many entrepreneurs enter acquisitions focused on valuation, structure, and opportunity, but the real test often comes when pressure hits. A difficult negotiation, unexpected risk, or last-minute change can expose whether a leader has the discipline to stay clear-headed or the instinct to react emotionally. Guy Bartlett brings the lens of 42 years in military service to the world of business acquisitions, where resilience, risk awareness, and decision-making under stress are not abstract leadership ideas but practical survival tools. He shows how the same habits that help leaders operate in high-pressure environments can help entrepreneurs navigate complex deals without losing judgment. Listeners gain a sharper understanding of why mental discipline matters as much as financial strategy in M&A. They walk away with practical ways to stay composed, assess risk clearly, and lead steadier when a deal becomes volatile.
Buying a Business Is Not Just for the Wealthy, It Is for the Strategically Prepared
Many business owners assume acquisition is only available to buyers with deep pockets, investor backing, or large amounts of cash ready to deploy. That belief keeps capable operators stuck trying to grow from scratch, while viable businesses change hands through structures they never knew were possible. Guy Bartlett brings more than 20 years of acquisition experience to a conversation that challenges one of the biggest myths in business ownership: the purchase price is not the same thing as the cash needed on day one. He explains how seller finance, deferred payments, earn-outs, and carefully structured terms can create deals where the seller is protected, the buyer preserves capital, and the business has room to grow after completion. Listeners walk away with a more practical understanding of how acquisitions can be financed without needing a huge upfront bank balance. They learn how creative deal structure can open the door to business ownership while keeping the focus on long-term value, not just getting a deal over the line.
Stop Building from Scratch When You Can Buy the Growth You Need
Many business owners feel stuck after hitting growth plateaus despite relentless effort. They chase incremental organic growth, hire more people, tweak their marketing, and still wonder why the business is not scaling fast enough. Guy Bartlett draws from more than 20 years in acquisitions, where he has seen entrepreneurs bypass these limits by buying capability, customers, revenue, and market share instead of trying to build everything from scratch. He explains why acquisition can become the most realistic path to rapid expansion when organic growth has slowed down. Listeners walk away understanding how buying the right business can act as a scale accelerator, helping owners break through growth ceilings, open new revenue channels, and move faster than organic growth alone allows.
View all topics →