Sold Too Green — why the ripest offers land 18 months after a founder first wants out

Timing the Exit: why the strongest offers arrive 18 to 30 months after a founder decides to sell

Mark Mills OBE watches founders decide to sell on the worst possible day, the day they get tired of it. He has built and sold five businesses, including Cardpoint at a £175 million valuation, and he now runs owners through a 40 step sale process that treats the 18 to 30 months after that first flicker of wanting out as the most valuable stretch in the company's life. In that window he fixes the model, rebuilds sales momentum without burning cash, and assembles the proof a buyer needs before a single approach is made. Founders who go straight to market take today's number instead, which is almost always the smallest one they will ever be offered. Listeners get a clear read on whether they are ready to sell yet, and what waiting is actually worth.

About Mark Mills

Mark Mills, podcast guest

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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Don’t BE for Sale: Mark Mills on Building Leverage and Maximizing Your Exit
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The Exit - Presented By Flippa· Listen to Mark Mills on air