“A year ago I was under great stress—John and the SRJ team carried us through a process—now we’re happily enjoying our retirement”.

Andrew McDonald
DWC Tiles

The Challenge—Selling Without Advertising

Andrew and Lisa McDonald had worked hard making DW Custer Pty Ltd (trading as DWC Tiles) a thriving enterprise. But with no family succession possible, they faced a challenge transitioning to retirement—wind up or sell to a third party. The traditional route of engaging a business broker proved difficult. Brokers were pessimistic about selling stock-heavy business on the open market, and unable to imagine a path to selling that didn’t publicly advertise the sale— a move Lisa and Andrew knew could undermine the business itself.

The Opportunity—Better Than Broking

With SRJ Principal John Riseley and Senior SRJ team on the case, things changed fast. After some work reviewing and improving the business saleability foundations, John and the team planned and executed an initial cold approach to a third party—essentially finding a buyer. After establishing a legitimate interest and purchase capacity, John and the team handled the entire sale as a project—from introductions, to due diligence preparations, from facilitating communication to helping meet all sale and settlement conditions. Even appointing and liaising with professionals like commercial lawyers—John and the team stayed by their client’s sides.

The Outcome—The Best Imaginable Retirement

It was all about relationship, and results. Lisa and Andrew achieved the short-term goals by selling the business as a going concern, thereby maximising its value. Just as importantly, Andrew and Lisa entered the retirement they’d dreamed of—without the kind of stress that keeps business vendors up at night.

“Our relationship meant they understood our background and needs—we were informed and comfortable every step of the way”.

Lisa McDonald