Profile of a Practice Sale

Thirty Recent Practice Sales - The Who, What and Why

Published November 2023

Last week we released our latest six monthly Market Data including trends in selling prices,  levels of buyer activity and how long sales are taking.

This week we are taking a closer look at the profile of the thirty recent practice sales that underpin this Market Data: Their primary service lines, amount of fees sold,  age of sellers, reasons for selling and the gender of both buyers and sellers.

Whether you are planning to sell or planning to buy,  this is a valuable read to build your detailed understanding of practices  - and practice owners - that have  been coming to market over the last year.

Key Findings

Key Service Lines

The majority of practices sold focus on taxation and accounting services, including business advisory. However nearly 40% are bookkeeping, multi-disciplinary or specialist audit practices.

Fees Sold

The majority of practices sold will always skew towards smaller practices given the significant number of these across Australia and the propensity for larger practices to enable internal succession planning. Included within the $1m+ range are firms with fees up to c.$3 million.

Age of Seller

Over 40% of sellers are aged under 60 with sellers in their thirties, forties and fifties. This is an increasing trend as sellers make earlier decisions to sell their practices for reasons other than retirement. 

Reason for Selling

Nearly 40% of sellers are selling for reasons other than retirement with lifestyle changes being an increasing driver.

Gender

One third of sellers are female which is an increasing trend although only 10% of buyers are female which remains a significant gap. We regularly encounter many experienced and capable female practice owners looking to accelerate their growth through acquisition and we do expect the percentage of female buyers to increase over time, albeit slowly.

The Wrap

The majority of practice owners who are selling are male, over sixty and looking to retire, with fees under $1million.  This is no surprise and won't change in the short or medium term. However,  as with previous Market Data releases, DMY's data reveals some interesting nuances beyond the headline numbers. We see an increasing number of younger owners looking to sell and for reasons other than retirement.  Female owners looking to sell are continuing to increase in numbers although there remains a significant gap when it comes to the proportion of female buyers.  One thing is clear  - there is not a one size fits all and understanding these nuances is important to succeed in todays competitive market for practice sales.

To discuss these findings in more detail and what they mean specifically for your situation, contact DMY’s Directors below:

Mark Emney

Mobile: 0434 079 530
Email: mark@dmyassoc.com.au

Daniel Jones

Mobile: 0401 493 773
Email: daniel@dmyassoc.com.au