As a business broker, the key to your success comes down to the trust you build with your clients. Nilesh Wadhwani, owner of Transworld of Gatwick epitomises this outlook in how he is growing his business

You might not have thought 2020 would have been the right time to buy a business. Maybe, now we’re approaching the light at the end of lockdown, you feel cautious about investing in your own business. However, Transworld Business Advisors of Gatwick owner, Nilesh Wadhwani, has been busy. Connecting buyers with their new business opportunity. “One of my clients is Subway, and I’ve supported their growth over the last year,” Nilesh says. “2020 was actually a really good year for them, and I helped to sell of eight of their franchises, with a few still going through the sale process.”

Such is the value of Nilesh’s support, Subway’s Kent Office have established a relationship with Transworld of Gatwick, and trust him to find the right buyers, because he knows the kind of buyer they want. They also recommend their owners connect with Nilesh, when they are ready to exit their businesses. So the most recent deals Nilesh closed, were with the full support of the Subway office, before they took-over the final aspect of the sale.

First time buyer in Surrey

The seller of the first Subway store, wanted to move back to Bulgaria. He had a number of businesses he was looking into over there, and actually ended-up leaving the UK, just as the deal was placed on the table. “He’d learned to trust me enough to know I have his best interest in the process,” Nilesh says. “So, he gave a certain amount of control to me, as his broker, and I would regularly update him on the process and how the deal was progressing. This wasn’t his first business sale, so he was fully aware of what is involved before the deal is closed.”

The buyer had been the manager of a Subway store, and wanted to invest in his own business. He’d been inspired by the owner of the store he worked for, who had grown a substantial portfolio. So, when this one came up for sale, he made an offer, taking his first step into business ownership, with a business model he already knew. “At the time he made an offer, we had just gone into lockdown. But this didn’t hinder his dream. I’ve obviously had experience with all types of business sales, as well as with the Subway process. The buyer was experienced in the day-to-day running of the business, but he didn’t know what was involved in buying one. Keen to start his business journey, he found value in having me beside him throughout purchase of his first store.”

London-based repeat customer

The seller had been trying to sell the first of his two Subway businesses for over two years with another agent. He was in his 70s and wanted to retire, but had only received vague interest from three people over this period. So when Nilesh took on the brokering, the seller was a little cautious, but this was quickly allayed. “Within the first month, I’d arranged nine viewings. It was an excellent business, in a good location, so it wasn’t difficult to market it. For each viewing, I accompanied the prospective buyer, so I ascertain their level of interest on behalf of the seller.”

One of the buyers who contacted Nilesh had bought his first Subway through him a few months earlier. “He called me to let me know he was doing really well with his new business, and was looking for a new opportunity. When I told him about the new London-based store, he was immediately interested. He has a separate business in IT, and the new Subway was literally next-door to his office. I arranged to meet him there, gave him the facts and figures about the store, and he immediately put in an offer the very next day.”

For Nilesh, every client and every sale, is an investment opportunity for the future of his Transworld office. “By supporting my buyers in such a personal and open way, it becomes an investment for my own business,” Nilesh says. “The buyers will one day be ready to sell – or, like this client, be looking for more opportunities. Their experience with me is a relationship built on trust. Their personal experience with me, allows them to know they can trust me.”

The seller, too, has seen for himself the benefit of Nilesh’s support. “He’s now asked me to help him sell his second Subway business, and there are already offers on the table being discussed.”

As a business broker, knowing how to grow your Transworld business comes from making each sale a personal investment. If this is something you’re ready to do, let’s talk. Call Henry on 0203 911 0159 or email [email protected]