When Readiness and Opportunity Misalign: Navigating the Timing Trap in M&A.
- Quinten Taljaard
- Sep 18
- 2 min read
Timing: My Time vs The Market’s Time
A founder builds for their time.
The years of effort, sacrifice, and belief — often against the odds — lead to a moment where they feel ready.
Ready to sell.
Ready to move on.
Ready for the next chapter.
But the market does not work on sentiment.
Just because you feel ready, does not mean the market is receptive.
Buyers may be cautious.
Multiples may be compressed.
Macroeconomics may cloud the view.
Or, quite simply, buyers may be looking elsewhere.
Equally — when buyers come knocking, you may not feel ready.
You might still be scaling.
Or ironing out inefficiencies.
Or emotionally unprepared to let go of what you have built.
This is the quiet tension at the heart of succession:
Your time vs The market’s time.
Consider nature:
The farmer cannot harvest in winter, no matter how eager.
And the rain does not arrive just because we are thirsty.
But when conditions align — rainfall, ripeness, and readiness — the yield can be extraordinary.
The same is true in M&A.
In our work at Logan Gray International, we often meet business owners who waited until they were ready to sell — only to find the market had shifted.
And others who received an offer — but had not yet cleaned up their finances, clarified their structure, or positioned their business for scale.
Trade-offs arise:
Sell at a discount or delay for optimisation?
Accept a lower valuation or risk waiting for better multiples?
Prepare quietly in the background — even if no buyer is yet in sight?
So, what is the answer?
Start preparing before you are ready to sell.
Position your business for when the market is ready — not just when you are.
Keep your financials clear, your structure sound, and your narrative crisp.
Because when your time aligns with the market’s time, that is when the magic happens.
And that is what we help unlock. GET IN TOUCH:
