For business owners
What happens after you sell
Selling a business you have spent years building is a decision about your people and your name as much as the price. This is what you can expect.
What stays the same
- Your teamWe buy a business for its people. Our plan is to keep the team together, with your managers running their areas.
- Your customersThe relationships that built the business stay with the people who hold them.
- What you builtThe name, the work and the reputation carry on. We build on them.
- A proper handoverWe agree a transition period with you, so customers, suppliers and staff meet Tom through you.
What we invest in
- GrowthA dedicated sales effort to win the work the business never had time to chase.
- Systems and technologyModern systems and practical AI that reduce pain points and deliver more value to customers.
- Process improvementFinding and fixing the bottlenecks and issues that slow the business down and create customer friction.
- PeopleTraining, and rewards for the team tied to how the business performs.
How it works
A straight process, in confidence
Every conversation is confidential. We tell you early if it is not a fit, so you do not waste time.
First conversation
A call or coffee with Tom. You tell us about the business, its people, and where you would like to see it go. We reply to every enquiry within five business days.
Confidentiality
We sign a mutual confidentiality agreement, based on the standard OneNDA template, before you share anything sensitive.
Information and visit
You share recent accounts and the basics. Tom visits the site and meets you on your ground.
Offer
We put a clear offer in writing, then work through due diligence and settlement with you and your advisers.
Handover
You stay on for an agreed transition. You introduce Tom to your customers, suppliers and team, and step back at a pace that suits the business.
For brokers and advisers
What we look for
If you act for an owner whose business fits, we would like to hear from you. We give a quick yes or no. We are part of Australia's entrepreneurship through acquisition (EtA) community.
| Size | EBIT of $2m to $10m |
|---|---|
| Business | Established Australian businesses that are profitable and cashflow positive. Industrial and manufacturing first; strong technology and services businesses also considered. |
| Customers | Repeat work for established customers. Defence, Infrastructure, Energy Storage and Mining are of particular interest. |
| Location | East Coast of Australia |
| Situation | Owner ready to sell or step back. Capable team that wants to stay. Not turnarounds. |
| Deal type | Full ownership preferred; majority considered. |
Who you deal with
Tom Gleeson
Tom founded Sovereign Industrials to buy high-quality Australian businesses and continue to build on their success, leaving them stronger. He has spent his career taking on businesses that others built and making them better: coaching people and building the capability of the team, resetting costs, rebuilding sales, integrating acquisitions, and handing them on in stronger shape than he found them.
He is a generalist by design. He has worked across defence, aviation, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, construction, travel, software and analytics, leading general management, sales, operations, strategy and the integration of acquired businesses. That breadth means he quickly finds what drives performance in a new industry, and builds a plan to improve results across the whole P&L.
- Kepler Analytics, CEOReset the cost base, returned the business to cashflow breakeven and grew annual recurring revenue 30% in FY26. Handed over to a planned successor with a record order book.
- GE Additive, global sales leaderBrought three acquired businesses, including a family-owned German manufacturer, into one global team. Revenue grew 30% annually.
He has also founded and run businesses of his own. Before starting his business career, Tom spent 15 years in the Royal Australian Air Force as a fighter pilot and flying instructor, and is a passionate supporter of veterans’ causes.
Tom is married with three adult children, and is a keen pickleball player, cyclist and skier.
How we work
Our principles
Buy profitable businesses
We buy businesses that already work and generate cash.
Support existing teams
The people who built the business are why we buy it.
Unlock growth
Sales capability and new ways to serve customers.
Digitise operations
Good systems so the business runs on good information.
Achieve synergies
Over time, businesses that help each other win work.
Our purpose is to increase Australian sovereign capability, so that Australia is more resilient and can make, maintain and supply what it depends on.
Contact
Thinking about what comes next for your business?
Email Tom directly. A first conversation is confidential and commits you to nothing.