There are many approaches to accelerating the growth of one’s business but, when I was asked to write this column, the first topic that sprang to mind was knowing when was the right time to sell.

The correct answer, obviously, is highly personal and unique to you. However, as I have recently sold the company I founded, in order to accelerate its growth, I thought it would be useful to share some of the lessons I learned.

It has been a refreshing change to bounce ideas off the wider group board

I founded Dock9 in 2008 and grew it into a well-respected specialist with a team of 20, based in the heart of the City of London. We worked with some of the biggest names in finance, delivering user experience design, websites, portals and chatbots.

But as a company of a certain size there was a limit to both the magnitude and the type of project we could win.

What next?

While some may look to sell their business because they’ve lost their passion for it or want to move on, for me the opposite was true. We had grown the company incrementally and organically, largely through recommendations, and I was incredibly proud of everything the team had achieved.

But in my mind we’d reached an inflection point: should we continue that steady pace of growth, or should we look to kick on to the next level to compete with much bigger players?

As a company of a certain size there was a limit to both the magnitude and the type of project we could win

After some soul searching (and talking things through with Mrs Lusted), it was clear the time had come to kick on, for both me and the team.

The next question was: how? Do we seek investment, or do we look to join a bigger entity?

Serendipity

I had not gone further than deciding on a direction when, through a serendipitous introduction, I had the opportunity to meet the founders of MagiClick, Murat Kalaora and Renée Tiyano — and, forgive the pun, we instantly clicked.

They had built an international digital agency, been recognised on 10 occasions in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50, and won more than 100 awards. More importantly for us, they offered immediate scale and resources, while their experience in emerging technologies in banking added further strings to our bow.

Should we continue with a steady pace of growth, or look to kick on to the next level to compete with much bigger players?

We completed the deal to join MagiClick last December. I can honestly say it has been a refreshing change to bounce ideas off the wider group board. It has also given me, and the team, a fresh lease of life.

Selling your business will be one of the toughest decisions you may have to take, but it need not be the end of things. In my case, it is just the start.