About Jonathan Jay
About Jonathan Jay
Jonathan Jay sold his first business in 1999. With that deal, he made more money in one day than he had made in the two and a half years running the business – and his eyes were opened to the opportunity of buying and selling businesses.
Over the last 25 years, Jonathan has bought and sold 70 businesses. In 2007, he acquired a group of distressed businesses for £1 and successfully turned them around, ultimately selling them to a private equity firm for £1.25 million. During the pandemic, he bought dozens of businesses to build a group of companies.
After being asked to teach his strategies, Jonathan launched The Dealmakers Academy and has since taught his Complete Business Buying System to thousands of future acquisition entrepreneurs.
Watch Jonathan's talk at Expert Empires
Why choose Dealmakers?
When it comes to buying a business, there are plenty of people online claiming to teach you how. So why do hundreds of smart, ambitious entrepreneurs choose Dealmakers Academy over everyone else?
A Proven 21-Step System That Works
You follow the same blueprint Jonathan Jay has used to buy and sell more than 70 businesses over the past 25 years. No fluff. No filler. Just a practical, repeatable system to close your first deal — even if you’re starting from scratch.
“The bottom line is, the process works. We can see that ourselves. Everything we’ve done so far, we’ve just stuck to the script and it works.”
The Only Training Materials You’ll Ever Need
Deal walkthroughs. Deal templates. Video training. Scripts. Contracts. Explainers. It’s all available instantly in one place. You don’t need to buy five other courses. You don’t need to figure it out on your own. Everything’s in the Dealmakers training materials.
“The materials, the step-by-step process, the kind of support… It’s one of the best I’ve seen.”
A Community That Lifts You Higher
Dealmakers is consistently described as family. Members talk about generosity, trust, humility, humour, and genuine support. You’ll never feel alone.
“There’s a lot of love in that room. The arrogance and ego? Left outside.” “People genuinely want to help. You can’t go anywhere without someone offering a hand.”
Built for Beginners, Not Boardroom Executives
You don’t need an MBA. You don’t need a background in finance. You don’t even need experience. This is for people who want to take action, not just take notes.
“Five, six months ago we literally knew nothing… now we’re in deep negotiations with five business owners.”
A Network That is Second to None
You’ll be surrounded by active UK-based dealmakers who share real stories, real numbers, and real shortcuts. They want to see you win. And they’ll show you how to do it.
“One of the positive things about being in the Dealmakers community is meeting others further along the journey. They share their knowledge — it gives you confidence to move faster.”
Confidence to Do Real Deals — Not Starter Deals
We don’t waste time with micro-deals. You’ll gain the confidence, support, and knowledge to go after businesses that make a real impact — even if you’ve never bought a business before.
“We were quite comfortable around the million-pound deals. We wanted to really turn the needle on our business… Dealmakers gave us the confidence to go after larger deals.”
A Deal Team You Don’t Have to Build
No Googling for accountants. No scrambling to find a solicitor. Your support team is already in place, ready to help you complete your first deal.
“Everything is there for you to buy a business without having to think about it… It’s really easy to trust.”
Real-World Results from Normal People
People just like you — people who started with no money, no deals, and no idea how to begin — are closing acquisitions every month thanks to Dealmakers. If they can do it, you can too.
“Five months ago we knew nothing. This week we’ll reach heads of terms.” “You get a sense they’re just normal guys and girls… nothing special about them. They’re just like you and me. If they can do it, we can do it too.”
Mindset That Shifts You from Hesitation to Action
You’ll gain not just skills, but belief. You’ll learn from people who’ve done it and are doing it. You’ll start thinking bigger, acting faster, and believing it’s possible — because you’ll see others just like you doing the same.
“Maybe we were thinking too small. Maybe we need to think bigger. That’s what you get from this.”
Structured, Practical, Life-Changing
Everything is mapped out. From strategy to legal, tax to negotiation. You get tools, shortcuts, support, and guidance from people who’ve done it before.
You’ve Already Met Jonathan (You Just Didn’t Know It Yet)
You’ve listened to the podcast. Watched the YouTube videos. Read the books. Jonathan has been teaching business buyers for years — and the feedback is consistent: this is the best business buying education in the UK.
“I discovered Jonathan online. I consumed all his free information in two days… and that was it.”
This Is About More Than Business
It’s about changing your future. Taking control. Paying off the mortgage. Taking holidays in term time. Building a legacy. Buying back your time. And finally doing the things you said you would.
“I’m doing this to secure my future, my family’s future, and get the things we all want in life — the holiday home, paying off the mortgage, taking care of the kids.”
Discover more about our flagship Business Acquisition Mastermind programme here
Proven programmes built for practical, real-world success
Jonathan has built and sold businesses from scratch without any education. He didn’t learn what he teaches from working in a corporate M&A office. He didn’t learn it from a mentor.
Everything Jonathan knows about acquiring, growing and selling businesses has been through hard-won experience and learning from a lot of mistakes.
That is what makes Dealmakers programmes stand out as everything taught is grounded in real-world, practical experience, including our proven 21-step Business Buying System. The results for our clients speak for themselves.
Ready to get started?
Access our Business Buying Toolkit and discover whether buying a business is the right strategy for you. Toolkit and discover how to buy your first business today – for free.
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