Then comes the question that makes or breaks the deal:
“Do you actually own what you’ve built?”
You’ve seen it happen on Dragon’s Den countless times. An entrepreneur pitches brilliantly, the Dragons lean forward with interest, then someone asks: “What’s stopping me copying this next week?”
The stumbling that follows is painful to watch. Suddenly confident founders fumble through vague answers about “first-mover advantage” or “building relationships.” The Dragons’ faces tell the whole story – they’re mentally moving on to the next pitch.
The entrepreneurs who nail this moment? They have clear, specific answers about their protected IP. They don’t just survive the question – they use it to demonstrate why their business is investable.
But this isn’t just TV drama – it’s exactly what happens in real boardrooms. we’ve watched promising deals crumble in real time because founders couldn’t give a clear answer to that crucial question. The investor interest evaporates. The valuation drops. Sometimes the deal dies entirely.
Here’s what most business owners don’t realise: investors aren’t really buying your business – they’re buying your intellectual property.
Your brand, your revenue streams, your customer relationships, your competitive advantages – if you can’t prove you own them, you can’t sell them.
Also consider the fact that SMEs with registered intellectual property generate 68% more revenue than those without.
That’s not a small difference. That’s the gap between a comfortable exit and a life-changing one.
Why Smart IP Strategy = Serious Money
When you properly protect your IP, three powerful things happen:
You Own Your Market Position – Buyers pay premium prices for businesses competitors can’t easily replicate. Your trade mark isn’t just a logo – it’s a legal moat around your brand. Your patents aren’t just paperwork – they’re barriers to entry that protect your market share.
Your Assets Generate Revenue – Protected IP becomes a profit centre. Licence your technology. Franchise your processes. Turn your innovations into recurring income streams that keep paying long after the sale.
Due Diligence Becomes Your Friend – Nothing kills deal momentum faster than IP red flags during due diligence. When everything’s properly registered and documented, buyers move fast and pay asking price. When it’s not, they hesitate, negotiate hard, or walk away entirely.
The 12-Month Window
Planning an exit in the next year or two? This timeline matters more than you think.
Trade mark applications can easily take 6-12 months to process. Patent applications can take even longer. Design registrations are faster, but still need time to mature. Start too late, and you’re selling potential instead of protected assets.
Buyers want certainty, not promises.
The Bottom Line
IP strategy isn’t legal fluff – it’s your fastest path to credibility in the boardroom and premium pricing at exit.
Ready to turn your innovations into investable assets? Let’s build the IP foundation that makes investors fight over your deal instead of walking away from it.
Planning an exit? We help ambitious founders protect what they’ve built and maximise what they can sell.
Get in touch for an IP Strategy call by emailing [email protected] or booking an appointment here
