We buy commercial collection agencies from owners who are ready to step back.

Tall Elm is a small private company, and we buy agencies to own and run them.

What we promise

Your name stays.

The agency keeps its name. Your clients see the same name on every letter, statement and remittance.

Your clients are looked after.

You introduce us to your clients, in your own words and at your own pace. Their contract terms and remittance schedule do not change because of the sale.

Your people hear it from you.

No one on your staff learns about the sale second-hand. Before we sign, we agree with you what changes for them and when. No surprises after closing.

A fair price, paid in cash.

We show you how we reach our number. Most of the price is paid at closing, and the rest on terms agreed up front.

Confidential from the first call.

We sign your confidentiality agreement, or send ours, before you share any figures. We do not contact your staff or clients without your agreement.

A quick, clear process.

We aim to give you written terms within 7 days of receiving the information we need. We aim to close in 4 to 6 weeks.

How a conversation goes

A confidential call.

You tell us about the agency and what matters to you. No documents and no commitment.

A short confidentiality agreement.

Signed before you share any figures.

Written terms within 7 days.

Once we have the information we need, with how we reached our number.

Closing in 4 to 6 weeks.

After you accept, we aim to close in 4 to 6 weeks. You stay on for the handover, usually 6 to 12 months, on terms we agree with you.

Why we started Tall Elm

Neither of us has an MBA. What we know about running a business, we learned by running them. Andrew left school to start his first company from scratch, and has since bought and run several others. Charlie has started several companies, one of which grew from three founders to hundreds of people.

So we know what it is like to carry the whole thing. The months when the numbers do not add up. The clients you cannot afford to lose. The people who stay late because they believe in what you are building. We have kept people on through lean stretches, and we have had to let people go. That second part never gets easier, and it should not.

We have also watched owners we respect sell businesses they spent decades building, and seen it go badly. The price changed at the last minute. The promises made to staff were forgotten. The name came off the door. From the buying side, we have seen how often a seller is treated as a number in a spreadsheet.

Tall Elm is the buyer we would want if it were our business. We deal with you directly. We keep your name and look after your clients. We tell you plainly what will change and when. We pay a fair price in cash, most of it at closing.

When we are not working, we travel around the United States to race together. Mostly running, but really anything that lets us eat heaps of food afterwards without feeling guilty.

If you have built something you are proud of and are starting to think about what comes next, we would be glad to hear from you.

A + C