The only way it might have worked out for Hardy is if we'd found a player who'd flown under everybody else's radar who turned out to be the best player seen at Notts since Don Masson with a resulting bidding war between two top clubs determined to land his signature.

Hardy's own plan was apparently to get us high enough to attract a buyer who could not only make him a profit but also manage whatever debts he'd incurred and sustain the ascent, for which Hardy would take most of the credit, or at least credit for turning us around.
It would seem however that people looking for a football club to buy tend not to be interested in those that are going to cost a lot of money with a high chance that they aren't going to be able to improve the club's position, at least in the short term, with the risk of incurring the wrath of fans over a perceived stalling of progress. It's easier to pick one up that's at rock bottom for next to nothing where the fanbase is going to welcome you as saviours with the likelihood that you can build momentum without throwing everything you've got at it in one go.