There is a great deal between "I am selling" and "I am not selling". You can test the market, find out who a buyer might be, look at bringing in a partner, sell part of the company, or start preparing a year or two ahead.
You choose once you understand the picture, not before.
An orderly exit, with or without a handover period in which you pass on knowledge and relationships.
A partial exit that keeps you in the business and brings in capital, market access or management.
A strategic or financial partner who can take the company to its next stage.
Merging your operation into a business in a neighbouring sector. That is usually where the highest value sits.
What to put in order now so that in a year or two you sell on better terms.
That is a perfectly good outcome too. A good deal starts with a good decision, not with pressure.
The name of the business is not revealed to anyone until the other side has signed a non-disclosure agreement and you have approved it. At first, buyers see only an anonymous profile: sector, scale and the nature of the activity. No name, no address, no customers.
A buyer reaches the table only after proving they can pay. You will not spend time on the curious, on competitors fishing for information, or on people who are "exploring options".
We find the problems in the business before you do, rather than letting the buyer find them in due diligence. A problem found early is a task. The same problem found late is a discount on the price.
Until the representation agreement you are committed to nothing. You can stop at any stage, and you can decide that the timing is simply not right.
Two phases. The first happens entirely out of sight, with nobody in the market knowing. The second begins only when you say so.
Before anything else we check whether the business, and you, are ready. If one of these is missing, it will hold up the whole process.
Normalising operating profit: stripping out private expenses, one-off events and income that will not repeat, to arrive at the real profit the business produces. This is the number the price is built on.
We never rely on a single method. We compare them and look for where they agree.
An information document built on facts and figures, not on adjectives. At first it is completely anonymous: sector, scale and the nature of the activity, with no name and no customers.
We do not broadcast. We map the parties to whom this company is worth the most, and approach them personally.
An organised data room, full transparency and fast answers. We find the problems before the buyer does — a problem found early is a task; the same problem found late is a discount on the price.
A closing checklist, the final settlement of accounts, and a 30/60/90 day plan for handing over relationships and knowledge, so that the transition is smooth and any earn-out is actually paid.
Throughout, the business carries on as usual and nobody knows it is being considered for sale, until you decide otherwise.
Selling a business is not an event but a process, usually lasting six to twelve months. Throughout, the business carries on as usual.
One conversation, with no commitment at all. We will understand what you want to achieve and why now, and tell you honestly whether it is realistic. From you: An open conversation. No documents needed.
Before we receive any numbers, both sides sign. Even the fact that the business is being considered for sale is confidential. From you: Signing one document, after you and your lawyer have read it.
The revenue model, customers, suppliers, management, exactly what is being offered for sale, and what you do day to day, using a questionnaire built for your sector. From you: Time and openness.
The same material any serious buyer will ask for later. It is far better to gather it quietly now than under pressure with a buyer already at the table. From you: Sending the documents against an organised list.
Not a single number but a reasoned range: normalised operating profit, the valuation methods we chose for this business, and the factors that raise and lower the value. From you: Read it, question it, challenge it.
We look at the business through the eyes of a sceptical buyer: customer concentration, dependence on you, missing contracts, gaps between profit and cash. From you: A decision: go to market now, or spend a few months preparing.
We define who this company is worth the most to, and approach a short list personally and quietly, with an anonymous profile only.
Running the negotiation, the letter of intent and the due diligence process through to signing, alongside your own lawyers and accountants.
Do not have all the figures yet? That is perfectly fine. It is exactly what the first conversation is for.
The conversation commits you to nothing and is never made public. Often it simply helps you see what your options are.
