Supporting You Through Business Sales, Acquisitions and Management Buyouts

Financial uncertainty and upcoming budget speculation are driving a lot of activity in the corporate finance area currently.

Clients are looking to sell their business before any more potential tax changes, and we can provide assistance in a number of ways.

As a starting point, we can look at the underlying financials and provide a valuation, giving you a clear idea of what price you should be looking for.

In addition, we can review how the business is currently structured and the levels of responsibility within it. We can then advise as to how to reorganise to make yourself more appealing to potential buyers. For a wider look at the value expert guidance can bring, read our article on why business advisory matters for UK businesses.

We can also support with the buyer information requests – whether that’s providing the information ourselves, advising your team on what’s being asked for, or reviewing what you have already prepared.

As the deal progresses, we have significant experience in helping clients navigate the financial impact of agreements drawn up by legal advisors. Buyers often seek to include warranties that cover “the kitchen sink” and, together with your legal team, we can help mitigate these.

The tax implications, depending on the type of sale, can have a big impact on the net amount you walk away with – and this is another area where we can advise.

Normal working capital and surplus assets are often areas of contention in a business sale, and again, we have experience negotiating on behalf of our clients. 

On the other side, we also work with clients looking to expand as the economy takes out some of their competition. Due diligence for an acquisition can be complex – you want to be certain you’re getting what you think you are. We often advise on the structure of the deal and discuss the starting point for the heads of terms before your legal advisors draft the agreements. We’re also happy to recommend a law firm or work alongside your existing advisors.

It may not always be a full sale. Sometimes, a business owner wants to retire and people within the team are well-placed to complete a management buyout. In these cases, we revisit valuation and structure, and also cover the set-up for going forward, including the relevant HMRC permissions. Perhaps more importantly from your team’s perspective, we will sit with you and your team to talk through how things would work and answer the inevitable questions that come with this type of change.

If you are considering selling, acquiring, or restructuring your business, get in touch with us today to discuss how we can support you at every stage of the process.