Owners planning an exit
Businesses preparing to sell in the next one to three years.
Business Startup & Growth
Business Sale & Purchase Support
Financial analysis, due diligence support, management information and sale or acquisition preparation.
Overview
How we help with Business Sale & Purchase Support
Whether you are buying or selling, the price is set by what the figures can be shown to support. Preparation months in advance is worth more than negotiation on the day.
On a sale, we help you present the business properly: normalised earnings, addbacks that a buyer will accept, clean records, and the tax structure that determines what you actually keep. Most of that work has to happen before a buyer is in the room.
On a purchase, we work through the target's figures for the things that change the price: earnings quality, working capital requirement, customer concentration, off-balance-sheet commitments and the liabilities that come with the entity if you buy shares rather than trade and assets.
For buyers, tax due diligence looks at whether the target's historic position is clean: outstanding HMRC enquiries, VAT and PAYE compliance history, R&D claims that could be challenged, and whether tax liabilities are properly provided for in the accounts. Issues found here typically surface as a price adjustment, a specific warranty or an indemnity, rather than stopping the deal outright.
What's included
Everything covered in this service
The agreed scope covers financial and tax analysis for a proposed acquisition or disposal, including the quality of earnings, working capital, liabilities and assumptions relevant to the deal. It is not legal due diligence or contract drafting. A standalone estimate of value belongs under business valuation; reliable historic figures may first require company accounts, and scenario testing may require financial modelling.
- Normalised earnings and adjusted EBITDA analysis
- Financial due diligence support on acquisitions
- Working capital and completion accounts mechanics
- Sale readiness review and records preparation
- Deal structure and tax implications, including share versus asset purchase
- Support through the transaction and post-completion integration
Who it's for
Built around how you actually operate
Acquisitive companies
Businesses buying competitors, suppliers or complementary operations.
Management buyouts
Teams buying the business they already run.
FAQs
Business Sale & Purchase Support: common questions
How early should we start preparing to sell?
Ideally two to three years out. That is enough time to clean up records, normalise earnings, reduce owner dependency and structure the shareholding for the tax outcome you want.
Do you handle the legal side?
No, we handle the financial and tax work and coordinate with your solicitors, who deal with the legal documentation.
What financial work is involved when buying a business?
The scope can include reviewing historic results, working-capital patterns, liabilities, forecasts and the assumptions behind the proposed price. Findings are coordinated with the legal and tax workstreams.
Does this service provide legal due diligence or legal advice?
No. We focus on financial and tax matters within the agreed scope. Solicitors should handle contracts, warranties, title, employment matters and other legal due diligence.
What's the difference between a locked box and completion accounts?
A locked box prices the business on a fixed pre-completion balance sheet, with no adjustment beyond agreed leakage. Completion accounts price it on the actual balance sheet at completion and true it up afterwards. The choice affects who carries the risk of trading between signing and completion, and changes what needs verifying and when.
How does an earn-out affect the numbers?
An earn-out ties part of the price to future performance against agreed targets, so the definitions matter as much as the target itself, how profit is calculated, what costs are excluded, and how disputes are resolved. We review the mechanism before you sign so it can actually be measured and paid out as intended.
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Let's talk about Business Sale & Purchase Support
Tell us whether you are buying or selling, the stage reached, the proposed timetable and what information is available. We will define the financial workstream and the points that need coordination with your solicitor.
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