Owners often think of a sale as something that starts when advisers are appointed and an information memorandum goes out. In practice, the most important work happens in the year before. Buyers and investors today are patient and thorough. They reward businesses that arrive organised, and discount those that don't.
1. Make the numbers speak for themselves
Clean, consistent monthly reporting is the single biggest driver of buyer confidence. That means reconciled accounts, a clear view of recurring versus one-off revenue, and adjustments you can defend line by line. If your figures need a long explanation, diligence will take longer and the price will reflect the uncertainty.
2. Reduce dependence on the owner
A business that relies on its founder for key relationships, decisions or knowledge is worth less to someone who is buying it. Use the runway to strengthen the second line of management, document how the business actually works, and transfer important relationships.
Buyers pay for what will continue after you leave the room.
3. Resolve the issues you already know about
Every business has them: an expired contract, an informal shareholder arrangement, an unresolved dispute, a licence in the wrong entity. Each one discovered in diligence becomes leverage for the buyer. Each one fixed in advance disappears.
4. Know what you want — beyond the headline price
Full exit or partial? Staying on, or stepping back? Cash at completion, or a share of future upside? Clarity on these questions determines which buyers to approach and how to structure the process. It also makes negotiation far easier when the offers arrive.
5. Plan for after the transaction
Tax, structure and what to do with the proceeds are far easier to optimise before signing than after. A first conversation with your advisers twelve months out keeps every option open.
If you are thinking about a transaction in the next year, we would be glad to give you an honest first view of where you stand.