Business Sale Execution

What is Business Sale Execution?

Business Sale Execution is the process of selling a business for the best possible price and terms, by communicating its potential professionally and by generating competition for it.

Who is it for?

Owners and managers selling a business with profits of over £500k in any sector.

How long does it take to sell a business?

A confidential, competitive M&A auction process typically takes four to six months from the appointment of M&A advisors to an agreement on terms. Completion might take a further few weeks.

If I'm selling a business why should I retain a specialist M&A advisor, and why Shield?

M&A advisors Shield specialise in business sale execution and business sale preparation, having distilled the secrets of success from extensive sell-side experience at leading international investment banks. You will be treated as a valued client, not a target for sales of other financial services. We'll give you senior attention and old-fashioned independent advice, untainted by any conflicts of interest, such as attempts to finance selected buyers at the same time. And you'll get an M&A advisory team who understand the process and psychology of divestiture work, not fresh from an IPO or a bond issue.

Company sales are time-consuming, complex affairs with plenty of pitfalls, where good business sale preparation and a competitive auction process are the keys to success. So it helps to have an experienced guide to the terrain - someone who's been over the course many times before and can get the business sale process underway quickly and confidentially.

There's a great deal to do:

Ensuring that the best buyers are in the frame
Preparing persuasive marketing materials
Liaising with potential buyers
Anticipating their questions and concerns
Managing the process and coaxing bidders to their limits
No management team has time to handle all that and keep the business running smoothly.

And when it comes to negotiations, a good M&A advisor is worth his weight in gold:

Keeping track of the value-issues
Watching the critical commercial points in the contract
Acting as go-between and parrying the moves of sophisticated buyers
Because there is an inescapably adversarial dimension to any company sale process, however gentlemanly it might appear at the outset, it's worth having a good financial bodyguard to protect and advance your interests.

How do you charge for Business Sale Execution?

We typically charge a modest monthly fee, plus a success fee the size of which depends on how well we do for you. All in all, our clients tend to find that the value we deliver to them in terms of improved results pays for our services many, many times over. If you are considering selling a business you might want to read our client testimonials >>

Next steps?

If your profits are over £500k we would be delighted to have a no obligation discussion about your readiness for selling a business or about preparing to sell a business. We appreciate that confidentiality is vital and understand that you may wish to remain anonymous by using a pseudonym. We are happy to call you outside of office hours or at weekends if you prefer.