Advice across the life of a business.
Selling, buying, refinancing, a shareholder stepping back: senior-led, independent advice on the decisions that shape a company.
Sell-Side
For: owner-managers, founders and families preparing to sell, whether that moment is close or a few years away.
Most owners sell one business in a lifetime; the buyer across the table has usually bought several. We close that gap. The process runs quietly and competitively, from first approach to completion, and it starts well before market: we read the business the way a buyer’s diligence team will, so the issues they would price against you are fixed early, not discounted late.
What we do
- The whole process, run for you.From first conversation to completion: materials, buyers, negotiation and diligence, while you keep running the business.
- Preparation before market.We read the business the way a buyer’s diligence team will, so the gaps they would price against you are fixed early.
- The right buyers, found.Trade and adjacent markets, in the UK and overseas. The best buyer is often one you would never have considered.
- The right route to market.Sometimes a full process, sometimes a quiet approach to a hand-picked few. We recommend what serves your outcome, then keep enough tension that you choose between offers rather than negotiate with one.
- Terms that survive diligence.Offers weighed on their real value, exclusivity granted carefully, and negotiation steered through the SPA to a clean close.
- Approaches, handled.If a buyer has already come to you, we assess it with you before you sign anything.
Debt & Refinancing
For: companies refinancing a facility, funding an acquisition or a shareholder exit, or carrying terms that no longer fit.
A facility signed years ago is rarely the right one today, and the time to fix it is twelve to eighteen months before maturity, not three. We act for the borrower and are paid only by the borrower: pricing benchmarked, covenant headroom tested on real seasonality, and terms shaped so they never block the ownership decision behind them.
What we do
- Refinancing ahead of maturity.The right window is twelve to eighteen months out. We open it early and run lenders in competition.
- Funding for events.Facilities for acquisitions, buyouts and shareholder exits, structured around the deal behind them.
- Covenants that fit.Headroom tested on your actual trading, and renegotiated before a technical breach finds you.
- Personal guarantees.Release of directors’ guarantees, negotiated within the company’s facility at the moment it is winnable.
- A real market test.Banks, asset-based and specialist lenders approached in parallel, with your pricing benchmarked.
- A model you keep.Debt capacity and covenant headroom, built once and left with you.
Ownership & Capital
For: owners and boards who want a clear, current view of what the business is worth, and counsel on how it is owned, funded and handed on.
Most conversations begin with “what are the options?”, and no option can be weighed without a number. The centre of this work is the Equity Value Review: an independent valuation, every adjustment evidenced, with a value bridge pricing what would move the number. Some shareholder groups retain the firm year-round as standing adviser. And we price improvements rather than deliver them: that is what keeps the valuation independent.
What we do
- The Equity Value Review.An independent valuation of the business, with every adjustment evidenced.
- The value bridge.Today’s number, a realistic target, and a price on each lever between them.
- Opinions ahead of decisions.A number you can rely on when one is needed: an approach, a shareholder conversation, a succession question.
- The capital calendar.Facility maturities, covenant headroom and guarantee checkpoints, watched so nothing arrives as a surprise.
- A plan for approaches.What happens when a buyer’s letter lands, agreed before one arrives.
- A standing relationship.Some shareholder groups retain the firm year-round: the valuation refreshed annually, and first call when something moves.
Buy-Side
For: established owner-managed businesses buying outright: a competitor, a complementary firm, an adjacent market.
The best acquisitions are rarely for sale. We agree criteria and affordability first, originate off-market, and carry the deal through valuation, structure and negotiation to completion. One search mandate at a time, with the retainer charged against named targets and approaches made. If the pipeline runs dry, we say stop.
What we do
- Criteria and affordability first.What you are looking for, and what you can fund, agreed before anyone falls in love with a target.
- Off-market origination.The best targets are rarely for sale. We find them and approach discreetly, owner to owner.
- Valuation and structure.A price grounded in evidence, and a structure that works after completion, not only at it.
- Negotiation to completion.Heads of terms, diligence coordination and the SPA, carried to a clean close.
- The funding.Acquisition debt, arranged within the mandate.
Calm, structured, and always in your control
The specifics vary by mandate; the rhythm does not. You always know where you are and what happens next.
Listen & assess
We understand your goals and give you an honest, no-obligation view of your options and likely value.
Prepare
We build the numbers, narrative and materials, and pre-empt the issues a counterparty would otherwise exploit.
Go to market
We run a discreet, competitive process, engaging the right parties and holding tension to your advantage.
Negotiate & complete
We negotiate the terms that matter and steer heads of terms, diligence and documentation to a clean close.
Tell us where you are. We’ll tell you straight what’s next.
A short, confidential conversation will tell you which of these you need. No cost, no obligation.