As an entrepreneur, where do you want to be in 5 years time? What is your business worth? What do you need when you retire, and when will that be? How can your business achieve this? Can it in fact be achieved? How do you sell it? What is your succession plan? Each year there are some 1900 private company acquisitions and disposals – but there is only one deal of interest, yours. Plan now, to sell later. To groom the business, ensure product, staffing, and customer issues are in order.For best value, find a buyer who needs what you have – technology, people, customers, not a buyer only interested in the lowest price. Keep it confidential – tell staff, customers and suppliers when you are ready. Be careful to release enough information to interest the buyer, but not enough for a competitor to find of value – recognising that as the deal progresses, more information will have to be released. Oh yes, you will also have to manage the business during the process, to maintain good results to keep the price level up. The steps in the sale are:- Information Memorandum – the marketing document Heads of Terms – receipt of an offer in principle Due diligence – confirmation of ownership of assets, customers, legal statements about liabilities (employee arrangements, agreements made by the company, pending litigation, bad debts, etc). Contract of Sale and Purchase – amount and timing of consideration, timing of completion, and other agreed terms. When this arrives, the lawyer buys the champagne! Advice is needed:- to minimise the tax payable by you and by the company to present the financial results to prospective buyers to negotiate the sale and purchase contract and to invest the eventual proceeds But before all that, you need to find an acceptable buyer, who can afford to pay a reasonable price – this is a sales and marketing exercise, requiring appropriate skills. Why not seek help from ex company MDs who have gone through this process before. We have helped companies in a variety of situations and marketplaces, which means we should be able to help you. If you are a professional advisor to company owners, be aware of their needs and where they can be met. If you are a business owner looking to plan a proper exit, and you would like to know more, contact me for an initial discussion, in strict confidence. Finding out more Call now on 01477 535664 or email on Graham.Hudson@kub-uk.net to arrange a meeting at no obligation to discuss exit planning. Please quote KUB as a reference when you call. About Zenith Business Consultancy Ltd Graham Hudson and his colleagues have achieved positive results in a variety of marketplaces. They have specific experience in all aspects of exit and succession planning - sole traders, partnerships and limited companies; evaluating exit options, assessing and removing barriers to exit/sale, organising commercial grooming activity, building the succession structure, and integrating this with financial planning to maximise the return to the business owner whilst minimising the tax burden. Their experience also includes successful MBOs, fund raising, and mergers and acquisition activity. Therefore, if appropriate, they can go through to undertaking the sale of the business for the owner. Qualifications include an MBA and BA Hons. Graham is also a member of: Institute of Directors; Chartered Management Institute; Chartered Institute of Marketing; Marketing Society.

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