Guides to selling your business
Valuation, preparation, advisers and the sale process in the UK, written for owners who will probably make this decision once in their working life.
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How to choose an adviser to sell your business
Five ways to compare UK M&A advisers, corporate finance boutiques and business brokers without deciding on fees alone.
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Which documents you need to sell your business
The paperwork worth getting in order before you talk to buyers about selling a UK company.
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Your sale strategy
What to decide before the first buyer is contacted.
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Teaser and information memorandum: what each one is for
Two different documents to present the opportunity without losing confidentiality.
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How to prioritise buyers for your business
From a broad longlist to a small group of buyers with a genuine fit.
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How to set up a data room for your sale
A simple structure for sharing information securely and in order.
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How much is my business worth?
Methods, multiples and adjustments behind a realistic value range.
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EBITDA multiples by sector
Indicative ranges for UK SMEs and the factors that move them.
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Normalised EBITDA
The adjustments that turn your accounts into the figure a buyer prices.
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Net debt: from enterprise value to equity value
From enterprise value to the amount that actually reaches you.
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Tax on selling a business
Capital Gains Tax on a share sale with the 2026 to 2027 rates, Business Asset Disposal Relief, share sale against asset sale, selling through a holding company, Employee Ownership Trusts and the planning that needs time.
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Business Asset Disposal Relief explained
How Business Asset Disposal Relief works on the sale of company shares, the rates from April 2025 and April 2026, the qualifying conditions and the traps that cost owners the relief.
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How to sell a business in the UK
The stages, timings and key decisions in a UK company sale.
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Preparing your business for sale
What to put in order before going to market so the price holds.
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Twelve mistakes that can cut the price when you sell
Twelve decisions that lower the price or cause a deal to fall over.
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What an M&A adviser charges to sell a business
Retainers, success fees, expenses and tail clauses to compare.
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Due diligence: what buyers check and how to prepare
What buyers check and how to avoid late surprises.
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Heads of terms
What is agreed before due diligence and what stays open.
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The share purchase agreement
The clauses that share out price, risk and liability.
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Who buys a small or mid-sized UK business
Types of buyer and how they differ on price, timing and continuity.
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Family succession or sale: how to decide
Choosing between family succession, a management buyout or a sale.
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