Find the right M&A adviser to sell your business

Promising the highest price at the first meeting costs an adviser nothing. What counts is a record of comparable completed deals, a clear view of which buyers can actually pay, and a confidential, competitive process run in your interest.

Find an adviser See the sale process

We search, check and give you the context to decide

Corporate finance boutiques, business brokers and the corporate finance teams of accountancy firms all sell owner-managed companies. Which one suits you depends on size, sector and the buyers you need to reach. If none of the firms we know fits, we go and find one and check it before you meet them.

01
Confidential request
Tell us your sector, size, objectives and timing. We don't need your company's name to start and we don't share your request with anyone.
02
Defining the profile
We work out what experience your deal needs: sector, deal size, the likely type of buyer, geographic reach and expected complexity.
03
Searching advisers we have vetted
We start with firms that have already passed our checks and look for completed deals comparable to yours.
04
Searching further afield
If none of them fits, we widen the search. A new firm is not put in front of you until we have checked its track record, team and way of working against the criteria below.
05
Checking and shortlisting
We compare references, buyer access, process, capacity, fees, exclusivity and tail period. You receive a small number of profiles with the differences between them explained.
06
Conversations and your choice
You speak to as many of the shortlisted advisers as you like, compare proposals on the same basis and decide whether to sign. The engagement letter is agreed directly with the firm you choose.

What an adviser must show before we introduce them

These are the checks a firm has to pass before we put it in front of an owner. We don't publish a list of firms. Each introduction is made for one owner and one deal.

Completed deals in your size band

At least three sell-side deals completed in the last five years for companies with roughly £1m to £30m revenue. We verify them through completion announcements, Companies House filings or the former owners.

References from sellers

Conversations with at least two former clients, picked by us from the firm's deal list, about how the process actually went and whether the fees matched what was promised.

Professional indemnity insurance

Current PI cover at a level that fits the deals the firm advises on, with the certificate sent to us at each renewal.

Fees in writing before you sign

A written fee proposal for every owner before any engagement letter: retainer, success fee, minimum fee, expenses, exclusivity and tail period, with nothing left for later.

Clean records

Companies House checks on the firm and its directors. If a firm tells us it is authorised by the FCA, we check its entry on the Financial Services Register ourselves.

No conflicts, and your feedback counts

The firm may not act for the buyer on the same deal. It also accepts that we ask for your feedback when the process ends, whether or not the company sold. Firms that fall short stop receiving introductions.

What sets a good M&A adviser apart

The right choice raises the odds of finding the right buyer and getting the best mix of price, terms and certainty of completion.

Proven experience of comparable deals

They should have completed sales of companies of a similar sector, size or complexity. Ask what role the people who would work on your deal actually played in those sales.

A considered buyer search

A good adviser does more than mail a database. They explain which trade buyers, private equity houses or family offices are likely to pay most for your company, why, and how they will reach the decision maker.

Senior people with enough time

Find out who will lead the process, who will do the daily work and how many mandates each person is running. The partner who pitches should stay involved after you sign.

Method, confidentiality and competition

Expect an anonymous teaser, signed NDAs and information released in stages, with several buyers kept in play for as long as it makes sense, so you never depend on one bidder.

A clear engagement letter with aligned incentives

Scope, timetable, retainer, success fee, expenses, exclusivity and tail period should all be in writing. The fee should reward completing the deal without pushing you towards an offer that is wrong for you. In the UK many advisers charge a retainer plus a success fee that falls as a percentage as the price rises, a modern take on the old Lehman scale.