A guide to the process

Planning Before You Sell Your Business

For business owners who are considering or approaching a sale, the period before a transaction presents significant planning opportunities.

Decisions made in the months and years prior can materially affect the financial outcome for founders and shareholders. A considered, structured approach allows for the alignment of personal objectives with commercial timelines.

Pension funding strategy

Structuring pension contributions to make effective use of available allowances and reliefs ahead of a transaction.

Share structuring

Reviewing the ownership and class structure of shares to support tax-efficient outcomes on disposal.

Business Asset Disposal Relief

Evaluating qualification criteria and structuring holdings to preserve access to reduced capital gains tax rates.

Cashflow modelling

Projecting lifetime income requirements against potential sale proceeds to inform pricing expectations and timing.

Pre-exit tax positioning

Coordinating income, capital and inheritance tax positions to create a coherent pre-sale financial framework.

Financial Planning During a Business Sale

During an active transaction, financial planning operates within defined boundaries. The priority is to complement the work of corporate finance advisers and legal counsel, providing structured financial guidance without introducing complexity into the deal process.

01
Managing liquidity events
Coordinating the receipt and deployment of capital during phased completions and deferred consideration structures.

02
Concentration risk
Assessing and managing the transition from concentrated business wealth to a diversified financial portfolio.

03
Temporary capital management
Positioning interim capital in appropriate vehicles while long-term investment strategy is established.

04
Working alongside Corporate Finance firms
Providing complementary financial planning support without encroaching on the transaction advisory process.

05
Non-interference principle
Maintaining clear professional boundaries to support a clean and efficient transaction process.

Managing Wealth After a Business Exit

A business exit often represents the most significant financial event in a founder's life.

The transition from entrepreneurial wealth to invested capital requires integrated financial planning and disciplined investment management — working together to support long-term financial security.

Investment strategy post-liquidity

Establishing a long-term investment framework aligned with personal objectives, risk capacity and income requirements.

Tax structuring

Coordinating capital gains, income and inheritance tax positions across the household to support efficient wealth retention.

Intergenerational planning

Developing structured approaches to wealth transfer, family governance and the involvement of future generations.

Corporate surplus cash

Advising on the retention, extraction or reinvestment of surplus capital held within corporate structures.

Long-term income modelling

Projecting sustainable income from invested capital against lifetime expenditure assumptions and inflation scenarios.

What next?

Case Study

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Insight: Protecting your business

Running a business is both rewarding and demanding. As a business owner or in a partnership, you might wear many hats - leader, strategist, marketer, technical expert and often, the financial backbone of your enterprise. But amid the hustle of daily operations, one crucial aspect often gets overlooked: protecting yourself, family and your business or fellow partners against life’s uncertainties.