Thinking about selling your company? We’re on hand to help you prepare for a successful sale. Just read this – our handy guide to all things ‘transaction support’ – and do not hesitate to contact the team here at Arnold Hill & Co if you require more information about the process.
How can I ensure a smooth sale?
When your decisions are underpinned by sound financial insights and due diligence, the chances of a successful outcome are higher. Not only will choosing our team help protect you against risks, Arnold Hill & Co can help support your company’s future growth and success too.
It’s worth knowing that no two transactions are the same, though, but thanks to our decades of expertise supporting businesses like yours across many industries and sectors, we can help with anything from acquisitions to disposals, divestments, and restructuring.
What tax support do I need when selling a company?
We can support your business through every stage of the transaction process, helping you assess each opportunity by delivering objective advice. This will help you decide the best route for you, as well as how to progress and structure the deal.
What’s more, our due diligence service allows you to ensure that the financial aspects of any transaction are thoroughly integrated. We also provide post-acquisition support, such as service consolidation, and we’ll always tailor our advice to the needs and goals of your company.
In doing so, we’ll consider your long-term objectives, and we’ll highlight any challenges you might want to consider.
Preparing a sale: what do I need to ask myself?
- Why am I selling?
- What’s my ideal timeline?
- What are my financial expectations?
- Am I open to different types of buyers (e.g., strategic buyers, private equity, management buyouts)?
To help you, we’ve pulled together a handy guide to preparing for a sale – you can read more here: Preparing Your Business For Sale: What to consider.
What about due diligence?
Buyers who are interested in your company will conduct thorough due diligence, which means you must ensure your financials are accurate and transparent. You can do this by:
- Preparing at least three years of reviewed financial statements (these can be audited or unaudited)
- Ensuring tax filings are up to date
- Identifying and resolving any discrepancies in financial records
- Creating clear cash flow and profitability projections.
Again, we’ve put together an article Due Diligence in M&A,which details the process and provides a handy checklist, allowing you to see what you need to do to ensure a smooth transaction from start to finish.
What about tax considerations?
If you’re wondering what the tax issues are when selling a company, wonder no more. We are here to provide all the advice you need, from whether you need to pay Capital Gains Tax as well as Corporation Tax, to if you’ll simply need to pay income tax. The latter is generally the case if you’re a sole trader or operate a business partnership.
We support clients in introducing and maintaining government-approved tax-efficient schemes. By doing so, we can minimise your liabilities, including:
- Seed Enterprise Investment Schemes (SEIS)
- Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS)
- Employment Management Incentive Schemes (EMI)
Structuring for acquisitions: what do I do next?
Our Corporate Finance team has extensive experience in business sales, mergers, and acquisitions.
We provide end-to-end advisory services, from preparing your business for sale to post-acquisition planning, so do not hesitate to get in touch if you require our help when it comes to maximising value and achieving your unique financial objectives.
Where can I learn more?
Acquiring, restructuring, and selling businesses can be a risky and complicated process – but only if you don’t have the right team at your side. If you’re keen to learn more about our transaction support service, contact Arnold Hill & Co via telephone, on 020 7306 9100, or email at info@ArnoldHill.co.uk
You can also delve into a brimming archive of blog posts here on our site, picking up advice on a host of topics relating to running a business.
Author, Michael Haig - Corporation Tax Partner
