Support with selling a business

Managing the delicate process of selling a business with empathy, efficiency, and integrity.

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98% net promoter score

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62% first-time success rate

Phone

11,206 acquirer phone calls per year

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Sell your business at the right time, to the right
buyer

Get exceptional sell-side merger and acquisition (M&A) support to guide you through every step of your business sale. We pride ourselves on our thorough, transparent, and holistic approach that keeps you informed and puts your needs first.

Advice
Talk to our experts before making a commitment. We’ll lend an ear and give you free, impartial advice about the market, your needs, and your options.
Exploration
We’ll get to know your business inside out and offer guidance on how to approach the sale, whether that means you’re better off waiting, restructuring first, or are ready for the market now.
Preparation and planning

Get ready to go to market with confidence. We’ll hand-pick potential buyers, carry out rigorous research and a financial review, then prepare easy-to-digest documentation to facilitate interest.

Go to market (G2M)
A targeted, meticulous approach and smart technology qualifies suitable potential buyers efficiently – our record from this stage to sending an information memorandum (IM) is 44 minutes!
Meetings

Help the sale run smoothly and get comfortable with acquirers. Selling a business isn’t about numbers alone. Affinity with buyers is critical in protecting the goals and success of your company.

Offers and negotiation
Rely on our knowledge and experience to navigate offers, understanding shareholder flow, risks, benefits, and more. We’ll protect your best interests and regularly update you on progress.
Heads of terms
We’ll work with your lawyers to agree heads of terms. Interpreting this information can impact your transaction value by 10%-30%, so it’s an important step for agreeing terms and milestones.
Due diligence

As lawyers write up contracts and interrogate your business, we’re here to negotiate commercial terms, find solutions to problems that arise, and maintain momentum.

Completion
Nerve-wracking and joyous in equal measure, completion often involves last-minute changes. We’re right by your side to guide buyers and field queries about the business and the terms of sale.

Where are you on your journey?

Selling a business is a big decision. Many CapEQ experts have owned and sold their own businesses, so we know how you feel. Whatever your reasons are, we’re here to help.

Finding a partner

Combining strategy and chemistry

How do you find your ideal business growth consultants? Here are some key traits to look for before making a commitment.

Whatever help you need in M&A, experience matters. A partner who's in your corner will overcome fears and frustrations to find mutual gains.

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Trust and confidentiality are paramount at such a pivotal point in your business’ history. Get a partner that understands this intrinsically to minimise commercial risk.

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Focus on level of experience and commercial knowledge. Deep understanding coupled with great problem solving and critical thinking contributes to successful, smooth-running sales.

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Look for rigorous researchers, financial analysts, and powerful negotiators that make sure no stone is left unturned to get you the best possible results from a sale.

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Expect full transparency, regular updates, clear processes, realistic milestones, and communicators that command a room to deliver accurate, poignant information during those crucial presentations.

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For a partner, the best part of selling a business is getting to know the owner and their business to find a buyer who’ll look after its future. That takes time, patience, and inquisitiveness.

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Happy customers

“Thank you for helping me and my partners when we sold our business. If you repeat the success we had under your leadership, which I am certain you will do, you and your clients will both be extremely successful going forward. I believe due to your personal efforts, we received 25 to 50% more for our business than we would have otherwise.

The process you laid out and the effort you expended, along with your professional attitude and personality kept the discussions going with multiple suitors, even with some very difficult and tough negotiators.”

Bill Bridges

Owner of Biokinetics

“They say, ‘don’t start a business without an exit strategy’ and we say, ‘don’t start your exit strategy without Mark Sapsford!”.

ProScribe Medical Communications

Co-founders of ProScribe Medical Communications

“When we met I was obviously impressed with the list of successful and well-known companies you had already represented but what impressed more was the clarity of your description on what was realistic, what was going to be required in terms of work from my-side but also the detailed and personal input you would provide in terms of putting together the sales prospectus, seeking interest from the market, introducing me to the legal team and then attending each and every sales presentation to guide me through what was obviously going to be quite a stressful process.”

Bill Oakdon

Shareholder of Companions Homecare

"After initial discussions with our eventual acquirer, it became    clear that we needed an experienced M&A advisor to guide us through negotiations to completion.  Mark Sapsford at CapEQ was recommended to me, and we hit it off straight away. Mark’s personal energy, attention to detail and    problem-solving skills proved vital to smooth the path to get everything over the line.”

Polly Branney

Founder Oxford ADHD & Autism Centre

“I appointed CapEQ as advisors for the sale of my business after long and then shortlisting around 10 M&A advisors. All advisors have the same process on paper but I liked the depth of the team that would work on the project, as well as the domain expertise in the software industry. Following the transaction close my non-exec chairman has introduced CaqEQ to a couple of other opportunities. I couldn’t be more pleased with them!”

John Paterson

Founder Really Simple Systems

“James was the Deal Leader in the sale of my majority shareholding in Vegetarian Express in September 2016. He guided us through face-to-face meetings with multiple interested parties, and led the final negotiations with short-listed bidders with great professionalism. I owe the optimisation of deal value to his great skill and experience in M&A, and prior understanding and experience in working with SMEs.”

David Jonas

Founder Vegetarian Express

They say ‘don’t start a business without an exit strategy’. We say ‘don’t start your exit strategy without Mark Sapsford!’. It will be one of the best decisions of your business career.

After careful consideration of international business brokers to assist us with the sale of our Australian company, we selected Mark Sapsford, who was based in the UK.

The time zone difference was never a problem. Mark was very flexible in meeting with us and always sounded enthusiastic to speak with us…even on those early morning calls!   Mark used his considerable experience to carefully guide us through the entire sales process. His welcoming and reassuring nature and his expertise and experience made the process relatively stress-free and - dare we say it - enjoyable!

Karen & Mark Woolley

Co-founders Proscribe Medical Communications

Doug was our advisor when we sold our business in 2015. It is hard to overstate his expertise and skill in this role. His ability to navigate the turmoil of a business sale with consummate calm and to instantly identify creative ways round every single barrier is second to none.

His personable and gentle nature, combined with his obvious insight and knowledgeability, helps him to earn trust, gain respect and build a solid rapport with every stakeholder in the process, including the buyer.

It could have been so much more nerve-wracking…but having someone as able and talented Doug managing our sale took away so much worry. If we did it again, we’d want to have Doug by our side every single time.”

Alicia Pearlstone

PCM Scientific

“James worked tirelessly with us throughout the transaction and took great lengths to understand not only the nature of our business on a commercial level, but also the fabric of the company and the importance of the workforce to that commercial success. 

He spent many hours building relationships with all shareholders, and so had full understanding of what a ‘good’ deal for all of us looked like.

He managed different personalities through stressful periods, and his ability to formulate and explain bidding strategies and manage our expectations - plus being ever-present - gave us huge confidence that we were in safe hands throughout the whole process. It’s certainly felt by us all that James’ substantial knowledge and personality ensured that the transaction was completed successfully.”

Jeff Martin

Commercial Director Wireless Innovation

Relevant resources

Dive into our knowledge base to learn more about the M&A landscape and get great advice from our experts.

M&A market outlook: trends and strategies for 2024

M&A market outlook: trends and strategies for 2024

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, mergers and acquisitions are emerging as a vital strategic lever to navigate for CEOs to navigate the seismic shifts in technology, sustainability, and consumer demands.

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