CapEQ M&A Team - David Lewis - Head of Transaction Support

Transaction Support.

Whether you are selling a business, buying one or raising finance, the story behind the numbers will be a key part of a successful outcome.  
Our transaction support service provides a fresh perspective and experienced resource at critical time. 
As well as supporting CapEQ clients we can also provide support to others on a standalone basis.

Selling a business

If you aim to sell your business, before money changes hands the buyer will want to know that ‘what’s on the label is in the tin’.  Expect the buyer’s accountants to request lots of information and ask searching due diligence questions.  At the same time the business will need to be kept on track!

It is worth considering whether your team has the bandwidth and experience to cope with due diligence.  If you are unsure you may wish to complete this questionnaire.

The type of client support varies with each assignment but typically includes:

  • Compiling information
  • Reviewing and re-presenting information to ensure it meets the buyer’s needs and anticipates follow-on questions or problems
  • Specialist support to deal with tricky areas such as financial projections and assessing working capital needs.

With our support, you will be able to…

  • Improve the buyer’s confidence in the numbers, speed up the deal and protect/enhance the final price.
  • Create more bandwidth for management to keep the business on track.
  • Improve the chances of getting the deal over the line.

“Thank you so much for all you have done during this often challenging time. We couldn’t have done it without you.” – partner, small accountancy practice

Buying a business

If you’re planning to buy an existing business, you’ll need to carry out due diligence to explore the financial track record and prospects and to delve into specific aspects to identify and explain anomalies.

When you buy a business it’s important to know how it’s been doing, but also to look to the future. Knowing the questions to ask, having the instinct to probe and understand what the figures really mean is essential.

We provide due diligence support to M&A departments, to carry out or assist with preliminary due diligence. We also support small accountancy firms with the non-tax aspects of due diligence.

“[David’s] attention to detail is impressive, backed with clear advice and guidance making the whole process significantly less daunting.” – client business owner

Raising finance

We also help clients work out the best way to fund transactions, whether through increasing debt or taking on an equity investor and partner.

The Transaction Support team are adept at supporting companies preparing for an investor roadshow by making sure the numbers make sense to maintain confidence and momentum needed for successful negotiations.

For more detail contact david.lewis@capeq.com