Selling my business

We absolutely understand that confidentiality is a huge concern for any company owner contemplating selling their company. In order to protect your company’s identity throughout the sale process we only communicate sensitive information to potential buyers once you have personally authorised for this to happen.  Initially we produce a confidential teaser, which would be signed off by yourselves, the purpose of which is to present the opportunity but crucially protecting your identity at this early stage.

Full sales information, again approved by yourself, will only be released once you have agreed this and only after a non-disclosure agreement has been signed. We then work hard to contain the process so that leakage is a minimal risk.

Leith are different to many advisors in this regard. The sale process in terms of buyer/client meetings and all negotiations are handled personally by our MD. The research team work incredibly tenaciously behind the scenes to produce meaningful results and keep you up to date on progress. We purposefully put restrictions on the number of clients we handle so we can maintain the intense and bespoke service we provide for all our clients.

Our process is research led, meaning we identify your buyers and take the opportunity to them. Using a market leading global company databases we can access the records of 99% of private companies. We also have access to the latest M&A transaction databases and a market leading private equity database. We also have access to international market leading M&A portals where each of our opportunities are posted.  We utilise these assets to create a list of tailored buyers for each project based on recent acquisitions, company profiling and private equity portfolios. Our clients have the final say over who we approach and when. Once the list is approved we will contact the senior decision makers to present the opportunity. There is nothing passive or reactive about how we operate.

Our role is twofold, firstly to identify the market through research and then to support and execute the transaction. We are not brokers in the sense of putting two parties together and letting them get on with it. We support the entire transaction from the preparation of sales literature, to research and identification of prospective purchasers, chairing meetings, negotiating the transaction, supporting the due diligence process and handling all contract negotiations in conjunction with your chosen legal and accounting professionals. Essentially we are the conduit through which everything flows and everything is held together. We are there alongside our clients from the first meeting to the completion meeting.

We have preferred teams that we work with regularly. Because they have faith in the way we work and our involvement in the process we are able to keep these costs to a minimum.

This is crucial to any process. We are fully transparent in our work throughout the process. All our clients have access to live documents and platforms throughout the research process and our Microsoft Dynamics CRM system has been fully tailored to our process to ensure that we are able to report on every stage of the process.

Yes, we essentially become a member of your team and we are always on hand to support and guide you through the process.

It can vary dramatically from a few months to over twelve months. The key is not rushing the process but rather ensuring that it is managed carefully and as thoroughly as possible as this will lead to us achieving the optimum deal value for you.