Business Acquisition

What the buyer is actually acquiring

When buying an operating company, an investor acquires not revenue and equipment but a system: liabilities, contracts, staff, a client base, and the degree to which the business depends on its current owner. The asking price or the seller's pitch therefore says nothing on its own about the quality of the investment.

What to verify before the deal

• revenue, actual profit, and cash flow;
• expenses, debts, and other liabilities;
• tax position and legal structure;
• key contracts: lease, suppliers, licences;
• employees and team retention after the change of owner;
• client base and revenue concentration;
• assets: what is actually transferred with the business;
• how far the business depends on the owner, and the reasons for selling.

Accounting, tax, and legal due diligence is carried out by specialists in those fields. My role is to organise the review of the business before purchase and bring the findings together into a single investment picture.

The seller's price and the value of the business

The asking price is not the same as investment value. A business valuation shows how far the price is supported by cash flow, assets, the durability of the model, the risks identified, and the company's prospects after the change of owner.

After the deal closes

A deal does not end at signing. The handover of management, the transition period with the previous owner, retaining the team, and transferring key processes all determine whether the business holds its quality.

If buying a business is still just an idea at this stage, start with a pre-investment assessment. If a specific company has already been chosen, the next step is a deal audit. Once the decision is made, the next step is deal support.