M&A Advisory for Sellers
Selling Your Business – Comprehensive Support Every Step of the Way
Selling your business is one of the most important financial and personal decisions you’ll make. It’s rarely just about agreeing on a price; it’s about getting the structure, timing, and terms of the deal right to protect the value you’ve built.
At Plan A Financials, we combine expert accountancy knowledge with practical deal advisory to make the sale process as smooth as possible. Our goal is to maximise your after-tax proceeds and guide you confidently from preparation to completion, coordinating all financial and commercial aspects along the way.
Our end-to-end support for sellers includes:
- Deal Structuring & Tax Efficiency – designing your transaction for maximum tax efficiency and commercial clarity.
- Valuation & Negotiation Support – helping you justify your valuation and negotiate fair, robust deal terms.
- Coordination with Legal Teams – reviewing Heads of Terms and ensuring financial details are accurately reflected in all legal documents.
- Net Working Capital Management – handling completion adjustments to protect your final sale price.
- Exit Planning & BADR– structuring your exit for a smooth transition and optimal post-sale tax efficiency.
With Plan A Financials by your side, every stage of your sale is handled methodically, transparently, and efficiently, giving you the confidence to focus on your next chapter.
Deal Structuring & Tax Efficiency
The structure of your transaction has a significant impact on what you ultimately take home. At Plan A Financials, we work closely with you and your accountants to design a deal that is both commercially sound and tax efficient. Whether you are selling shares or assets, accepting a staged payment, or negotiating an earn-out, we model the financial and tax consequences of each option to help you make informed decisions. Early alignment between deal structure, timing, and tax strategy ensures that your proceeds are extracted in the most efficient way, making full use of Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) and other available allowances.
Valuation & Negotiation Support
For smaller, owner-managed businesses, valuation is rarely a straightforward formula; it’s a negotiation. Unlike larger or listed companies with abundant market data, smaller businesses are valued through context, discussion, and the willingness of both parties to reach agreement.
At Plan A Financials, we guide you through this process with clarity and confidence. Using your financial data, we identify the key drivers that influence value, including profitability, recurring income, client retention, and working capital. We then help you prepare the numbers and the narrative to support your expectations in a way buyers can understand and agree with.
Our aim is to move you from the price you ideally hope to achieve to a position that is commercially fair, defensible, and mutually acceptable, ensuring the deal truly reflects the value of your business.
Coordination with Legal Teams
Understanding your Heads of Terms (HoTs) is crucial before legal drafting begins, as these early agreements form the foundation of the Sale & Purchase Agreement (SPA). At Plan A Financials, we help you review and interpret your HoTs so you clearly understand the commercial implications of each clause, including its effect on your sale price, timing, and risk exposure.
Once legal drafting starts, we liaise directly with your solicitors and the buyer’s team to ensure financial clauses and disclosures are accurately reflected in the SPA or Asset Purchase Agreement (APA). Our role is to bridge the gap between commercial understanding and legal language, keeping you informed, reducing unnecessary legal back-and-forth, and maintaining momentum all the way to completion.
Understanding Net Working Capital
Net Working Capital (NWC) adjustments are a common source of disputes in business sales. We help you understand how NWC levels influence your final sale price and prepare accurate schedules early to avoid post-completion surprises. Our analysis ensures that the business’s cash, receivables, and payables at completion are fairly reflected in the transaction price.
For example, if a sale is agreed at £500,000 assuming £50,000 in working capital but only £30,000 is available at completion, we guide you through negotiating appropriate adjustments to protect your position. By proactively managing working capital, we help ensure that the value you’ve built is preserved right through to completion.
Exit Planning & Handover
A successful sale doesn’t stop once the funds are received. At Plan A Financials, we help structure transition and handover arrangements that give both parties confidence in continuity. Whether you remain involved for a defined period or step away immediately, our focus is on ensuring the process is smooth, commercially sound, and stress-free. We also assist in modelling how sale proceeds can be withdrawn efficiently, optimising both tax outcomes and personal cash flow.
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) & Capital Gains Tax
When selling your business, the most important question is: how much will you keep after tax? We help you understand the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) implications of your sale and structure the transaction to make the most of available reliefs.
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR), formerly Entrepreneurs’ Relief, can significantly reduce CGT on qualifying gains. With rates rising to 14% in April 2025 and 18% in April 2026, planning ahead can deliver meaningful savings. BADR applies to a lifetime limit of £1 million in qualifying gains per individual.
For many owner-managed businesses, BADR is available on share sales or Members’ Voluntary Liquidations (MVLs), particularly where retained profits exceed £25,000. In these cases, distributions can often be treated as capital rather than income, giving a much lower tax rate.
We work closely with your accountants to confirm eligibility, assess timing, and structure your exit, helping you retain the maximum value from the business you’ve built.
Pricing for Sellers
At Plan A Financials, we specialise in small and micro-business transactions with deal values up to £1.5 million. This focus allows us to provide a director-led, hands-on service that larger corporate finance firms rarely offer at this level.
Our seller-side advisory fees are fixed or capped upfront and may include a success-linked element for more complex or performance-based sales. Fees are proportionate to the scope and structure of your deal, with full transparency and no hidden costs.
| Deal Value | Typical Advisory Fee (ex. VAT) | Scope Highlights |
| Up to £250,000 | £3,000 + VAT | Deal structuring, tax efficiency, BADR review, valuation support |
| £250,000 – £500,000 | £5,000 + VAT | Working-capital schedules, SPA financial review, completion support |
| £500,000 – £1.5m | From £7,000 + VAT | Broader tax modelling, multi-entity coordination, post-sale withdrawal strategy |
Our quoted fee remains valid until completion or until the buyer requests a review of updated financial statements. If a new accounting period begins or fresh management accounts are needed, additional review work may be required, with any revised quotation provided in advance.
These fees cover end-to-end sell-side support, from deal structuring and negotiation through to completion, ensuring your exit is well-planned, compliant, and tax-efficient.
Ready to Begin Your Exit?
Selling your business is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it deserves the same care and precision you’ve invested in building it. At Plan A Financials, we provide experienced, numbers-driven advisory support to help you achieve a smooth, profitable, and tax-efficient exit.
Get in touch today for a confidential conversation about your valuation, deal structure, and tax planning – and take the first step towards maximising the value of your business.
Why Choose Plan-A?
Partnering with Plan-A means entrusting your limited company’s accounting to professionals who are committed to your success. From ensuring compliance to driving growth, we tailor our services to meet your needs. Let us take the financial burden off your shoulders, so you can focus on what matters most—building your business.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR), previously known as Entrepreneurs’ Relief, offers business owners a significant tax advantage. It enables them to pay a reduced Capital Gains Tax rate – currently 10% – when selling or winding down a qualifying business. This rate is set to increase to 14% in April 2025 and 18% in April 2026, making timely planning essential.
We manage all the financial, structural, and tax elements of your transaction, ensuring everything runs efficiently. You’ll still need a solicitor to handle the legal documents and contracts, but we collaborate closely with them to make the entire process seamless and stress-free.
A roll-up acquisition occurs when a business or investor acquires several smaller companies within the same sector. The goal is to consolidate operations, boost market share, and benefit from economies of scale. This approach is especially effective in industries that are fragmented, offering opportunities for growth and efficiency.
For small and micro-businesses, transactions can often be completed within 8–16 weeks, though timelines depend on factors such as the complexity of the deal, the quality of financial records, and the pace of negotiations.
Without expert guidance, sellers can miss out on potential value, while buyers may overpay or overlook important risks. Our role is to ensure your transaction is financially robust, properly structured, and tax-efficient, giving you confidence at every stage of the deal.
No. We work on a transparent flat-fee basis, calculated according to the size of your deal. This means you know your costs upfront and can retain more of your transaction proceeds.
Absolutely. As both accountants and deal advisers, we can continue to support you post-completion, handling bookkeeping, payroll, compliance, and tax planning to keep your business running smoothly.