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Buy a Business
Our buy-side brokerage services are designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.
We believe that buying a business worth millions of pounds is a much smoother process when you have expert-level insight.
When you work with Acquisition Advisory, your account will always be managed by someone at director level, who knows the difference between a good business and a great one.
We promise better service, deeper expertise and ultimately - a higher chance of successful completion on deals that suit you.
What We Do (And Why We Do It)
If you were to ask any of our team about how Acquisition Advisory started, they will more than likely tell you the same thing.
Acquisition Advisory was founded because our team was regularly using UK M&A buy-side brokerage businesses to build our own portfolio - and we were regularly left frustrated.
What would begin as an exciting relationship with a new broker soon fell flat when we were palmed off to a junior account manager. We couldn't find a brokerage partner who constantly provided real business insight and expertise.
We also were left wanting by the service we received. In any other industry, good service, quick communication and transparency are the minimum expectations - but we didn't feel that they were being met.
Finally, we often found that other brokers' motivations were often misaligned. Often, the payment structures used they used gave them the wrong incentives - and we felt ourselves getting pushed towards deals that would cut them the biggest cheque, rather than those that would give us the best chance of long-term success for our portfolio.
That's why we decided to start Acquisition Advisory. We are a boutique brokerage, who see ourselves less as being 'brokers on a deal' and more as partners - who can advise you on every aspect of buying a business and subsequently running it.
So what we do is actually very simple. We provide you what we consider the best service in the M&A Brokerage market by partnering you with a director level partner from our firm. We provide you with best-in-class strategic level thinking throughout the process of acquiring a company. And throughout the journey, we always make sure that our incentives are aligned with your motivation - to acquire companies that give you the best chance of long-term success.
Deal Origination
The most important thing to know about our Deal Origination service is that throughout the process, your contact at Acquisition Advisory will always be a senior commercial person with C-suite level experience or higher. You will be speaking at the level of business director to business director.
That means we can have a highly informed strategic conversation about what you need and why. Starting with your specific needs, we will work with you to shape your criteria and ensure that the target companies we source are right for you. That may be based on industry, financial performance, valuation, strategic fit - or any other needs you may have.
We believe these conversations are a lot more productive when they are owner-to-owner, entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur or investor-to-investor - rather than when they are with a junior level account manager.
Once we have defined your criteria, our tailored deal flow ensures that you have a regular stream of relevant opportunities - both on-market and off-market.
Acquisition Advisory's deal origination team are marketeers. We don't shy away from using online databases, patent filings and even social media to identify off-market targets that are not on others' radar.
Criteria
Working with you to define the criteria for target acquisitisions
Sourcing
Building a list of target acquisitions (both on and off market)
Engagement
Qualifying and engaging potential sellers on your behalf
Screening
Assessment of the seller's motivation, financials, and business health.
Introduction
An initial meet and greet, usually as an introductory call
Financing
Understanding the right financing is crucial for the success of any investment or acquisition.
Acquisition Advisory has an in-house finance team who can help you structure venture and debt financing, enabling you to purchase target companies with peace of mind.
With over 100 transactions under our belts, our experts can advise you on every element of structuring a deal. We can give you guidance you on matters including when to use your own money versus debt, and how to cut deals between cash, deferred consideration and rollover.
Should you wish to use external financial providers or firms, we a wide panel of debt providers and advisors, and can help you understand their rates and costs.
Ultimately we are there to guide you through the process of structuring a debt package that aligns with your financial strategy and risk tolerance - whatever that may look like.
Structure
Defining the optimal financial structure for your deal
Financing
Identifying and securing the right funding sources
Negotiation
Navigating terms to get you the best possible buy price
Legal Expertise
Being meticulous about terms and agreements
Heads of Terms
Assisting you through the process of signing the term sheet
Due Diligence
The Acquisition Advisory team has completed over a hundred deals and will support you through the process of detailed legal, financial, cultural and operational due diligence. We aim to paint detailed picture of every aspect of your target acquisition, giving you the confidence to make fully informed decisions - and we leave no stone unturned in doing so.
Financial
Financial
Our in-house financial team will meticulously ensure you understand every single line of a companies financial history - and the issues and challenges that they may present. We help you resolve any concerns proactively, ensuring they are properly addressed in the Share Purchase Agreement.
From structuring the right warranties to mitigating financial risks, we safeguard your investment—so you can be confident that you are acquiring exactly what you expect. Our expertise ensures that no financial surprises arise post-transaction, protecting your interests every step of the way.
Legal
Legal
Acquisition Advisory boasts an in-house legal team who have successfully completed over 100 deals, giving us deep expertise in navigating the complexities of M&A transactions. We can conduct a thorough legal review of all contracts, agreements, and potential liabilities to ensure there are no hidden risks that could impact your investment... By now, this is second nature for us!
Should you need it, we can also connect you with a panel of independent 3rd party advisors, helping you negotiate deals and understand difference between a good and bad price.
Either way, you can move forward with confidence, knowing that every legal detail has been handled to safeguard your investment.
Operational
Operational
The process of acquiring a company is only the first step - once you complete on a deal, you need to run it! A big part of operational due diligence is understanding how the company functions day-to-day and where efficiencies can be gained. This might include analysis of supply chains, technology systems and workflows - to uncover potential bottlenecks or scalability issues.
We can also give you a steer on second tier management, assist with finding non-executive directors that can assist with any operational holes - and filling any other gaps that may be needed. We see ourselves as partners for your deal, but also beyond - so we do everything we can to set you up for future success.
Cultural
Cultural
The process of acquiring a company is only the first step - once you complete on a deal, you need to run it! A big part of operational due diligence is understanding how the company functions day-to-day and where efficiencies can be gained. This might include analysis of supply chains, technology systems and workflows - to uncover potential bottlenecks or scalability issues.
We can also give you a steer on second tier management, assist with finding non-executive directors that can assist with any operational holes - and filling any other gaps that may be needed. We see ourselves as partners for your deal, but also beyond - so we do everything we can to set you up for future success.
Closing & Post-Close
What does success look like for us? Of course, helping you successfully acquire the perfect company is the long and short of it, but our service needn't stop there.
After a lot of work up until this point, you are now effectively ready to take over this business - including the management, team and day-to-day. And we are still with you if you need us!
That may include working with you on an integration plan - for example, a hundred day plan that will give you the best chance of taking the reigns smoothly and bringing the business under your control
Our wider group can support you in a variety of ways. We can link you with services ranging from finance & accountancy functions to recruitment and cultural consultancy.
It's worth mentioning that by the point at which your deal has gone through, we'll have gotten to know each other quite well. We hope that you would enjoy continuing to work with us, perhaps with bolt-on acquisitions, other services or anything else that may contribute to your long term success.
On top of that we are always more than happy to share a well-deserved glass of bubbly in celebration of your new & successful acquisition!
Our Sectors
Acquisition Advisory have extensive experience working across a range of industries, allowing us to identify opportunities and deliver tailored solutions across various sectors.
We are able to source acquisitions in manufacturing, financial services, technology, healthcare, energy, real estate, consumer goods, telecommunications and much more.
From emerging startups to established enterprises, we are equipped to address the unique challenges and opportunities across industries, and to provide guidance and strategic advice - all to help you achieve your investment goals.
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