Financial
Know what the proceeds need to make possible.
Your next
exit
on your terms
What entrepreneurs wish they had known before selling their business.
Insights drawn from direct conversations with founders, and Evelyn Partners’ hands on experience advising entrepreneurs through exits and into their next chapter.
“…creating the life you want after the deal is done.”
Adam ParkerRegional Managing Partner, Investment Management
Are you really ready to sell?
Most owners prepare for the transaction. Fewer prepare for everything that comes with it. Readiness means looking at your business, your finances and your life together.
Operational
Prepare the business and the people behind it.
Personal
Define the life you want on the other side.
More than a headline price
A higher offer may mean staying in the business for years. Your financial plan helps you see whether that trade-off fits your goals.
Three kinds of readiness
“Readiness is financial, operational and personal. If you under prepare on any one of those, the process will feel harder than it needs to and your options narrow.”
Ann-Marie AtkinsManaging Partner, Financial Planning · Report, page 3
What does ready mean for you?
Choose the areas you want to discuss.
Build a list of questions to take to your advisers.
A reflection tool, not an assessment or financial advice. Your choices stay on this page.
Deals take time, and probably more than you think
Requests, clarifications and renegotiations can stretch the calendar. Meanwhile, there is still a business to run.
The expectation
An optimistic timeline
A clear finish line, a short handover and the freedom to move on.
The reality
A calendar that fills up
Due diligence, shifting timelines and difficult decisions need sustained attention.
“We actually did our deal in three months, but the first one was nine. If you keep negotiating and you are not getting anywhere, you should stop it.”
Mhairi KennedyCOO, DVCP · Report, page 4 One founder’s experience, not a typical deal timeline.
Protect the day-to-day
Keep the business moving forward
Agree how you will protect operating performance while the sale runs. Your team’s energy is part of the plan.
Create a working rhythm
Organise the work around the deal
- Hold a weekly deal cadence
- Triage new requests together
- Keep a living record of what was shared
Do not underestimate due diligence
Buyers look beyond the numbers. They test how the business works and how your team responds under pressure.
Own the process
Nominate a single internal owner to coordinate requests and keep momentum.
Prepare the detail
Keep your data room organised, current and consistent across reporting and contracts.
Protect your people
Bring finance, legal, operations, HR and commercial leads into the process early.
“…the thing that I wasn’t prepared for was the due diligence and the warranties.”
Graeme GodfreyExited founder & entrepreneur coach · Report, page 5
Advice is often left too late
A common regret is engaging advisers after heads of terms. At that point, there is less scope to shape the deal and the cost of catching up rises.
Bring specialist advisers into the conversation early. Organised data, clear priorities and an aligned legal team help you shape negotiations rather than react to them.
“I would absolutely advocate to start thinking about it early. Get a data room going. Keep that updated.”
Guy HelmanNon-executive Director, Impact Futures · Report, page 6
Your financial plan can help you weigh the proceeds against the life you want. Consider the time you may need to stay involved, your future cash flow and the personal goals behind your decision.
A capable CFO can anticipate questions and prepare the data room. Your wider leadership team, external advisers, friends and family also have a part to play.
Director, Financial Planning
An exit takes an emotional toll
After the sale, the adrenaline fades, routines change and questions of identity can surface.
Give yourself space to define what comes next. And choose support that fits you — your background, your communication style and the way you make decisions.
Working with exceptional women
The report explores women founders’ experiences of underrepresentation, confidence and perfectionism — and how support can respond.
Embracing founder diversity
Neurodiverse founders may benefit from structured agendas, coaching and different ways to communicate and make decisions.
“Advice should fit the founder. Some people want written packs and quiet thinking time. Others want short calls and quick decisions.”
Ann-Marie AtkinsManaging Partner, Financial Planning · Report, page 13
Why Evelyn Partners is different
Our Total Wealth Management approach brings financial planning and investment expertise together, helping entrepreneurs connect their exit with their wider life goals.
Financial
planning Investment
management
planning Investment
management
“Whatever the stage, whatever the challenge, we provide clarity and confidence for what comes next”
Evelyn Partners · Report, page 16
Five things you can start now
Picture your next chapter
Think about the life you want after the deal, not just the price you hope to achieve.
Start the advice conversation
Build relationships before the deal begins, while you still have room to shape it.
Get your data ready
Start an organised data room and keep it up to date as the business evolves.
Strengthen your team
Agree who owns the process and how the business will keep running.
Make room for the personal side
Talk with the people you trust. Plan for your time, energy and sense of purpose after completion.
Gain clarity over what’s next
Whether your exit is years away, already on the horizon or comes as a sudden surprise, now is the time to start the conversation.
Alison FitzsimonsDirector, Business Development / Entrepreneur Lead · Report, page 17
Speak to Evelyn PartnersInsight, not instructions
Every founder’s experience is different. Read the conversations and perspectives behind this guide.
