Counsel for owners ready to sell a stake or the entire company, and for companies with an acquisition in view, led by one partner from start to finish.
An owner usually gets one chance to sell. The terms struck in that single negotiation settle family wealth, the future of long-serving staff, and the standing of a name that may have hung over the door for decades.
We therefore begin by listening. Headline price is one aim among several: who the buyer will be, how employees are treated, whether you stay on, how much is paid in cash on the day and how much is deferred, and what remains after tax. Once those aims are ranked, the sale is designed to serve them.
Then the company is made ready to be examined. Weak spots in the accounts are dealt with before a buyer can find them, its strengths are explained in terms an acquirer will pay for, and the bidder list is kept tight enough to guard your privacy while still producing real rivalry.
Acquirers receive the same discipline pointed the opposite way. We agree a rationale for the purchase, research candidates patiently, contact owners quietly, and hold valuation to what the numbers support rather than what excitement suggests.
Most of our M&A clients fall into one of three groups.
You grew the company from nothing and care as much about who takes it over as about what they pay.
Ownership is shared, and the transaction must reconcile people with differing hopes and timeframes.
You expand by buying businesses, and you need someone to locate, price, and secure the right one.
Six mandates, each carried by a partner from the opening meeting until funds change hands.
We conduct a competitive sale of the whole company. That means preparing the business to withstand examination, finding strategic and financial buyers with a genuine motive, deciding what each bidder learns and at what point, and bargaining over value, structure, and terms until funding. No serious bid reaches you without context.
Suited to: owners intending to transfer every share.
An outside investor purchases a portion of the equity. You receive cash at closing, retain a substantial holding, and in most arrangements keep running the company day to day. We seek investors whose ambitions match yours and settle the governance rights that come with their capital.
Suited to: owners wanting cash in hand while staying involved.
For acquirers, everything from setting criteria to signing. We sharpen the profile of the ideal target, research and rank candidates, make confidential first contact with their owners, build the valuation, and run negotiation and diligence.
Suited to: companies and investors pursuing a purchase.
The executives who run the business become its owners, financed by bank lending, deferred payment to you, and sometimes a minority investor. We broker a price both sides accept and borrowing levels the business can carry with room to spare.
Suited to: owners who would prefer their own leadership to succeed them.
Shares pass to sons, daughters, or other relatives on the basis of an independent valuation, a funding plan that works, and written agreements covering the matters relatives tend to avoid discussing.
Suited to: family firms with a successor generation prepared to take charge.
The sale of one division, subsidiary, or product line. Employees, contracts, and systems that serve more than one unit are separated beforehand, so the purchaser takes over a self-contained operation and your remaining business carries on undisturbed.
Suited to: groups concentrating on their core activities.
A sale typically spans two to three quarters. Below are the stages, their usual length, and your part in each.
Our team reads through your financial statements, customer base, contracts, leadership, and competition. You receive an honest valuation range together with the questions bidders will almost certainly put.
From you: access to your records and a handful of working sessions.
The valuation model and the confidential memorandum are produced, a secure online data room is set up, and together we agree which parties to invite.
From you: papers when requested and your notes on every draft.
Prospective acquirers first see an anonymous two-page teaser. Once bound by confidentiality, they review the complete materials, meet the leadership team, and submit preliminary proposals.
From you: rehearsal for, and a seat at, the buyer meetings.
Bids are ranked on price, structure, and likelihood of completion. The leading parties are pressed to improve, and the chosen one signs a letter of intent.
From you: choices on the compromises you care about most.
Working with your attorneys and accountants, we oversee final diligence and the purchase contract and keep everyone to the schedule until the money moves.
From you: fast responses and a company that keeps delivering results.
Four commitments every M&A client receives.
The partner at the first meeting is the one at the negotiating table.
If patience would earn you more, we will recommend it.
A short note each week on bidder interest and what comes next.
Most of our reward arrives only at completion.
It depends on earnings, growth, customer concentration, management strength, and the particular benefits a given acquirer expects to gain. We share an early estimate and identify which factors carry the most weight.
Ideally one to two years. That gives time to clean up the books, reduce reliance on a few accounts or on yourself, and wait for a receptive market.
Only when you choose. Bidders sign confidentiality undertakings before your identity is disclosed, and we decide together when and how your team is told.
Trade buyers in your field or close to it, buyout funds, and wealthy families investing directly. Each judges value by its own yardstick, so involving more than one type usually improves the outcome.
Certainly. A partial sale lets you bank part of your equity, keep the balance, and often remain at the head of the company.
Acquirers normally request a handover, and its duration is settled before signing. Sellers who keep shares often choose to remain for longer.
The purchaser checks your accounts, contracts, customers, and operations to verify what it is buying. Thorough groundwork makes this phase shorter and limits unwelcome discoveries.
A modest monthly retainer during preparation, then a fee at completion linked to the result. Everything is agreed in a written engagement letter beforehand.
Tell us briefly what the business does and the choice you face. Every message is read by a partner, who replies in person, and nothing you send goes further.
info@sablewoodpartners.co