Tom was a critical part of the advisory team in our eventual sale to a NYSE‑listed buyer. He helped us understand what a buyer would scrutinise, where we needed to strengthen our story, and how to prepare long before diligence began. Because of that work, we were able to present the opportunity clearly and respond swiftly when the buyer entered the diligence phase with a deal team larger than our entire company. That early preparation kept the process moving and ensured we didn’t lose momentum at the moments that mattered most. I would highly recommend Tom to those exploring a potential business exit.
Your independent partner for exit and investment readiness
Because process-ready companies command a superior outcome.
15
Years' M&A experience
£2.5bn+
Advised transaction value
Buy-side & sell-side perspective
15
Years' M&A experience
£2.5bn+
Advised transaction value
Buy-side & sell-side perspective
High quality business exits arise from clarity and conviction
Early exit planning and preparation is key to achieving a successful outcome
Selling a business or taking external investment is a major milestone for any owner, but many test the market too early and without truly considering what the buyer or investor will require, and therefore do not achieve the outcome they had intended.
A process-ready company is one where the buyer audience can understand the value proposition immediately, see a strong team behind it and point to clear evidence that supports their investment or acquisition thesis. This requires granular reporting, customer and market insight, consistent information and a story backed by validation.
parō-IQ partners with companies in establishing an exit readiness baseline in the safety of a closed environment, and supporting on executing their preparation roadmap before they go to market. This de-risks the eventual process, reduces time in market and drives value.
parō [pa•ro]:
v. to prepare
Identify and address potential financial, commercial, operational or governance issues early that may otherwise impact buyer appetite or drive value misalignment.
Exit and investment processes can unearth unexpected issues that could take months to address or introduce friction to the process. Proactive preparation allows you to proceed with greater confidence and momentum.
While industry multiples are useful guides for valuation, companies are judged on their individual merits – it is critical that the opportunity presented to buyers and investors is credible and clearly articulated to drive value, while also ensuring sellers enter their process with an informed view on valuation expectations.
Being exit-ready allows companies to confidently respond to and control pre-emptive, off-market interest.
Discover potential diligence flags before the buyers discover them first – inadequate preparation kills momentum, weakens buyer conviction and puts valuation and the deal itself at risk.
Selling a business or taking external investment are both complex and high-stakes exercises – the need for early preparation is critical as the implications of not securing the deal can be costly.
Tom Battersby – Founder
Is your company truly ready for what the process will require?
The consequences of not preparing can be damaging – give yourself the best chance of achieving a successful outcome
Business Disruption
Responding to a due diligence process can take significant time and focus away from running the business – avoid a long-drawn out process through early preparation in a controlled environment.
Market Reputation
The label of a “failed sale process” is hard to shake – team members, employees, competitors will potentially be aware of transaction being considered, particularly once the formal process has been launched.
Suboptimal Outcome
Buyers and investors price risk and move with conviction - opaque reporting, concentration, weak buyer positioning, employee churn, key person dependency are just some of a wide range of areas that can lower valuation, introduce weaker terms, or result in them withdrawing from the process entirely.
Reviving a Deal
Revisiting a process down the line will involve buyers comparing the new with the old and the ability to drive competitive tension is weakened – the market has a long memory.
Dr. Jim Freeth
Co-founder and CEO, Retrogenix
Tom quickly gained a detailed understanding of our business and worked closely with us as we prepared for a transaction. His level of engagement, commercial awareness and thorough approach helped to ensure the business was presented clearly and effectively to prospective investors. He became a trusted part of the team and played an important role in supporting a successful private equity investment.
Matthew Taylor
CEO, D.A. Languages
I had the pleasure of working closely with Tom over a number of years which included two successful private equity transactions. I was consistently impressed by the commitment, professionalism and detailed attention he brought to the table, in particular covering all aspects of the operations to ensure the business was presented in the most advantageous manner. He soon became a trusted member of our wider advisory team.
Having personally been through multiple business exits, I firmly believe in the importance of long-term preparation ahead of a business sale and I recognise the significant value of Tom’s approach. His practical experience of what buyers, investors and advisers look for gives him a valuable perspective for business owners considering their future options.
Nigel Patrick
Founder & CEO, Cawood Scientific
The journey to your exit event starts now.
The journey to your exit event starts now.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Buy-side Spotlight is aimed at founder or family-owned businesses considering a potential future sale or investment. It is designed to test a business across multiple areas that a buyer or investor will typically focus on during their evaluation and due diligence which can impact valuation and transaction probability. parō-IQ supports small and medium-sized companies with revenues between £5m – £75m revenue and with at least £1m EBITDA at the smaller end of this range. The assessment is also relevant for VC or PE backed companies that will likely explore another sale in the next 12 – 24 months as they prepare to maximise value and transaction certainty with the next buyer or investor.
The assessment follows a hands-on series of interviews, workshops and offline review of information covering a range of commercial, operational, financial and governance topics. The company will be scored across each area with the findings presented back in the form of a report outlining observations and recommendations. The assessment is calibrated based on the client’s aspirations (e.g. strategic only sale vs. seeking private equity investment).
The assessment typically takes four to six weeks although timing is a function of the provision of information and access to you.
No, the assessment and any subsequent exit preparation is aimed at ensuring the company is able to navigate the complexities and demands of a sale process. We work alongside you to ensure the exit preparation roadmap has a dedicated owner through to the point of assisting in your sell-side advisor selection process and handing off to them to execute the deal.
Not necessarily, and having been the advisor and the buyer, this seldom happens. Some advisors prefer deal-ready companies so they can launch vendor-side due diligence while warming up the buyers to ensure a swift and effective process. However this requires the business to be ready to go through the vendor due diligence process and insufficient preparation can introduce costly delays. Some advisors package what they receive at the point of engagement but this leaves the company on the back-foot for when the buyer-side due diligence commences.
parō-IQ is more than just a pre-sale checklist. It is an expert guided assessment of whether the business is ready to successfully progress through a sale process based on years of experience in M&A transactions. Running a buyer-grade spotlight on the business before embarking on the process provides greater clarity and comfort while mitigating potential issues that can materially harm your process and ultimately your value.
We charge the majority of our fees based on you achieving your successful outcome as we believe this creates strong alignment between us. We do charge a portion on a monthly basis in order to reflect the ongoing mutual commitment of working towards the exit.