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Create one reliable information set
Organise accounts, trading updates, ownership information, contracts and operating records in a controlled location. Give each document a date and owner. Reconcile figures used in different presentations so the same measure does not tell two stories. Keep sensitive customer and staff information subject to an agreed confidentiality and access process.
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Look for the questions behind the documents
A buyer may ask why margins changed, whether a large customer will stay or how much the owner contributes to delivery. Prepare supporting evidence, not just explanations. Identify items that need correction and items that need transparent disclosure. Ask professional advisers what can be shared, with whom and at which stage.
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Keep preparation separate from certainty
Vendor due diligence can help organise a sale process, but a buyer will still conduct its own assessment. An unresolved issue should remain visible, with an owner and next action. Avoid promising that preparation guarantees a price, a timetable or a completed transaction. The useful outcome is a clearer account of what is being offered.
Use this in your business
An evidence-room structure
- Trading: annual accounts, current results and reconciliations.
- Commercial: customer concentration, supplier arrangements and contracts.
- Operations: key people, systems, assets and owner responsibilities.
- Ownership: entity diagram, share records and relevant agreements.
- Questions: a dated log of discrepancies, responses and outstanding work.
Illustrative example
What this could look like
A seller's presentation uses a profit figure adjusted for a one-off expense. The accounts show the original figure. Retain both and explain the proposed adjustment with evidence. That lets a buyer and advisers evaluate the treatment without having to reconstruct what changed.
Your next move
Bring the decision into focus.
Pivot Point's team works on business sales and due diligence. Bring the proposed sale scope and your current information gaps to a conversation about preparation.
Start a conversation Meet the advisory teamThis guide is general preparation information. Advice on legal, tax and financial consequences needs to reflect your circumstances.