Our How to Sell My Business Checklist covers the preparation for selling your business This presentation covers the six steps that should be completed prior to any direct contact with the potential purchaser during the Pre Contact Stage. Written by Paul Munnery at Stewart Nash Consultancy in the United Kingdom. www.stewartnash.co.uk

1. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Our How to Sell My Business Checklist
covers the key stages for preparing
to sell your business

2. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Two Important Stages
• There are two stages to the process of selling
your business:
• Pre Contact Stage: The six steps that
should be completed prior to any direct
contact with the potential purchaser
• Post Contact Stage: Managing the
‘engagement’ and conversations with the
potential purchaser

3. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Pre Contact Stage
Preparing to sell your business
1. Assemble your team
• We will need to have an accountant, lawyer,
tax advisor (may also be the accountant) and
possibly a valuation advisor, identified and
waiting in the wings.
• If Paul Munnery is helping you, then he will be
a part of the team and with your approval, will
take the lead at the pre-contact stage.

4. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Pre Contact Stage
Preparing to sell your business
2. Establish what it is you have to sell and why you
are selling
• There is normally a great deal of research and
analysis work to be done at this stage; all highly
valuable for the stages to come.
• We will establish the impact of industry trends on
the business and produce a clear understanding
of what it is you are selling plus, the reasons why
someone might want to buy the business.

5. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Pre Contact Stage
Preparing to sell your business
3. Housekeeping
• This stage is all about getting your house in
order. Ensuring that company records,
tax/HMRC/Companies House returns are up to
date and all the important behind-the-scenes
workings of the business are in order.

6. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Pre Contact Stage
Preparing to sell your business
4. The Journal
• We will plan and establish how the business
can be sold and packaged as an opportunity
for potential buyers.
• The Journal (often referred to as an
Opportunity Plan or Prospectus) will fulfill a
pivotal role in the marketing the business.

7. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Pre Contact Stage
Preparing to sell your business
5. Marketing
• You will want to have as many ‘qualified’
potential buyers as possible to be interested in
your proposition, so we will establish a pro-
active plan for marketing the business.

8. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Pre Contact Stage
Preparing to sell your business
6. Establish first contact
• There are several ways to establish first contact with
prospective buyers.
• However, it is most likely that you will ask Paul
Munnery to make calls directly to prospective
purchasers - completely anonymously in terms of your
company and its location.
• If an expression of interest is received (and believed)
then under the protection of a full Non-Disclosure
Agreement, you might authorise Paul to send a brief
summary to them but without any details from which
the recipient could easily identify the company.

9. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
Post Contact Stage
First Contact
Post Contact Stage
• Following the Pre Contact Stage after
which, contact will have been established,
there will be four elements yet to manage in
the Post Contact Stage, before you will be
ready to agree a sale of your business.
• More about this at www.stewartnash.co.uk

10. Paul Munnery
www.stewartnash.co.uk
We hope you found our
How to Sell My Business Checklist
useful and helpful