Corporate finance

You may be looking to develop, grow, acquire, or streamline a business. To help you realise those ambitions, you may need some expert support to help you through processes such as management buy outs, exit planning, strategic support and business planning amongst others, and this is where a corporate finance specialist can be indispensable.

They can make sure you fulfil all the criteria needed to stay compliant while making sure staff and stakeholders are aware of what is happening and why, as well as setting the business on the right track for the future.

Depending on how you are planning to evolve your business, there are lots of ways in which outsourcing tasks to a specialist business accountant can make the process easier for you.

Explore all of our corporate finance solutions

Whatever stage your business is at, from start-up to sell-up, expansion or merger, the advice of an established accountancy firm can make a huge difference to the value of these deals. Purple Lime want to make sure you have access to the funding you need to make sure you and your business reaches your objectives.

Management buyouts

A management buyout can be an exciting opportunity for shareholders to move away from a business, and for its management to take ownership of it. Transferring the ownership of a business in this way means the day to day operation is still ‘business as usual’ and the company is left safely in the hands of the existing management team.

Whether the buyout is proposed by the business owner or the management team, there are several steps to the process. Management teams often need to source the finance needed to complete the buyout, so business plans, forecasts and other reports are needed to evaluate the position of the business.

The management team also need to be aware of what is happening throughout the process and what that means for them in practical terms.

Calling on the expertise of a business accountant will ensure that management, shareholders, and funders are all kept up to date, and that the process is quick, easy and fair for all concerned.

Vendor initiated management buyout

This is very similar to a Management Buyout (described above) but is led by the vendor who packages a deal which is presented to the management team to consider.

A big advantage of a Vendor Initiated Management Buy Out (VIMBO), and Management Buyouts in general, is that they are typically quicker, cheaper, and less painful to negotiate since the business is already well known to the purchaser.

As well as this, a VIMBO lets the vendor lead and control the sale process, so they are more likely to achieve an exit on their terms.

Using a business accountant to design a deal means it will be in the best possible state to be presented to the management team, and they will also be able to give support throughout the process.

Employee ownership trusts

Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) give tax advantages to the seller(s) of a business, as well as providing employees with greater benefits and a real sense of ownership of their workplace.

There are a few things to think about if you are considering this option, and you can read more about it in our Employee Ownership Trust blog.

Trade sales

If the time has come to sell your business, expert accountants can help you assess your options, prepare your business for sale, and negotiate the best deal for you. They will also have the knowledge to provide commercial and financial input into legal documents and manage the process for you.

Mergers and acquisitions

If you are looking to expand by investing in another business, either in whole or in part, it’s essential to get expert advice in order to avoid some of the risks involved in this form of growth.

Some of the things a business accounting firm can help with include raising finance, negotiating deals, and seeing the whole transaction through from start to finish.

CFO reports

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Reports are a high-level, early-stage assessment of the business you are looking to acquire. It helps you ascertain if this is the right business for you to invest in and if there are any obvious issues that need to be addressed. The CFO Report will also help to determine a fair price and structure for the deal.

An accurate and reliable CFO Report can indicate whether a target acquisition is the right one to be involved with or highlight problems before you begin formal due diligence and incur significant expenses.

A CFO Report from Purple Lime can include historical information, forecasts and other key information to ensure the acquisition will be beneficial for your current business – we can tailor it to suit you, so you can make an informed choice at an early stage.

Equity funding

Whether you are just starting up, or well established and looking to expand, most businesses need additional funding at some point.

An experienced accountant will help you decide which funders are best suited to your needs and advise as to what information will be required in order for your business to be viewed in the best light. This can involve preparing forecasts, drafting business plans, creating an indicative value for the business, and being involved in negotiations.

Debt raising

Debt raising may be a better option for some businesses than simple borrowing. Whether you need the funds for acquisitions, expenditure, working capital or anything else within your business, a business accountant will be able to advise and help put together the documents you need to present to lenders, as well as take part in negotiations and add input to legal documents from a financial and commercial perspective.

Valuation

The information in a formal business valuation can be used in many ways – raising investment, starting negotiations if you are looking at a merger or acquisition, and inheritance planning are just a few.

Whatever the reason, a formal business valuation from a valuation expert can help to support your goals.

Business planning, modelling & budgeting

Most businesses start with a grand plan, but this is not always translated into business terms. To really help your business reach its goals, you need to have a solid business plan.

Turning to an accountant will help you identify the key strategic and operational steps you need to take to achieve your business goals and translate this into a flexible financial forecasting model. Putting this information into a plan ensures your operational and financial strategies are aligned, and become a formal, actionable plan. This can also include an annual budget plan so you can make sure your wider plans stay on track as you concentrate on the day to day.

Purple Lime aims is to help you make your business a success from the very first point.

Board advisory

A Board has the interests of a company at heart, but sometimes they can really benefit from some external input to challenge any habits or assumptions that may have crept in, find out what owners and directors really want out of the business and help with the implementation of long term plans.

This role obviously takes a great deal of knowledge, diplomacy, and insight, but can bring great rewards in terms of refreshing and reinvigorating a Board and moving a company forward. Engaging a strategic business expert to do this can make a huge difference.

To find out how we can help you reach your goals, contact us today by calling 01249 263 333 or send us an email