How early should I start preparing to sell

Two to three years out gives you real levers, particularly around owner dependence, clean financials, management team and customer concentration. At a minimum, the key advice and records should be in place well before the business goes to market.

Do you charge a commission on the sale

The advisory work and the Selling Up session carry no commission and no success fee. Tommy has separately spent over 20 years as a business broker, so if a full sale process is the right next step he can tell you what that involves.

Will you tell me what my business is worth

You get an honest working view of what a buyer is likely to pay today and why, along with the gap to the number you want. It is advice rather than a formal valuation certificate.

How confidential is this

Entirely. Nothing about your business is discussed elsewhere, and Business Answers does not publish client figures or names.

How is this different from the Selling Up course

The course is one two hour live session for twenty owners plus a private half hour, at a fixed price of €299 plus VAT. Advisory is ongoing confidential work on your own sale. Many owners start with the session and go further afterwards.

An Irish business advisor and business broker with over 30 years advising owners in every sector in Ireland and over 20 years bringing companies to market through Sell The Business. He has worked with over 200 companies since 1995.

Two directors reviewing company accounts before a sale process

Advisory for a sale

Selling your business in Ireland with advice before you go to market.

Tommy Boyle has spent over 20 years bringing Irish companies to market through Sell The Business, alongside over 30 years advising owners. You deal with Tommy directly.

What your business sells for is largely decided two or three years before it goes to market. The work is closing the gap between what a buyer will pay today and the number you actually want.

Book a free 30 minute call Sign up for the immersive Selling Up session

What does exit advisory with Business Answers involve

It begins with a free 30 minute introductory call. From there Tommy works with you on an honest read of what the business is likely worth today, the preparation that should happen before market, owner dependence, clean financials, management team, customer concentration, acceptable terms and how a sale process actually unfolds. The work is confidential and paced to your timeline, whether that is one year out or five.

When owners get in touch

Owners usually come to us when one of these is true

Selling is rarely a single decision. It is a run of decisions made in the years before anyone goes to market.

You are weighing an exit in the next one to five years.
You have no reliable read on what the business is worth today.
The business still needs you in it every week.
The accounts, budgets or employment files need work before buyer diligence.
You had an approach from a buyer and are not sure how to answer it.
You are not sure what figure or terms you would actually accept.

How a price gets to a number

What a buyer pays is built, not quoted.

Each step either adds to the figure or takes from it. Most of the work happens on the middle two, and it takes longer than owners expect.

The work

How the work runs

Confidential, one to one, and paced to your own timeline rather than a process.

01
A free 30 minute call
You outline the business and your timeline. Tommy tells you plainly whether now is the moment to be doing this work.
02
Where you stand
An honest view of what the business is likely worth today, how a buyer would arrive at that number, and the gap to the figure you want.
03
The levers, in order
Owner dependence, clean financials, credible budgets, management team, customer concentration and contracts, ranked by what actually pays back before a sale.
04
Through the process
How a sale unfolds, from first approach to heads of terms to diligence to close, including the stress, confidentiality and handover questions that owners often underestimate.

What gets worked on

The ground this work usually covers

What the business is likely worth today, and how a buyer gets there
Owner dependence, how it is measured and how to reduce it
Clean financials, three year budgets and the records a buyer checks first
Types of buyer, and what each of them pays a premium for
Timing, confidentiality and who inside the business should know what
Life after the sale, earn-outs and what you agree to stay for

Who it is not for

Businesses with no trading history or no profit
Owners who want a valuation certificate rather than advice
Anyone who needs a deal closed inside the next few weeks

If you are unsure, say so on the free call. Tommy will tell you plainly either way.

Not ready for a full engagement yet

Start with the Selling Up session instead.

If you are not ready to start a full piece of work, the live session is the smaller way in. Two confidential hours with nineteen other owners, then a private half hour on your own business and its likely valuation. No commission and no success fee attached.

See the Selling Up session

An honest view of what your business is likely worth today, and the gap to the number you want.
The three or four levers most likely to move that valuation between now and a sale.
How a sale process actually unfolds, and the points where owners typically lose money in it.

In their words

What owners say about the work

Recommendations written on LinkedIn by people Tommy has worked for and with.

Brave enough to say what nobody else in the room is willing to say.

Tommy is an indispensable business advisor. He brings a refreshing no-nonsense approach and is brave enough to say what nobody else in the room is willing to say, but could be the most important thing that needs to be said. He can instantly move from a broad, macro approach on sales and marketing strategy, to giving excellent guidance on the nitty gritty and spotting a small, but critical detail on a financial report. Before working with Tommy a friend said to me, if you don't have Tommy advising your business, you're losing out. He is highly insightful and has an ability to quickly get to the crux of the issue. Very highly recommended. The proof is in the pudding and Tommy was instrumental in helping to more than double the level of business.

Niall Wogan

Founder and CEO, VERVE Fitness

A real knack for seeing to the heart of an issue.

Tommy has a real knack for seeing to the heart of an issue and for helping the teams he works with arrive at solutions they may never have otherwise considered. He is an absolute pleasure to work with and if you get the chance to do so, you should jump at it!

Jay Reid

Group Strategy Director, Core

He gives unbiased advice, and excellent value.

Tommy has worked as a business advisor for our company now for a couple of years. He gives unbiased advice. He has provided excellent value to us in helping us grow our business both from a sales point of view and from a financial point of view.

Cathal Hanratty

Business owner, investor and mentor

FAQ

Questions owners ask before getting in touch

How early should I start preparing to sell: Two to three years out gives you real levers, particularly around owner dependence, clean financials, management team and customer concentration. At a minimum, the key advice and records should be in place well before the business goes to market.
Do you charge a commission on the sale: The advisory work and the Selling Up session carry no commission and no success fee. Tommy has separately spent over 20 years as a business broker, so if a full sale process is the right next step he can tell you what that involves.
Will you tell me what my business is worth: You get an honest working view of what a buyer is likely to pay today and why, along with the gap to the number you want. It is advice rather than a formal valuation certificate.
How confidential is this: Entirely. Nothing about your business is discussed elsewhere, and Business Answers does not publish client figures or names.
How is this different from the Selling Up course: The course is one two hour live session for twenty owners plus a private half hour, at a fixed price of €299 plus VAT. Advisory is ongoing confidential work on your own sale. Many owners start with the session and go further afterwards.
Who is Tommy Boyle: An Irish business advisor and business broker with over 30 years advising owners in every sector in Ireland and over 20 years bringing companies to market through Sell The Business. He has worked with over 200 companies since 1995.

Book a free 30 minute call with Tommy Boyle

No charge and no obligation. You describe where the business is, Tommy tells you whether this is work he can help with. Or email tommy@businessanswers.ie and he will come back to you himself.

Book a free 30 minute call Send an enquiry instead