Founder-side readiness and deal preparation that compliments your corporate finance, tax, and legal services
Discuss PartnershipMost owner-managed businesses aren't ready when they decide to sell. They lack clarity on value, haven't reduced founder dependency, and face avoidable diligence surprises. By the time they bring an offer to a corporate finance boutique, broker, solicitor, or accountancy firm, months have been lost and value has leaked.
We sit before and alongside your CF team to fill the gaps you see over and over again.
This means your clients arrive at the table stronger, faster, and with fewer complications.
Professional advisers often find that even successful businesses aren't always "deal-ready." We address the operational and emotional hurdles that can otherwise slow down or derail your process.
We help owners identify and mitigate risks - such as customer concentration or founder dependency - long before they reach your data room
We provide a calm, independent view on readiness and value, ensuring clients enter your process with a pragmatic mindset
By helping owners organise their narrative and data early, we reduce the friction and stress of the due diligence phase
We handle the high-touch, strategic "hand-holding" that founders often need, allowing you to focus on the technical execution of the deal
Mark brings the perspective of a founder who has launched, scaled, and exited an 8-figure business. He's sat on both sides of the table in more than 10 M&A transactions, and has the scar tissue to prove it! He's navigated multiple high-level strategic negotiations with private equity, trade buyers and publicly listed multi-nationals, as well as SME's of varying size and complexity.
We are a small, senior practice - no juniors, no hand-offs. Mark leads our strategic advisory at Exit Strategy & Solutions, providing the primary point of contact and direction for every client. He is supported by a specialist layer of expertise: Tom specializes in operational scalability and process improvement, and where appropriate we draw on a trusted network of tax, legal, corporate finance and wealth advisers. Together, we bring decades of deal experience to provide founders with independent thinking and hands-on implementation support.
We work with a select number of clients each year so we can stay closely involved and deliver real results.
We provide founder-side exit readiness and deal support. Mark is the consistent point of contact. If your clients need regulated investment or specialist tax advice, or operational input, we can provide that through our network - but Mark's role is upstream strategic clarity.
We don't compete for your core compliance, tax, or corporate finance work. We sit upstream, preparing the client before you take the lead
We prepare and advise; you execute and regulate. By preparing the founder and the business before the formal process begins, we make your work more efficient. Clients arrive ready, realistic, and prepared for scrutiny. We don't negotiate deals or provide regulated advice; we ensure they're emotionally and strategically ready
We operate under strict confidentiality and respect your client relationships. Your clients know they're working with two professionals, not a competing firm
Whether your client engages us directly or you refer them, we adapt to your workflow. We can work upstream (before you're involved) or alongside you (during the process)
Your clients can access diagnostics, decision support, deal reviews, and ongoing exit partnership, depending on where they are in the journey.
We diagnose the business across 6 critical dimensions (Financial, Operational, Legal, Market, Team, Documentation) and create a prioritised remediation roadmap. Your clients gain a clear understanding of exactly what needs to improve, why it matters, and what it's worth; and have the opportunity to implement changes before a deal materialises. This eliminates "surprise" findings during your diligence process and gives you a head start.
We help clients move from "maybe" to "yes" - from vague thinking to a clear, documented decision. Clients engage your services with realistic expectations, a clear mandate, and confidence. This reduces scope-creep conversations and positions you as the executor of a strategy they've already committed to.
When their business attracts interest, or an offer arrives, we prepare the founder for what's ahead. We profile the buyer, map the diligence roadmap, stress-test their narrative, and align their expectations with yours. Your client arrives at your desk emotionally ready and strategically prepared - not panicked or uncertain. This dramatically improves the efficiency of your process.
For owners who want a senior, independent adviser alongside them over 6-24 months as they prepare for, and run, an exit process - from "we should get exit-ready" to "we've signed a heads of terms and are running to completion".
We do not offer legal, tax or regulated investment advice. We stay strictly within our remit of strategic, commercial, and operational readiness
We respect your client relationships and work as an extension of your trusted network
Our fixed-fee model ensures our advice is always objective and aligned solely with the owner's best interests - not driven by transaction size or deal momentum
If you work with owner-managed businesses and see the same readiness and preparation gaps we do, let's have a quiet conversation about how we can support your clients - and strengthen your practice.
No pressure, no sales funnel. Just a pragmatic discussion about where we can add value.
Email Us to Discuss Partnership