Sell your business with a process you control
The sale is rarely “just a transaction”. It is for most owners a once in a lifetime decision that affects your family, your team, and your future.
At Fivefold, we advise owners through a disciplined sale process built to protect confidentiality, create genuine buyer choice, and deliver deals that meet your objectives.
Your sale process is led by senior people only, from preparation and buyer research through to negotiation and completion. If your business is not ready, we will tell you and pause to allow time and space to fix or mitigate the issues rather than push you into a premature, drawn out, value eroding process.
Why good businesses still achieve disappointing sale outcomes
Many strong, profitable businesses achieve disappointing sale outcomes, not because they lack value, but because that value is lost during the sale process. Reasons include:
-
Poor preparation
-
Weak positioning
-
Limited buyer choice
-
Loss of control
These process flaws can quickly erode price and terms. A well-run sale is not about “testing the market”. It is about protecting value through evidence, discipline and competition.
At Fivefold, we design and lead controlled sale processes that minimise risk, maintain momentum and leverage needed to achieve the outcome owners deserve.
How Fivefold is Different
Fivefold is built for owners who want senior advice, clear informed decisions, and a process that stays on track. Fivefold people are all practitioners, people who speak to buyers, run negotiations, and manage the deal through to completion.
Owners choose Fivefold because we offer:
Market Readiness First
We diagnose what will slow a buyer down or chip away at value. If fixes are needed, we will pause and help you address them rather than running an open-ended process.
Expert Buyer Research
We build a targeted buyer list using deep research, sector knowledge and expert input, then run a controlled outreach process internationally. You’ll know exactly who we’ll approach before the sale begins.
Competition and Choice
With potential buyers identified we approach them all in a narrow timeframe to create competition amongst buyers and choice for sellers.
Better Terms and Price
Competition strengthens sellside negotiating leverage to improve terms, structure and price.
Our Sale Process
A successful exit is a managed sequence of evidence-backed decisions, not a single event. Our process is designed to keep momentum. Timelines vary, but a well-run sale is often 9-12 months from preparation to completion, and we will not rush into market until the business is positioned to succeed.
01
Readiness, Value Story, & Sale Planning
Before we approach any buyers, we work with you to get the business market ready and clearly positioned, so you enter the process from a position of strength.
​
This typically includes:
​
-
Commercial and financial reviews focused on what a buyer will challenge
-
Valuation guidance, value drivers, and a credible opportunity story
-
A risk and “red flag” review (and a plan to address issues before they become negotiation points)
-
Decision points on timing supported by evidence: proceed now, or pause and improve readiness
If remedial work is needed, we will help you prioritise what matters and when to do it. That discipline is often the difference between a controlled process and months of buyer questions, delays, and price erosion.
02
Targeted Buyer Outreach & Negotiation
We create real buyer choice by running a tightly managed approach process, engaging the right strategic and financial buyers in the UK and internationally, without turning your sale into a public event.
​
-
Building a researched target list using sector knowledge, data, and expert input
-
Running a controlled, confidential outreach with staged disclosure
-
Managing buyer interaction: meetings, feedback, deadlines, and offers
-
Creating competitive tension to improve price, structure, and certainty
You stay in control: we bring you clear options, explain the trade-offs, and help you choose the outcome that fits your objectives.
03
Due diligence, Deal Protection, & Completion
After selecting a preferred buyer, we manage the transaction through to completion, protecting value, keeping momentum, and reducing the risk of late-stage price chipping.
​
-
Negotiating heads of terms that reflect what matters to you
-
Managing due diligence requests so the business is not overwhelmed
-
Advising on value and risk throughout
-
Keeping a firm timetable and momentum through to completion
We work closely with your legal and tax advisers, aligning everyone around the same plan and timeline so the deal reaches a clean conclusion.
Is Now The Right Time to Sell?
Not every business should be sold immediately, and a good adviser should be willing to say so. Our first step is a confidential discussion to understand what you want to achieve and whether a sale now is likely to deliver it.
We will explore:
Your objectives (cash out, partial exit, succession, timing)
​
How market-ready the business is today
​
The most likely buyer types and appetite (UK and international)
​
Whether to proceed now, or run a focused value-improvement plan first
Speak to Us Confidentially
If you are considering selling now or in the next few years, we are happy to have a confidential, no obligation conversation.
​
This is not a sales call. It is a practical discussion about your goals, what buyers are likely to pay for (and worry about), and what a controlled process could look like, including whether you would benefit from getting the business more market ready before going out to buyers.​