Does Initium only advise business owners who are ready to sell?

No. Initium Corporate Finance advises business owners both when they are ready to sell and several years before a potential sale. In fact, starting early can give shareholders more opportunity to increase company value, address potential buyer concerns and prepare properly for an eventual transaction.

If you are not ready to sell, a useful starting point is the Initium Value Assessment. This is a standalone, evidence-based assessment designed to establish what your business could be worth today and, importantly, why.

Rather than simply applying a multiple to EBITDA, we consider quantitative and qualitative factors and look at the business from a potential buyer’s perspective. This includes financial performance, growth, market dynamics, competitive positioning, brand, risk and the factors currently influencing transactions in your sector. The resulting assessment identifies strengths to reinforce, potential weaknesses or ‘red flags’ to address, and areas of untapped value.

For owners with a longer runway before exit, the next stage can be Initium Value Maximiser.

This is a longer-term strategic programme designed to improve the attractiveness, scalability and saleability of a business before it goes to market. It begins with establishing current value and shareholder objectives, before developing and implementing a value-growth roadmap. When the timing is right, that work can then progress into identifying strategic buyers and managing a sale transaction.

For clients using Value Maximiser, Initium reports that company values have increased by an average of 2.5x within 36 months. The programme forms part of the firm’s broader track record of unlocking more than £3bn of value for client businesses.

So you do not need to have decided to sell before speaking to Initium. An owner might ultimately sell soon, sell in several years, or decide not to sell at all. Understanding today’s value, what drives it and where the opportunities lie can help make that decision from a much stronger position.