Corporate Finance

Effective corporate finance advice for businesses across the South West

Corporate Finance Overview

Corporate finance activity is the key to maximising the value of many businesses, from mergers and acquisitions (M&As), due diligence and raising funds, to valuations, structuring deals and management buyouts (MBOs).

At Old Mill our main role is to facilitate the right deal for you and your management team. And we recognise that the ‘right deal’ may be about much more than just the financial returns. By working closely with clients and gaining a deep understanding of both your business and your aspirations, we can advise you on the best way to achieve those objectives.

We can help you to prepare for a business sale or acquisition – although our specialism is primarily on the buy side – and provide integrated tax advice and financial planning in the longer term, giving you the best support in managing your investments and retirement post-transaction.

The specialist corporate finance areas we can advise you on include:

Management buyouts (MBOs)
Due diligence
Fundraising
Valuations
Financial modelling and business planning
Tax planning and deal structuring

We combine the advantages of a dedicated corporate finance boutique with access to a full range of support services – which means our advice and support can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

To chat to us about your plans, get in touch with us or make an appointment with one of our corporate finance advisers at one of our offices in Exeter, Wells, Chippenham and Yeovil.

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An MBO can be an effective way for a business owner to realise wealth, while also securing a future for the company and the management team they have built. This popular sale route can offer a number of benefits, including limited disruption to the business, a simpler valuation process and a faster sale, particularly for businesses that may be too small or niche to attract a trade buyer.

However, there are potential pitfalls. Management teams may struggle with the skills required to step up to becoming a business owner, and may also have difficulty raising the necessary finance.

Our in-depth understanding of your business enables us to provide trusted assistance to either existing owners or the management team at all stages of the buyout process – from shaping and agreeing the deal to securing funding and completing the transaction.
Our team has significant experience in performing due diligence for clients on a wide variety of businesses across a range of sectors, both nationally and internationally. This includes reporting to corporate acquirers, debt and equity partners, and joint venture funders, as well as undertaking vendor due diligence.
Many businesses need different types of funding strategies and solutions at various stages of their lifecycle. Which is why at Old Mill we have developed strong business relationships with a wide variety of finance organisations and potential funders. From the high street banks, private equity funds and venture capitalists, to angel and crowdfunding entrepreneurs, and high net worth individuals, our teams work on all sides of the funding relationship, and are ideally placed to find the right funding stream for your business development.
Our valuation experts combine professional experience and industry knowledge with sound judgement, robust financial analysis skills, and a comprehensive understanding of market risk and the appropriate methodologies, as part of our valuation process.
Our specialist staff have experience in building and developing a wide range of financial models and business plans. They will work with you and your business to create the business plans and models you need – from simple start-up and early stage plans through to complex long-term forecast models for multiple scenarios and markets.
Tax planning and deal structuring are intrinsically linked in that it’s all about the best outcome for the client. On the deal structuring side, we look at elements such as cash consideration, deferred consideration and retaining shares as well as how you structure the finance by making the most of your balance sheet. Also, getting the right structure in place enables you to potentially avoid unnecessary high rates of tax or miss out on things like Entrepreneurs’ Relief. On the tax planning side, there are many different ways of setting up the deal that can have a big impact on how something is taxed so it’s essential to seek specialist advice.