Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory
Buy-side, sell-side, partnership — and the discipline to walk. We've done all four, with our own money.
Who this is for
Owners considering buying a competitor, selling their business in 1–5 years, structuring a partnership, or carving out a division. Most useful for transactions in the £500k–£20m enterprise value range.
We advise on M&A because we've done M&A — and walked away from one.
Most M&A advisors have closed deals. Fewer have signed personal guarantees on them. Our principal, James Lowe, has personally completed two acquisitions, structured one partnership, exited a previous business in the stationery supplies sector, and walked away from a fourth deal during diligence because the numbers behind the marketing didn't survive scrutiny. That walk-away matters as much as the closes.
M&A is the highest-stakes financial decision most owners make. The deal that doubles your business or the deal that sinks it is often the same deal — the difference is in the price, the structure and the diligence. We sit on your side of the table for all of it.
What's included.
Everything below is part of the standard engagement. We'll tell you up front if your situation needs anything outside this — there are no surprises.
Buy-side: target search, valuation, financial due diligence, deal structuring, SPA review, post-completion integration
Sell-side: exit readiness review, valuation, marketing pack, buyer process, SPA negotiation
Partnerships and joint ventures: structuring, valuation of contributions, governance, exit mechanics
Pre-deal: financial diligence, quality of earnings analysis, working capital normalisation
Post-deal: 100-day integration plan, financial reporting integration, covenant compliance
The judgement to tell you when the deal is bad and you should walk
A predictable, four-step engagement.
Mandate
What are you actually trying to do — buy, sell, partner, or test the market? We get that clear before anything else.
Preparation
Valuation work, model build, IM or buyer pack, target list — whatever side of the deal you're on.
Process
We run the financial side: diligence, working capital negotiation, SPA financial schedules. Lawyers do the legals. We coordinate.
Completion and integration
Closing mechanics, completion accounts, then the 100-day integration work that determines whether the deal actually creates value.
Frequently asked questions
How are M&A engagements priced?
Fixed retainer for the engagement scope, plus a success fee on completion. The retainer covers our time regardless of outcome — including telling you to walk away. We deliberately don't work on success-fee-only because the incentive to close a bad deal is too strong.
Do you do legal work?
No — we are accountants, not lawyers. We coordinate with corporate solicitors and review the financial schedules in the SPA, but the legal drafting is done by a corporate solicitor. We work alongside several Glasgow-based corporate firms and can introduce.
How long does a typical SME deal take?
Buy-side from mandate to completion: typically 4–9 months. Sell-side: 6–12 months from preparation to completion. Partnerships and JVs: 3–6 months. Quicker is sometimes possible but rarely advisable.
What size deals do you advise on?
Typically enterprise values between £500k and £20m. Above that we will introduce you to a corporate finance house — we know several good ones and will tell you who fits.
Related: explore the full growth & advisory suite —All growth & advisory
Talk to us about mergers & acquisitions.
Quick conversation, no commitment. We'll tell you honestly whether this is the right service for where you are.