1. Exit Strategy Planning

If you are thinking of exiting your business within the next five years, we can assist you in your planning from the initial business continuity issues (tax planning, shareholders' agreements, etc.) through to the eventual disposal process itself. For a confidential, obligation free consultation on your needs and to find out more about our services please click on the Enquiry Form link below.

2. Foundation Products

All businesses, regardless of when the owner plans to exit, should be built on solid foundations, which allow for future growth and facilitate a smooth exit when the time comes. The foundations of a business are:

• A tax-effective structure (with regard to capital gains tax and inheritance tax)
• A properly drawn up shareholders' (or partnership) agreement
• A risk protection programme, to include cross insurance on owners, keyman insurance and employee agreements
• A comprehensive operating business plan
• A management training programme

Tax advice should be sought from your taxation advisers, whilst risk protection advice is available from your IFA. As far as other exit-specific products are concerned, we can help you in the following ways:

• Self-Diagnostic: to clarify your business and personal aims and aspirations and to focus on your exit objectives, we provide a self-diagnostic form for completion by business owners. Click on the link to go to the Self-Diagnostic page.
• Diagnostic Report: for an overall assessment of your ESP position and to have all your ESP questions answered, you could be interested in our diagnostic report. For further information click on the link, or visit the Diagnostic report Page.
• Shareholders and partnership agreements: We produce agreements tailor-made for your circumstances that will ensure your exit is not blocked by unforeseen circumstances or uncooperative minority shareholders. This can be done at our standard price through visiting your place of business, or online at a greatly reduced price. We can also review your current agreement to see that it is adequate for your circumstances.

  For further information on how you can take advantage of our online offer and for details and prices of our standard agreement, please click on Shareholders' agreements page link.

  For a summary on why you need a shareholders agreement, please click on the Shareholders' Agreement brochure link, or you can get more detailed information by clicking on The Importance of a Shareholder's Agreement article link.

• Business plans: realistic, achievable business plans are an important tool in growing any business; and believable business plans are a vital support when you wish to sell your business at a value that is partly reliant on its future growth. We can assist you with production of these plans.
• Business valuations: a realistic assessment of your business's value is crucial if you are to set an exit timetable based on the assumption of achieving a certain value target. We can assist you in valuing your business and we provide an opinion as to its value should you decide to commission a Diagnostic Report.

If you wish to enquire about any of these products and services, please click on the Enquiry Form below and we will contact you to discuss your requirements and provide you with a quotation. Don't forget, information on how to take advantage of our shareholder's agreement online offer can be found by clicking on the Shareholders' Agreement page link.

3. Dispute resolution

For many private business owners, exit strategy planning (ESP) is not necessarily just about a planned and ordered disposal at the time of their choice. Rather, the challenge is often a more difficult and unpleasant one, namely how to get out of a messy business marriage at the least cost and with the minimum disruption to your life.

Problems often arise between partners or shareholders in business. Perhaps the business is not trading as well as was planned; perhaps there is a clash of personalities; perhaps your personal relationships have deteriorated for a variety of small reasons. But, whatever the reason, one (or all) of you wants to get out.

This is where we can help. Click here on Dispute Resolution to see how we can assist you with this difficult problem.

4. Corporate Services

Besides providing specific ESP advice, we specialise in assisting business owners with mentoring assistance at director's level and corporate rescue advice for companies forced into financial problems due to internal or external reasons. Further details of these services are to be found on the Buckmaster Hawkey website.