Exit readiness
More value before you sell.
A sale works best when it is prepared early. Ideally we start one to three years before the sale. Together we work to make your business worth more and less dependent on you personally.
At its core is our AI Value Creation programme. It quantifies where more value lies in your business. And it demonstrates the effect on EBITDA, your earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation. This is exactly what a buyer will later examine in due diligence, the detailed review before a purchase.
Our Sale Readiness Check shows you where you stand today: ten questions, about five minutes.
Your benefits
- Higher enterprise value
Through strategic optimisation and targeted preparation.
- One point of contact
Mathias Westerbarkei looks after you personally. No junior advisers, no conflict of interest.
- International reach
Buyers and investors abroad too, through our partner network.
- Confidential to the end
You decide who finds out, and when.
How we work
Four phases, from the stocktake to sale readiness.
- 01
Valuation and stocktake
We determine what your business is worth today and where its value can be increased.
What happens in this phase
- Valuation of your business: as an initial estimate (indicative) or in detail based on IDW S1, the valuation standard used by German auditors.
- Analysis of financial data, processes and market position: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis).
- 02
Strategic optimisation
Together with you, we develop a plan to increase the value of your business.
What happens in this phase
- Value lever check and implementation programme with our self-learning AI system: initiatives with a quantified impact, counted only once they show up in the profit and loss account and the balance sheet.
- A business plan and strategic initiatives to increase profitability.
- Optimisation of governance, structures and processes, for example cost efficiency and digitalisation.
- 03
Financial and investor communication
We prepare your business to present itself convincingly to buyers and investors.
What happens in this phase
- An equity story and a robust EBITDA bridge that explains your earnings in a way a buyer can follow.
- Clear financial communication with buyers and investors.
- Advice on optimising your financial structure for potential investors.
- 04
Sale readiness
We make your business ready for sale. Whether and when you start a sale is your decision.
What happens in this phase
- Preparation for the buyer’s review (due diligence), for example with a well-organised data room.
- Advice on strategic partnerships or raising capital before a sale.
At your side
Mathias Westerbarkei was Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at CLAAS. There he led earnings improvement programmes worth around €100 million, several of them with consulting teams from McKinsey, BCG and Roland Berger. Since 2017 he has worked alongside owner-managed companies.
25+ years
Experience in M&A, corporate finance and strategy
10+
Transactions completed
€600 million
Revenue of the largest transaction under his responsibility
Fees
Our fee combines a monthly retainer with a success fee that only becomes due on completion of the transaction. This way we share the risk with you.
We agree the exact structure with you individually. It depends on the size of the transaction, its complexity and the type of process chosen. You will receive a specific proposal in the initial consultation, which is free of charge and without obligation.
Every mandate is based on the individual engagement agreement and our General Terms of Engagement. These govern termination, fees and liability in a uniform way.
Legal and tax advice and the services of other advisers or experts are not part of our scope of services. You engage them separately. All fees and expenses are exclusive of VAT.
Ready to increase the value of your business?
Arrange a confidential initial consultation, free of charge and without obligation. Or first check for yourself where you stand: about five minutes, and your answers stay in your browser.