"Most founders don't lose value at sale. They lose it twelve months before."
Every 7-, 8- or 9-figure exit is really decided in the eighteen months of structuring before term sheets arrive. PWS Offshore works with founders on pre-sale structuring, holdco optimisation and post-exit private wealth.
How we work with founders.
Every serious exit — trade sale, IPO, secondary — is decided in the eighteen months before the term sheet arrives. Shareholding, tax residency, holdco domicile, EMI or EOT overlays, and the trust or foundation into which post-tax proceeds will roll are all more tractable before the deal than during it.
PWS Offshore works with founders on pre-sale structuring, holdco optimisation and post-exit private-wealth infrastructure — running alongside the M&A counsel who will negotiate the transaction itself.
Our role is structuring rather than brokerage or buyer introduction. The scope, responsibilities and fees are documented in writing before work begins.
What we've seen go wrong.
- Starting structuring inside the term-sheet window, when residency and holdco changes trigger anti-avoidance provisions
- Rolling proceeds straight into a personal investment account, losing decades of compounding to unnecessary tax
- Consolidating into a single UK or US holdco that maximises rather than minimises exposure
- Missing EMI, BADR/Investors' Relief, QSBS or equivalent time-limited reliefs by weeks
The shape of the work.
Every engagement is fixed-fee, specialist advisory, and quoted in writing before any work begins.
- 01Pre-sale diagnostic and options memorandum (2–3 weeks)
- 02Structure implementation: holdco, share reorganisation, trust or foundation settlement
- 03Coordination with M&A counsel through the transaction
- 04Post-exit private-wealth stack: banking, custody, residency, succession
Questions we hear from founders.
- When should we start?
- Eighteen to twenty-four months before a target exit gives full flexibility. Twelve months still allows meaningful structuring. Under six months narrows options materially — but there is almost always something worth doing.
- Do you replace our M&A lawyer?
- No. PWS Offshore owns the pre-sale structure and the post-exit wealth stack. Your corporate counsel runs the transaction itself. The two engagements are designed to sit alongside each other.
- Can you help before the business is sale-ready?
- Yes. A material portion of our founder work is for businesses two to five years from any exit — putting the holding structure in place so future decisions are simple choices rather than emergency rebuilds.
Explore further for founders
Deal & Exit Structuring
Pre-sale structuring for founders facing 7-, 8- or 9-figure liquidity events.
Corporate Structuring
Multi-jurisdictional holding groups, IP-routing structures, JV vehicles and re-domiciliations.
Trusts & Foundations
Discretionary, fixed-interest, purpose and reserved-power trusts. Panama and Nevis foundations.
Every engagement begins with a twenty-minute advisory call. Fixed fees, in writing, before any work begins.