"Most founders don't lose value when they sell. They lose it in the twelve months before."
Every sale for millions is really decided by how things are structured in the eighteen months before an offer arrives. We work with founders on getting ready to sell, setting up the holding company, and how the money is held afterwards.
How we work with founders.
Every serious exit — a sale to another company, a stock-market listing, or selling some of your shares — is decided in the eighteen months before an offer arrives. Who owns what, where you're tax resident, where the holding company is, any employee share schemes (EMI or an employee ownership trust), and the trust or foundation the money will go into afterwards are all much easier to sort out before a deal than during one.
We work with founders on getting the structure right before a sale, setting up the holding company, and arranging how the money is held afterwards — alongside the deal lawyers who negotiate the sale itself.
Our job is structuring, not brokering or finding buyers. What we'll do, who's responsible for what, and our fees are written down before any work starts.
What we've seen go wrong.
- Starting too late, once an offer is on the table, when changing residence or holding company can trigger anti-avoidance rules
- Putting the proceeds straight into a personal investment account and losing decades of growth to unnecessary tax
- Putting everything under one UK or US holding company that increases, rather than reduces, the tax bill
- Missing time-limited reliefs — EMI, Business Asset Disposal Relief, Investors' Relief, QSBS or their equivalents — by a matter of weeks
The steps, in order.
Every engagement is specialist advisory, quoted in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing.
- 01A pre-sale check and written options (2–3 weeks)
- 02Putting the structure in place: holding company, reorganising shares, setting up a trust or foundation
- 03Working with your deal lawyers through the sale
- 04After the sale: banking, safekeeping, residence and succession
Questions we hear from founders.
- When should we start?
- Eighteen to twenty-four months before a target sale gives you every option. Twelve months still allows real planning. Under six months narrows the options a lot — but there's almost always something worth doing.
- Do you replace our deal lawyer?
- No. We own the pre-sale structure and how the money is held afterwards. Your corporate lawyers run the sale itself. The two jobs are designed to sit side by side.
- Can you help before the business is ready to sell?
- Yes. A lot of our work with founders is for businesses two to five years from any sale — putting the holding structure in place so future decisions are simple choices rather than last-minute rebuilds.
Explore further for founders
Deal & Exit Structuring
Getting your company structure right before you sell, for founders selling for millions or more.
Corporate Structuring
Groups of companies across several countries: holding companies, companies that own your IP, joint-venture companies, and moving a company to a new country.
Trusts & Foundations
Trusts that protect and pass on family wealth, in every common form, plus Panama and Nevis foundations.
Every engagement begins with a twenty-minute advisory call. The fee is in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing.