Organise the commercial terms, ask better questions and prepare for working with your transaction advisers. Follow the buyer journey from initial discussions to an informed decision.
Prepare for an acquisition with connected documents and guidance, from your first confidential discussions to an organised brief for your advisers.
Explore the toolkit
Explore Buying a Business by Martin O’Donoghue, from choosing a target to taking ownership.
Explore the bookExplore the documents relevant to this topic. Check the contents and suitability before choosing.
Protect information shared while exploring an acquisition, using the appropriate confidentiality agreement and completion notes.
Set out an indicative acquisition proposal and the assumptions that need further agreement.
Set out the proposed commercial terms before detailed transaction documents are prepared. Separate share and asset purchase variants are planned.
Set out a defined exclusivity period and its agreed conditions while an acquisition is investigated.
Organise information requests and track matters for the buyer’s professional advisers to investigate.
Plan the acquisition process, record screening decisions and prepare a clear brief for professional advisers.
A learning guide and annotated example to help you understand the structure of a share purchase agreement and prepare questions for your solicitor. It is not an agreement for signature.
A practical document checklist for business buyers: organise confidentiality, the offer, heads of terms, due diligence and your adviser brief.
Read the guideWhat should heads of terms cover when buying a business? Work through price, structure, conditions, exclusivity and the points that need legal advice.
Read the guideTurn a due diligence request list into evidence, a clear issue tracker and an informed acquisition decision.
Read the guide