- How long2 to 3 weeks, while the seller talks only to you
- Who it’s forBuyers and lenders
- What you getWhat leaves with the seller, with a cost and a date for each item
What does the Buyer Handover Score answer?
What will this business cost you once the seller stops coming in, and when? The accounts show what the business earned with the owner running it. They don’t show who prices the unusual jobs, whose phone the big customers call, or whose name is on the licence.
What does it cover?
- What leaves when the seller leaves, and what it will cost to replace.
- Equipment that will need money in the first few years.
- Whether the business can really deliver what your plan assumes.
- Records: what exists, and what only exists in someone’s memory.
- The people who matter most, and how likely they are to stay.
- Licences and certifications, and whether they’ll still be valid after you buy.
- Which customer relationships may follow the seller out of the door.
How is each finding written?
Each finding comes with a cost, a likely date and how sure we are. That lets you take it into your price, your terms or your first-year plan.
Who is it for?
People buying their first business, families and investment firms buying outside their own industry, and lenders who need to understand what happens when the owner leaves. It suits businesses worth up to about $10 million.
How long does it take?
Two to three weeks, inside the period the seller has agreed to talk only to you. We agree the delivery date before we start. If your window is too short to do the work properly, we’ll tell you before you engage.
What does it cost?
A fixed fee, set by the size of the deal and agreed in writing. We never take a fee that depends on the deal going through. We never work for the buyer and the seller in the same deal.
What about after I buy?
If the business leans heavily on the seller, the First-Year Handover moves what he knows into your people before he goes.