Corporate finance covers the transactions that change the shape of a business: raising investment or debt, acquiring another company, selling up, or restructuring ownership. These are high-stakes, one-off events, and the preparation you put in beforehand makes a real difference to both the outcome and the price.
What does corporate finance cover?
Most owners go through a major transaction once, perhaps twice. The people on the other side of the table do them for a living. Our job is to even that up: to get you properly prepared, present your numbers credibly, and guide you through a process that can otherwise feel opaque and one-sided.
We work on the buy side, the sell side, and on raising finance for growth. Whatever the transaction, the groundwork is the same: clean, defensible figures, a clear understanding of value, and a plan for the negotiation.
How we support you
Raising finance
Preparing the numbers and the case to secure bank funding, asset finance or investment on sensible terms.
Business valuations
Independent, well-reasoned valuations for a sale, a share transfer, a dispute or planning purposes.
Business sales
Getting your business ready for sale, presenting it at its best, and supporting you from negotiation through to completion.
Acquisitions
Helping you weigh up a target, understand what you are really buying, and structure the deal.
Due diligence
Financial due diligence on a target, or help getting your own house in order before a buyer starts digging.
Deal structuring
Working through how a transaction is structured and funded, with tax specialists alongside us where needed.
When do owners call us in?
Corporate finance support earns its keep at particular moments, and the earlier you have an initial conversation, the more we can do to help. You may need it when:
- You need funding to grow, invest in equipment or smooth a step change in the business
- You are thinking about selling and want to know what the business is worth and how to prepare
- A chance has come up to acquire a competitor, a supplier or a complementary business
- You need an independent valuation for a share transfer, an exit or a dispute
- A buyer or investor has approached you and you want experienced people on your side
Honest numbers, realistic expectations
We will not tell you your business is worth more than it is just to win the work. A valuation that falls apart under a buyer's scrutiny wastes everyone's time and can sink the deal. Instead we give you a grounded view of value, explain what drives it, and point out where there is room to improve it before you go to market. On the buy side, we help you avoid overpaying and spot the risks that do not show up in the headline figures. Where tax is a big factor in how a deal is structured, we work with tax planning specialists so the structure is efficient as well as sound.
How a transaction works with us
Scope and prepare
We clarify your objective, assess how ready you are, and get the numbers, forecasts and records into shape for scrutiny.
Value and go to market
We set a defensible value or funding case, then support you through the approaches, offers and negotiation.
Diligence to completion
We manage the financial due diligence, answer the questions that come up, and help carry the deal through to close.
Backing North East businesses through big moves
The North East has a strong base of owner-managed and family businesses, and many reach a point where growth, succession or a sale brings a major transaction into view. We help owners across Newcastle and the region approach these moments with confidence. Corporate finance connects closely with our business advisory work and, where the aim is to pass the business to its people, with Employee Ownership Trusts.