Transaction Support Services

Expert financial advice for businesses and individuals.

Buy Side Due Diligence

Value Creation

KPI Performance Management

Divestiture

Buy Side Due Diligence

In an environment in which competition for the right deal is strengthening, an acquirer needs to be certain that they can generate incremental value over and above the premium paid.

Due diligence gives acquirers comfort that they are paying the right price for the right asset, and involves a bespoke investigation of the target’s financial and operational performance and (importantly) future potential under new ownership.

Opportunities for improvements post deal are crucial, and whilst downside risks are the traditional focus of diligence, successful acquirers should also investigate (and estimate as part of their business case) any upside potential.

At Ballards LLP, we understand that financial due diligence is key, but also that operational due diligence is now an integral part of the value story.

What do the cash flows from operations look like on a normalised basis?
How does the business operate day-to-day and what is its cost base?
How can the asset become more flexible adapting to constant internal and external changes?
What upside opportunities exist and how does the business compare to peer performance?

Value to you

The purpose of due diligence is to drive post acquisition value for our clients. More specifically this means:

Paying the right price for the future cash flows of the target business
Operational and industry insight to give you an advantage in the acquisition process

Cost reduction upsides that give downside protection if revenue growth fails to materialise
Identification of areas of risk that may be outside your experience
Identification of transaction issues that turn out to be deal stoppers or cause management teams to adjust unrealistic plans

Our buy-side due diligence service

We can help you……
Identify and validate value creation opportunities, and identify risks early.

Ensure the financial fundamentals of the business are reflected fairly in the numbers
Uncover potential issues that may impact the deal value before they arise (including financial and operational risks), and identify additional upsides
Ensure clarity on the cost base and its drivers
Provide independent review and challenge of management plans

Assess the effectiveness of current operating processes and systems, including capacity / utilisation / efficiency / capex etc
Identify and mitigate execution risk
Identify any one-off or dual running costs
Ensure risks are reflected in the deal valuation

Value Creation

Value creation

Value creation focuses on increasing revenue in a sustainable way without sacrificing margin, whilst at the same time optimising the operating cost base.

Revenue Growth
In an uncertain political and economic environment, it is increasingly important for companies to find effective ways to enhance their top line growth. Traditional blockers and challenges businesses typically encounter are:

Operating within a market that finds itself stagnant
A business model that has not been kept relevant or up to date in the eyes of its customers and consumers
Being overtaken by existing competitors or competitors new to the market. This can be particularly challenging when competitors bring new technology into the sector.

We provide a full diagnosis of the business and examine a number of different growth opportunities. We then deliver a full implementation process, ensuring minimum disruption. We then work with you to identify new strategic opportunities that the changes may enable.

Identifying growth opportunities is approached in a structured manner:

Doing things differently

Updating the business model, technology, or approach
Getting to market quicker
Examining the options of ‘Buying’ or ‘Building’ and the associated benefits and subsequent opportunities

Sales Uplift

Increasing effectiveness of sales process
Examining new product opportunities and success rates

Refocus

Examining the route to past success
Refocus management on realigned goals
Prioritize areas of growth, new markets, and development

Diagnostic

Identify and assess growth opportunities
Exploit and convert easy opportunities and ‘low hanging fruit’

Cost control

It is essential to drive value in your business by operating efficiently and effectively. Our approach is to examine the costs of the business with an eye to reduce wherever possible, whilst increasing performance. This may be achieved via cost saving and capital release initiatives which will in turn fund growth and operational change. We will also concentrate on minimising any risk and disruption to the business.

Lowering SG&A costs by streamlining processes, implementing shared services where possible, and delayering management
Examination and lowering of fixed costs
Reduction of procurement costs via scaled economies
Improving cash forecasting and developing processes to release cash quickly
Defined controls on capital investment and monitoring of benefits
IT process improvement and cost reduction

KPI Performance Management

Our team can develop a Key Performance Indicator reporting system to help you grow your business whilst remaining in control of the costs.

Evaluate

Assess efficiency, quality, and timeliness of reporting processes and management input
Evaluate how current KPIs compare to management and investor needs
Analyse failures of KPIs to meet management and investor needs

Update

Identify the KPIs of most relevance across the company
Analyse the issues impacting reporting speed and quality
Establish effective reporting of the most relevant KPIs
Outline hierarchy of reporting
Ensure KPIs are reported correctly in updated reporting systems

Refocus

Implement and maintain identified changes in all aspects of the company to strengthen management reporting and use of KPIs
Embed recurrent practices and standards within business
Monitor and review performance

Divestiture

The use of divestitures to create shareholder value is increasing. Divestitures can raise capital to be invested in new opportunities, whilst preventing value leakage of underperforming businesses. Divestment happens when other companies value a business more than the owner does.

Divestment can come in various forms, including:

Divestment to a trade buyer
Divestment to a financial buyer, such as a private equity house
An initial public offering (IPO)
A carve-out to embark on a joint venture with other parties

To maximise speed and value, each form of divestiture should be approached in a different way.

What divestiture advice do we offer?

Exit readiness diagnostics
Vendor assistance with the requirements of a buy-side due diligence
Sell-side due diligence
Portfolio analysis and strategic advice
Financial and operational carve-out advice
Organisation design
Future-state and day one operating model design
Help in making decisions to sacrifice speed or value to improve the other
Identification of opportunities for value creation
Planning and structuring for transitional services agreements (TSAs)
TSA exit and transition planning
Business closing issues including Day One readiness, treasury financing, accounting deconsolidation, management changes and relations with workforce

Is this relevant to my business?
This service is relevant to companies wanting to:

Explore potential exit routes
Maximise value potential on exit
Prepare differentially for all potential types of buyer
Perform specialist options analysis on portfolio businesses
Carve out a business to operate independently
Carve out a business to be sold

When might my business look at this?
The following could cause your business to look into our divestiture advice service:

Retirement or moving-on
Lack of information provided to investors resulting in a business being undervalued: in this instance, divestment could boost shareholder value
Underperformance within a company or business
Insufficient business models or requirements
Need for capital, for example if bankruptcy occurs
Need for higher investment for growth to continue
Changing preferences amongst consumers
Changes in competitors
Change in government policy or regulatory requirements
Scrutiny triggered by transformative acquisitions

For more information about our Management Consultancy services please get in touch.

Kind words

Having worked with many accountants, Ballards LLP are very good, I get a personal service, and honest advice with no jargon. I particularly appreciate their pre-planning meetings which minimises the GP's time, their support is invaluable and I have on many occasions recommended them.

Ballards LLP really understands the farming business, they speak my language and they know what's going on in the sector. Their advice on diversifying has been great for me. With Ballards LLP, I don't have to worry about the everyday financial compliance and I can concentrate on, with their assistance, growing the farm and pushing forward with my plans.

Ballards LLP have really looked after our business, it was with their help that we acquired the funding to develop our business, and with their ongoing support we keep track of the business financially so we know where we're going.

We have had a very long association with Ballards LLP who have provided our accounting services to us for over 15 years. It has been very reassuring to have such a professional organisation advising with our accounting and development requirements. I really can't recommend Ballards LLP highly enough.

Transaction Support Services

Expert financial advice for businesses and individuals.​

Buy Side Due Diligence

Value to you

Our buy-side due diligence service

Value creation

Identifying growth opportunities is approached in a structured manner:

Cost control

KPI Performance Management

Divestiture

Kind words

Insight

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Expert financial advice for businesses and individuals.