Buy out a departing owner

Buy out a departing owner We will help you manage an owner’s departure so it is fair to them and does not destabilise the business. What happens when one of you wants out? In most private businesses the honest answer is that nobody knows, because it was never written down. The departing owner wants a […]

9 questions to ask yourself before you sell your business

We have written a lot of technical stuff about selling a business. But we’re finding that more and more people want to understand the best high-level strategy to actually conclude a successful deal. Set out below are 9 key questions you need to ask yourself before you start to sell your business. 1. Do I […]

Hey founder, are you being left behind?

Founding a company is a lot easier than retaining control of it. Part of your journey will necessarily involve other people. First, it may be a co-founder. Then family and friend investors, and ultimately professional investors. During this evolution, the chances of you being left behind, and things getting out of control, increase exponentially. We’ll help you get back in control, with a binding entitlement to what you’re worth.

How do pre-emption rights work?

Most Shareholder Agreements, Constitutions and Partnership Agreements provide ‘pre-emption’ rights. These are rights that require someone wanting to sell an interest in the enterprise, to first offer the interest to the other equity holders. But they do not necessarily require the majority to buy.

Are you first in line? Understanding ‘pre-emption’ clauses

Well drafted ‘pre-emption’ clauses in a Shareholders Agreement or Constitution provide you with important protections. But there are a number of potential traps that you need to be aware of.