Selling a business is a major undertaking and should not be taken lightly. Did you know that the majority of mergers and acquisitions fail or are completed at a price well below their true value due to a lack of preparation?
At Match Entreprises, we leave nothing to chance. Our mission is simple: to transform a complex and risky process into a major financial and strategic success. Thanks to our cutting-edge expertise, we protect your interests, attract the best buyers, and support sellers through every stage of the sale.
Discover here the essential questions you need to ask yourself—the ones that cause other sellers to fail—and how our experts can help you avoid them:
Before selling your business, Match Entreprises and Serge Naud recommend that you read the following questions
Signing a letter of intent does not mean the money is in your account. In reality, a large number of transactions fall through at the last minute. The main causes? Poor negotiation management, a decline in the SME’s performance during the process (which often lasts 6 to 12 months), or disagreements over the payment structure (balance of the sale price, price adjustment clauses).
The Match Entreprises difference:
We are process management professionals. While we screen buyers and structure the transaction optimally, you remain 100% focused on growing your business. We control the pace of negotiations to prevent the deal from stalling, and we align both parties from the outset to eliminate roadblocks.
Without proper guidance, business owners often make critical mistakes that undermine the value of the business, scare off buyers, and literally jeopardize the success of the sale:
Poorly prepared financial statements: Unclear accounting scares off investors.
Excessive customer concentration: More than 15% of revenue coming from a single customer represents a major risk.
Lack of written contracts: Verbal agreements have no transferable value.
Lack of documented processes: If know-how isn’t documented, the business isn’t transferable.
Obsolete equipment: Technological lag is directly deducted from the sale price.
A weak management team: A business must be able to survive without its owner.
Neglecting intellectual property: Unprotected trademarks or source codes weaken your position.
Waiting until the last minute to sell: Selling under pressure (due to health issues or burnout) reduces your bargaining power.
Poor inventory management: Obsolete inventory hinders working capital adjustments.
Setting a price based on emotion: An unrealistic overvaluation discourages serious buyers.
Serge Naud’s team has more than 45 years of business management experience across a variety of industries. Having been a founder, owner, and shareholder of several companies himself, he knows every aspect of an SME.
In every business sale transaction, the Match Entreprise team identifies errors and shortcomings that could be improved or corrected to present a flawless case to buyers.
The due diligence phase is a comprehensive review of your business by the buyer’s accountants and lawyers. This is where unprepared transactions fall apart: discrepancies between reported and actual figures, hidden tax or environmental liabilities, or problematic change-of-control clauses in customer contracts.
The Match Entreprises Solution
With over 30 years of experience as a mergers and acquisitions advisor, Serge Naud prepares your file with surgical precision. At Match Entreprises, we orchestrate a “pre-due diligence” process. We maintain complete transparency and structure the transaction so that the buyer can confirm what they’ve seen from day one. No skeletons will come out of the closet, ensuring a smooth transaction close.
If you’re the sole decision-maker, the top salesperson, and the only point of contact for your key clients, you’re not selling a self-sustaining business—you’re selling your job. For a buyer or an investment fund, the risk that everything will fall apart once you leave is too great, which drives down the value of your offer.
Match Entreprises’ Strategic Support:
As a specialist in transaction structuring and business development, Serge Naud helps you make your business “transferable.” We advise you on the best strategies for delegating responsibilities and empowering your management team 12 to 24 months before the sale, transforming your small business into an independent, highly attractive entity that is valued at its maximum potential.