When you start to attract interested buyers for your business, you will move to the due diligence phase of mergers and acquisitions. During this stage of proceedings, you will have to share a lot of information with the potential buyers. Here is our overview of some of the key documents that you will need to have prepared, so the process can move ahead as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

What Documents are Needed to Sell Your Business?

The key documents

You will want to start off with a non-disclosure agreement. This way, any information that you subsequently share with the potential buyers is protected –which is important as you will need to give them access to detailed financial documents that are intrinsically confidential. Remember that often the people interested in buying your business are competitors who want to fold your company into theirs –in the event that they are not the successful buyer, it is important that they cannot make use of the information that you shared with them to affect your business.

Financial statements are next. You will definitely need up-to-date, current figures, as well as historical records for the last two or three years. The buyer may want to see records that go back even further than this, so be prepared to acquiesce if that is the case.
Inventory lists will also need to be provided, with an accurate account of what you are holding in stock, any relevant expiry data, and the value of each item. Remember the goal of due diligence is to determine the price that your seller will pay for the business, and your stock or inventory can make a big difference to that price.
Contracts will also be an important piece of documentation when selling your business. This applies to any and all contracts that apply to the business –leases, warranties, employment agreements, supplier contracts, customer documents: essentially anything that the new owner is taking the legal responsibility for.
Of course, from the seller's perspective, the most important piece of documentation is the sale contract or agreement to purchase. This should clearly state the terms of the business transaction (including the price) and what is involved in the sale. For example, are you expected to stay on for a fixed period to transition the operations to the new owners? Are you taking any mementos or fixtures with you when you sell? Make sure that everything is clearly accounted for in this contract, as it is the legally binding agreement between you and the buyer.

Pinnacle Pharmacy Group

For a more in-depth understanding of the documents, you need to have ready when you are selling your business, get in touch with an M & A specialist. The experts at Pinnacle Pharmacy Group can help you to coordinate and prepare your documents, as well as provide you with a digital data room to keep everything organized and accessible.