What is your company really worth, and what can you do to sell it for more?
Most owners we talk to have been thinking about a sale for two or three years. They know it will happen eventually, but they put the decision off because they do not know where to start. The company is running, it generates revenue, and somehow there is never a good moment to deal with it. And so one year follows another.
The problem is that the buyer does not wait. When someone finally shows interest, the owner sits down at the table unprepared, with no reliable valuation, no idea what the buyer will find in due diligence and no benchmark at all for the price. The negotiation runs on the buyer’s terms, not the seller’s.
We do exactly the opposite. Before anyone makes an offer, we examine the company the way a buyer and their advisers will, and we fix what would push the price down in negotiations. The owner enters the talks with a valuation, with documentation and with a clear view of the company’s strengths and weaknesses. That changes the whole dynamic of the transaction.
You are thinking about selling, but not yet.
In three years, maybe five. You sense it is worth preparing, but you do not know where to start or whether there is anything to improve at all.
You are worried the buyer will find something and knock the price down.
Every company has weak points. You would rather find them yourself, before a buyer does with a lawyer and an adviser on their side.
You have received an offer and you do not know whether it is a good one.
Someone has approached you about buying the company. It sounds interesting, but you have no benchmark. You do not know whether that number is a fair valuation or a bargain for the buyer.
PLN 100,000 more in annual profit means
up to PLN 600,000 more on the sale price
That is the difference proper preparation makes, before you sit down to negotiate with a buyer.
At the typical multiple buyers apply to transactions of this size (the EBITDA multiple), every zloty of improvement in earnings translates into a multiple of that in the final price. Companies that go in unprepared leave that money on the table.
The programme has two stages.
You can stop after the first.
The Diagnosis gives you a complete picture of the company’s value and a list of things to fix. Execution is the work on those things, done together with us. There is no obligation to continue after the Diagnosis.
The Execution stage is available only after a Diagnosis has been carried out. Not because it suits us, but because without a reliable valuation and a roadmap there is no point starting any changes at all. The Diagnosis sets the priorities. Execution delivers them. Acting without a diagnosis means fixing things that may have no effect on the sale price.
Splitting the work into two stages is deliberate. The Diagnosis is a separate engagement with a separate agreement, on purpose, so that you can decide about working together further only after you have seen the results and judged whether it is worth it. Some owners stop at the Diagnosis and implement the changes themselves. That is a legitimate choice and we always say so openly.
Stage 1: Diagnosis (4 to 6 weeks)
We assess the company the way a buyer will. Valuation by income and market-comparable methods, normalisation of financial results, an internal simulation of legal and financial due diligence. At the end you know what the company is worth, what would push the price down in negotiations and what is worth changing.
What you get after the Diagnosis:
- A valuation model (income and market-comparable methods)
- A schedule of adjustments to the financial result
- A risk report with an assessment of the impact on price
- A roadmap of changes with priorities and estimated effect
Stage 2: Execution (from 6 months)
We implement the changes from the roadmap. A monthly operational workshop on site, removing the company’s dependence on the owner, automation projects that lift earnings. A valuation update every quarter.
What you get during Execution:
- A monthly report on progress and earnings growth
- An updated valuation model every quarter
- Documentation of operating procedures
- Changes actually implemented, not just recommendations
From the first conversation to Diagnosis results in six weeks.
Introductory call
A 30 to 45 minute meeting by phone or online. We talk about the company, your situation and what you are looking for. No presentation, no offer. By the end you know whether the programme makes sense in your case.
Free of charge, no obligation
Signing the agreement and starting
We agree the scope, the timetable and how we will work. We need access to the last three years of financial data and a short conversation with the management team.
Week 1
Analysis and valuation
We work on the data. No weekly meetings, no demands on your time. We ask only when we have to.
Weeks 2 to 5
Presentation of results
We present the valuation model, the risk report and the roadmap of changes. We go through the results and answer questions. The decision to continue is yours.
Week 6
There are three kinds of adviser. Here is how we differ.
Large advisory firms
- Transactions above PLN 50 million
- Juniors do the work, the senior shows up for the presentation
- Prohibitive fees already at the diagnosis stage
- No first-hand experience as an owner
Brzyski & Partners
- Specialisation: transactions of PLN 10-50 million
- Advisers who have been through an exit themselves
- We brief clients on the sale process from the first meeting
- M&A and technology expertise in one place
Local advisers
- No M&A transaction specialisation
- They do not run pre-sale preparation
- No network of investors and buyers
- No analytical or AI tooling
What the owners we have worked with say.
2
+PLN 2m
increase in company value
Services and trading company: value rising before the sale process even began.
The owner of a company in southern Poland came to us with a question about valuation. The Diagnosis identified three areas a buyer would treat as risk and use to lower the price. After nine months of Execution those risks had been eliminated and operating profit had grown. The estimated increase in company value was more than two million zloty, before anyone had made an offer.
The questions we hear most often before the first conversation.
Is the programme worth it if my company has PLN 10m in revenue?
Yes, if you are thinking about a sale within the next few years. The Diagnosis shows whether there is potential to improve the value and how much. If there is none, we will say so plainly at the introductory call.
Do you need access to my financial data?
Yes. Without the last three years of financial data there is no reliable valuation. We sign a confidentiality agreement before you share anything.
How long does the whole process take?
The Diagnosis takes 4 to 6 weeks. Execution runs for a minimum of 6 months, usually one to two years. The timing depends on how many changes the company needs and when you plan to sell.
Do I have to continue to Execution after the Diagnosis?
No. The Diagnosis is a separate stage with a separate agreement. When it is finished you decide what happens next. Some clients stop at the Diagnosis and implement the changes themselves.
When is a good moment to start?
Ideally at least two years before the planned sale. The earlier you start, the more you can improve and the higher your starting point in negotiations.
What does the first conversation look like?
A 30 to 45 minute meeting by phone or online. You tell us about the company, we ask questions. By the end you know whether the programme makes sense in your case and what the next steps are. No offer, no presentation.
Check whether your company is ready for a conversation with a buyer.
A list of 12 areas that buyers and their advisers check in every transaction. Mark the ones that need attention in your company.