The first part of the form is used to create one page summary with some factual information. It gives the buyer a very high level overview of your business and will almost certainly be shared (confidentially) with their accountant, solicitor and bank during the acquisition process. 

Try to keep your answers short, sharp and factual in this section. You’ll have the opportunity to add more in the following sections.

Here’s a list on points you can consider but remember to make it easy for the buyer to read: 

1. What does the business do?
2. Describe the history of the business including any previous owners?
3. List any significant milestones or awards
4. Describe how the business evolved, changed or adapted over time?
5. Why do your customers need the business and why does the business exist?
6. Why is the business successful?
7. What has been the most rewarding aspects of owning this business?
8. What have you enjoyed most about the business?
9. Why do you believe the business will continue to be successful in the future?
10. What strategy does the existing owner propose to ensure a successful transition for the new owner?

This is your chance to tell the buyer about the business location and operations. 

Below are some points to consider but remember to make it easy for the buyer to read. 

1. Why is the business in this location? 
2. What are the highlights of this location (parking, signage, foot traffic, easy access, new developments or growth)
3. What are the strengths of your operations? 
4. How have you tailored your operations to suit your location? 
5. If your business doesn’t have a physical location, focus on the key elements of your operations. 

If you have an asset list you can simply upload it to give the buyer the information about the business assets which they need.

Alternatively, you can list the major business assets in this section. 

The first step here is to list your staff. However, if you’ve got more than 5 staff to improve the readability we suggest you skip this step and after you’ve submitted the information we’ll discuss a faster way to get this information. 

The next step is to provide a summary of the business from a HR perspective.

Consider the following points: 

• What if your role in the business currently?
• How autonomous is your team? 
• Do you have any stand out team members? 
• How would you describe the team moral? 
• Do you use contractors or outsourced providers, if so why? 
• Do you staff know about the business sale? 

The section of the Information Memorandum should provide the buyer with a basic understanding of the business financial performance. 

Whilst a serious buyer will still want access to your financial records before they make an offer you only need to include a summary here. 

This section also give you the opportunity to provide some explanation about the financial results. 

In particular: 

• Do you need to draw the buyers attention to any adjustments? 
• Are there are large one-off sales or expenses which should be explained?

Try to list at least 5 points for each category. 

Whilst is may feel counter intuitive to list the threats and weaknesses of your business years of experience tells us that serious buyers appreciate your candour and are more likely to trust you and proceed if you are upfront about any threats or weaknesses. 

They say a picture tells a thousand words.

This is the place to upload any images you would like added into the final product along with copies of your financial statements, asset list, financial records and anything else you think would help a buyer understand your business.