Case Study: Preparing for a £10m Exit at a Growing Software Company

🧩 Overview

Industry: Software
Stage: Growth
ARR: £2m
Event: Successfully exited with a £10m acquisition
Service: Exit preparation, financial structuring, and due diligence support

❌ The Problem

The founder was receiving interest from potential buyers but wasn’t confident the business was ready. Financials were not structured for due diligence, margins weren’t clear, and too much of the business still relied on the founder. There was also no system in place to track marketing performance or show a clear sales pipeline.

The risk? Losing the deal or getting a lower offer.

✅ What We Did

We focused on the key areas that make or break a successful exit:

• Cleaned up the financials: Organised the chart of accounts, fixed gross margin reporting, removed one-off items from recurring revenue
• Created board-level monthly reports: Profitability, cash flow, key SaaS metrics (MRR, churn, CAC payback), and growth trends
• Built a marketing ROI dashboard: Tracked performance by channel to show where revenue was really coming from
• Reduced founder dependence: Documented processes, clarified team roles, and structured reporting to work without day-to-day founder input
• Prepared investor materials: Summary financials, due diligence-ready data room, and explanations for all major metrics

📈 The Result

The business sold for just over £10m. The buyer was impressed by the clarity of the numbers and systems already in place. The founder had full visibility over the business and was able to explain revenue drivers, marketing efficiency, and margin structure with confidence.

💬 Founder Quote

“Having someone who understood both the numbers and the investor mindset made a massive difference. The process went smoother than expected.”

💡 Thinking of Exiting?

Early preparation can add hundreds of thousands to your exit value. A few things to focus on:

• Have a profitable business (or very fast growth if not)
• Keep margins strong - at least 70% gross profit if you're in software
• Make sure your financials are investor-ready
• Have marketing and sales data that explains how your business grows

Want help preparing for a successful exit?