GET YOUR MSP BUSINESS READY TO SELL
Before you sell your MSP, you'll be asked hundreds of detailed questions covering finance, tax, legal, HR, operations, cyber, IT and more. Get the answers ready before the questions arrive, without putting the rest of the business on hold. Built specifically for IT Managed Services Provider (MSP) owners.
A sale process runs on detail, not just a deal
Once a buyer is found and a price agreed, the real work begins. Lawyers, accountants and the buyer's own due diligence team will ask hundreds of questions across every part of the business.
Businesses that go in unprepared lose time, lose momentum, and often lose value. Gaps discovered mid-process are one of the most common reasons deals slow down or buyers push back on price.
Most owners only do this once. Unlike the buyer's side, which has often done it many times before, you're navigating unfamiliar territory for the first and probably only time, at exactly the point when the stakes are highest.
Running the business while the sale happens
Selling an MSP demands a dual focus and is time consuming. It asks the owner and the wider decision making team to cover every part of the sale, including areas where they may not have detailed knowledge, while the business still needs to run and keep moving forward.
For most owners, that combination becomes a major distraction. Either the day to day business slips, or the owner ends up working excessive hours to manage both the sale and the business at once. This service is built to help you and your decision makers balance both roles, filling the gaps that smooth out due diligence and the wider acquisition process.
We provide the structure and experience to ensure your team stays in control of both roles throughout the entire process.
A readiness service built from direct experience
This service gets your MSP ready to answer those questions before they're asked. It's built entirely from first hand experience of 25 years running Bluegrass, an MSP in Exeter, and then a sale that took 15 months and generated hundreds of due diligence questions across every part of the operation, the same nine areas any MSP sale will cover.
You and team stay in control throughout; the service identifies what's needed, directs the preparation, and briefs your accountant and solicitor on exactly what the process will require.
MSP Due Diligence
A structured readiness engagement covering nine areas of the business
Finance
Tax
Legal
A Simple, Structured Process
We guide you through a clear, step-by-step journey to ensure your business is fully prepared for the scrutiny of the buyer's due diligence team.
01
02
03
04
Assess
Guide
Brief
Confirm
Review the business and its existing documentation against all nine areas, highlighting what's missing and, where possible, checking it for consistency and level of detail, so gaps can be identified early.
The owner and team gather and develop the material, with clear direction to ensure all documentation is accurate and complete.
Your accountant and solicitor are briefed on the specific finance and legal documentation the process will require.
A final review across all nine areas to check the documentation and processes are in place before the business goes to market.
Wondering where your business would fit in this process.
A short conversation is the easiest way to find out. No pricing, no pressure, just a look at where you stand.
Or, if you’d rather start on your own, the free readiness assessment takes about three minutes.
Clear boundaries, by design
Our preparation is designed to complement your existing accountant and solicitor, not replace or duplicate their work. Our work is defined by a clear scope that you approve.
Valuation and pricing stay with your accountant or M&A adviser, buyer search and introductions stay with your broker, and negotiation and deal execution stay with you and your solicitor. Once the business is ready, the engagement is complete. Support during due diligence or negotiation, if wanted, is a separate arrangement.
Not sure how this differs from a broker? See the comparison
Owner-managed MSPs planning ahead
Whether you are preparing for a sale in the next 12 to 24 months or have had an unexpected approach, we help you prepare for the detailed buyer due diligence process.
Why get ready in advance
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Faster due diligence. Material is already assembled rather than pulled together under time pressure.
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Fewer surprises. Gaps found mid process are a common source of delay and price renegotiation.
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Less disruption. Management isn't pulled away from running the business to hunt down records.
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Specialist direction. Recurring revenue quality, financial management information beyond the P&L, and operational and commercial information such as client and supplier relationships, guided by someone who knows exactly what these areas need to look like.
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A more balanced process. You can keep running the business while the sale moves forward alongside it, rather than instead of it.
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Lasting value. Better HR, IT and process documentation is good business practice, sale or no sale.
A stronger position, not just a faster one
About
For 25 years I ran Bluegrass, an MSP based in Exeter. My son Chris joined as a trainee engineer and worked his way up to joint MD alongside me. In 2023 we sold the business to Modern Networks.
The sale went well. But due diligence was an eye opener.
The buyer's team went through everything line by line. Every client. Every contract. Orders from two years earlier, traced from request to invoice. Some of it we answered in minutes. Some of it took days of digging, just when we had least time to spare.
What I learned
Start early. Getting documentation and processes in order before a buyer arrives saves time and protects value.
Watch EBITDA, not just profit. Buyers care about EBITDA built up over years, not one good year.
Don't do it alone. I had Chris to share the load. Most owners don't have anyone.
How I help
MSP Sale Readiness is the advisor I wish I'd had. I help you find the gaps a buyer will find, and fix them while there's still time.
I work alongside your accountant, solicitor and M&A advisor, not instead of them. And I'm a sounding board who has sat in your chair.
CONTACT
Let’s Work Together
07711 847670
david@mspsalereadiness.co.uk