A finance director before you sell the business
A buyer prices a business from its figures and then tests them. A part-time finance director gets the management accounts, the forecast and the records ready before a buyer asks, and keeps them current through the sale. Peter Allen, Buzz’s Financial Director, from £2,000 + VAT a month.
- Monthly management accounts with a history
- A 12-month forecast a buyer can test
- Margin by product and customer
- Records ready for due diligence
- Quarterly board meetings with Peter
Two years before a sale
Business Asset Disposal Relief needs two years of qualifying ownership up to the date of sale (GOV.UK).
Tax on the sale of your shares
Business Asset Disposal Relief charges Capital Gains Tax at 18% on qualifying gains from 6 April 2026, up to a lifetime limit of £1 million of gains.
On a share sale you need at least 5% of the shares and voting rights, and to have been an employee or officer of a trading company, for at least two years up to the sale (GOV.UK; HMRC HS275). A higher-rate taxpayer pays 24% on gains above the limit (GOV.UK, Capital Gains Tax rates).
A £1.5 million gain on shares
- First £1,000,000 at 18%
- £180,000
- Remaining £500,000 at 24%
- £120,000
- Capital Gains Tax
- £300,000
With no relief, the whole gain at 24% would cost £360,000.
An illustrative example for a higher-rate taxpayer selling in 2026/27, before the annual tax-free allowance. Every figure is invented.
What a buyer checks
A buyer’s due diligence tests whether the profit in the accounts is the profit the business makes. It looks at margin by customer and product, at how quickly customers pay, at stock, and at any cost that will stop or start after the sale.
Peter keeps the management accounts, the forecast and the KPI dashboard current through the sale, so the buyer’s questions are answered from figures the business already has. Your broker or corporate finance adviser runs the sale and your solicitor handles the contract. Buzz prepares the figures and comes to the meetings.
Buzz is not authorised by the FCA, so a recommendation of a particular lender, investor or financial product is referred to an authorised firm.
Peter Allen is your finance director
Peter is Buzz’s co-founder and Financial Director, with more than 20 years’ experience. He keeps the figures a buyer reads current from the plan for the sale to completion.
More on the finance director service
Questions about selling a business
How long before a sale should a finance director start?
Two years gives a buyer two years of monthly figures, and matches the two-year qualifying period for Business Asset Disposal Relief.
Do you find a buyer?
A broker or corporate finance adviser finds the buyer and runs the sale. Buzz prepares the figures, answers the financial questions in due diligence and comes to the meetings.
What are completion accounts?
A balance sheet drawn up at the completion date, used to adjust the price for the cash, debt and working capital the business has on that day. With a locked box, the price is fixed from an earlier balance sheet.
How much does a part-time finance director cost?
From £2,000 + VAT a month. The fee includes the day-to-day finance work as well: weekly bookkeeping in Xero, payroll and expenses, VAT returns, a monthly board pack, customer invoicing and chasing, supplier payments and cash monitoring. The fee is confirmed in writing before work starts.
Talk to us before you sell
Tell us about the business and what you need. A named person replies within one working day.
