Vendor finance is often used to bridge a price gap in the sale of a privately held business, but from a valuation perspective it is more than a deal structure. It changes buyer affordability, vendor risk, timing of proceeds, and sometimes the effective price a business can achieve. For an Australian business owner, the key […]
Earnouts are a common feature of Australian private business transactions, and they matter directly to valuation because they shift part of the price from completion to future performance. In practice, an earnout can reduce the gap between buyer and seller expectations, but it also introduces valuation uncertainty, tax complexity, and post-deal dispute risk. For business […]
For Australian business owners, the choice between a share sale and an asset sale is not just a legal or tax decision, it is a valuation issue that can materially change the price, the risk profile, and the net proceeds to each party. A professional business valuation engagement must reflect how CGT, GST, stamp duty, […]
Completion accounts and locked-box mechanisms are two common ways to determine final consideration in an Australian business sale, and both can materially affect a seller’s net proceeds. For a business valuer, the key issue is not just legal drafting, but how each mechanism allocates value, working capital movements, debt, cash and timing risk between buyer […]
Warranty and indemnity insurance (W&I insurance) is now a practical feature of many Australian mergers and acquisitions, but its relevance to business valuation is often misunderstood. For a business owner, buyer, or advisor, the key issue is not simply who pays for the policy, but how the policy reallocates deal risk, influences pricing, affects the […]
Warranties and indemnities are a central feature of Australian business sale agreements because they allocate post-completion risk between buyer and seller. For a business valuer, they are not just legal clauses. They can materially affect maintainable earnings, contingent liabilities, transaction certainty, and the discount or premium a prudent buyer is willing to pay. In practice, […]
Exclusivity is one of the most commercially important phases in an Australian business sale, because it often marks the point where a buyer and seller move from broad negotiation into focused due diligence and, ultimately, a Share Sale Agreement. From a valuation perspective, this stage matters because the negotiating leverage, information quality, and timing of […]
Confidentiality is not just a legal issue in a business sale, it is a valuation issue. For Australian privately held businesses, the way information is released to buyers can influence perceived risk, market interest, negotiating leverage, and ultimately the value conclusion in a valuation engagement. Teasers, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and staged disclosure are practical tools […]
In an Australian merger and acquisition (M&A) process, a Heads of Agreement or term sheet is often the first document that sets the commercial framework for a deal, but it can also shape the valuation outcome long before formal sale documents are drafted. For business owners, the key issue is not simply what price is […]
An information memorandum (IM) is more than a sales document. For a private business owner, it is a core valuation input because it frames the investment case, explains the earnings base, and sets out the risk and growth story that buyers will test against their own valuation models. In an Australian transaction context, a well-prepared […]