Financial advice for selling a business
Specialist exit planning for female founders and business owners who want to protect what they have built and plan confidently for what comes next.
Selling a business is one of the most significant financial events of your life. The decisions made before, during, and immediately after the sale will shape your financial position for decades.
As a Chartered Financial Planner based in Liverpool, I provide specialist financial advice for female founders and business owners who are planning a business exit, helping you approach the sale with a clear strategy, protect your proceeds, and build a financial plan for the life that follows.
Business sale financial planning at every stage of the exit
Before the sale
Understanding the financial implications of your planned exit
Tax planning ahead of the sale
Structuring your personal finances to maximise the proceeds
Working alongside your accountant and solicitor
During the sale
Financial guidance throughout the sale process
Understanding the terms of your deal and what they mean for you
Managing the timing of proceeds and tax liabilities
Regular check-ins to keep your financial plan aligned with the sale timeline
After the sale
Managing and investing your sale proceeds
Post-sale wealth strategy and income planning
Pension planning with significant capital available
Estate planning and inheritance tax considerations
We work in conjunction with an extensive network of external growth advisers and SME specialists, who have been carefully selected by St. James's Place. The services provided by these specialists are separate and distinct to the services carried out by St. James's Place and include advice on how to grow your business and prepare your business for sale and exit.
Built for female founders and business owners ready to exit
My clients at this stage are women who have spent years building something significant. A profitable business, a loyal client base, a strong team, and now they are ready to exit, whether through a trade sale, a management buyout, or another route.
They are typically looking at exit proceeds of £500,000 or more. Some have built businesses worth considerably more. What they share is this: the financial complexity of a business sale at this level requires specialist advice, and they want someone on their side who genuinely understands both the business context and the personal financial implications.
The clients who come to me for business sale advice often tell me the same thing: they wish they had started the financial planning conversations earlier. Business sale financial advice is not something to arrange once the sale process has begun, it is something to put in place well in advance, so that you go into the sale with a clear strategy and the maximum number of options available to you.
If you are thinking about selling your business in the next one to five years, now is exactly the right time to have this conversation.
The financial complexity of selling a business
A business sale is not simply a transaction. It is a financial event with implications that extend across tax, pensions, investments, estate planning, and long-term income strategy. Without specialist financial advice running alongside the legal and accountancy work, significant value can be lost and opportunities that only exist before the sale completes can be missed entirely.
Tax planning before the sale Business sales can trigger significant tax liabilities depending on the structure of the sale, how the proceeds are taken, and what planning has been put in place in advance. Working with your accountant and a financial adviser well ahead of the sale date creates the most options for managing your tax position effectively. This is important as the levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time. The value of any tax relief is also dependent on individual circumstances.
Pension planning alongside the sale A business sale often creates an opportunity to make significant pension contributions in a tax-efficient way. For many business owners, this is one of the most valuable financial planning moves available in the period surrounding an exit — but it requires careful timing and specialist advice to do properly.
Link: Learn more about pension advice — /pension-advice
What to do with the proceeds Receiving a large capital sum from a business sale is not the same as having a straightforward investment portfolio. The proceeds need to be structured, invested, and drawn on in a way that provides sustainable income, manages tax exposure, and aligns with your long-term goals. Quite often the proceeds need to last for a long term, if not someone’s lifetime. This is where personal financial planning becomes critical, and where many business owners who have not had specialist advice find themselves uncertain about what to do next.
Estate planning and inheritance tax For business owners, business property relief can currently reduce or eliminate the inheritance tax payable on business assets. Once a business is sold and the proceeds are held as cash or investments, that relief no longer applies. Understanding the estate planning implications of a sale (and taking steps to address them) is an important part of exit financial planning.
Link: Learn more about inheritance financial planning — /inheritance-advice
How I work with business owners through an exit
My approach to business sale financial advice is built around being present throughout the process, not just at one point in it.
Initial clarity call A 15-minute call to understand where you are in the exit process, what your timeline looks like, and what financial planning support you need.
Pre-sale financial planning A thorough review of your personal financial position and the tax and planning considerations specific to your planned exit. I work alongside your accountant and solicitor to make sure the financial advice is aligned with the legal and tax structure of the deal.
Regular check-ins through the sale Business sales take time and circumstances change. I recommend check-ins every six to eight weeks during an active sale process to make sure your financial plan remains aligned with what is happening in the deal.
Post-sale wealth strategy Once the sale completes, I help you build a clear financial plan for your next chapter covering investment strategy, pension planning, income structuring, and long-term wealth management.
Testimonial
“My husband and I approached Shalini with the goal of consolidating our pensions and finding someone we could trust to manage them together. We also wanted to maximise our returns as a couple and grow our pension pot to potentially retire earlier. Shalini’s personalised approach is outstanding - she truly understands us and our individual and shared financial goals. It’s great that we can work on this together, knowing she’s looking after both of our interests. We fully trust her and highly recommend her to anyone seeking sound financial advice.”
Frequently Asked Questions
About Business Sale Financial Advice
Q: When should I speak to a financial adviser about selling my business?
A: As early as possible, ideally well before the sale process formally begins.
I regularly work with clients who come to me after a sale has completed and the consistent message is the same: they wish they had engaged in financial advice sooner.
The earlier financial planning starts, the more options are available for managing tax, structuring pension contributions, and planning for what comes after the sale.
If you are thinking about an exit in the next one to five years, now is the right time to have this conversation.
Link: Financial advice for widows — /financial-advice-for-widows
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Business sales can trigger capital gains tax liabilities, the level of which depends on the structure of the sale, how the proceeds are taken, and what reliefs are available.
This is a complex area that requires specialist advice from both a financial adviser and an accountant working together. I work collaboratively with your accountant so that the financial planning is aligned with the tax structure of your deal. Speaking to a financial adviser before the sale process begins creates the most options for managing your tax position. -
Receiving a significant capital sum from a business sale requires a clear, structured approach.
The proceeds need to be managed in a way that provides sustainable income, manages tax exposure, and aligns with your long-term goals and lifestyle. There is no single right answer, it depends entirely on your personal circumstances, your income needs, your attitude to risk, and your longer-term plans.
I help you build a clear, personalised strategy for the proceeds so you can move into the next chapter of your life with confidence. -
For many business owners, making pension contributions in the period surrounding a business sale is one of the most tax-efficient financial planning moves available.
The timing, structure, and level of contributions depends on your specific circumstances and requires careful planning alongside your accountant.
This is an area where specialist advice can make a material difference to your overall financial position. I strongly recommend discussing pension strategy as part of any pre-sale financial planning. -
Business relief can currently reduce or eliminate the inheritance tax payable on qualifying business assets.
Once a business is sold and the proceeds are held as cash or investments, that relief generally no longer applies. This means a business sale can change your estate's inheritance tax position significantly.
Understanding and addressing this as part of your exit planning is an important consideration, particularly for business owners with larger estates.It is key to note that the levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time. The value of any tax relief is dependent on individual circumstances too.
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Yes. While I am based in Liverpool and work with many clients locally, I support women throughout Merseyside, the North West, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cheshire.
The advice is always personal and built around your specific situation regardless of location.
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Absolutely. In fact, the earlier the financial planning conversation starts, the better.
Many of my business owner clients are in the early stages of thinking about an eventual exit and having a clear financial picture of what a sale at various levels would mean for them helps inform the decision itself.
A Money Map session is a natural starting point for anyone in this position.
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