Quality of earnings
Maintainable earnings, one-offs, owner benefits and accounting policies that inflate or distort the story.
Business Advisory
Acquisitions & Due Diligence
See through the deal — screen opportunities, diligence the numbers and model outcomes before you commit.
Buying a business is one of the highest-stakes decisions an owner-manager can make. GBFC supports acquisitions with opportunity screening, focused financial due diligence, acquisition modelling and clear reporting — so you understand what you are buying, what it is worth and where the risks sit before completion.
01
Opportunity screening
Not every opportunity deserves a full diligence process. We help you filter early.
Before you invest significant time and fees, we review headline financials, business model fit, obvious red flags and whether the opportunity warrants deeper work. Screening keeps your pipeline commercial and protects management bandwidth.
Initial review of accounts, margins and cash indicators
Fit with your strategy, capacity and risk appetite
Early view on valuation stretch and deal feasibility
Clear recommend / proceed / pause guidance for decision-makers
02
Financial due diligence
We focus on the financial and commercial questions that change price, structure and post-deal priorities.
Working capital and debt-like items
Normalised working capital, completion mechanics and items that effectively change the true purchase price.
Customers, margins and forecasts
Concentration risk, margin trends and whether forecasts stand up under buyer scrutiny.
Findings that drive negotiation
Issues ranked by impact — so diligence informs price, warranties, structure and day-one priorities.
03
Acquisition modelling
Diligence findings should connect to affordability, returns and structure — not sit in a separate report.
Purchase price and funding scenario support
Cash flow and returns views under base and downside cases
Sensitivity around earnings, working capital and integration costs
A clearer link between findings, offer strategy and post-deal priorities
04
Information required
Good diligence starts with a usable information pack. We will tailor the list to the deal, but typically need:
Historic management accounts and filed statutory accounts
Current-year trading packs, forecasts and underlying assumptions
Debt, cash, facilities and known completion adjustments
Customer, supplier and margin analysis where available
Details of one-off items, related-party transactions and owner costs
Access to a data room or structured Q&A process with the seller’s advisers
05
Process
We work to your deal timetable — focused, commercial and clear for boards and funders.
Scope the work
We agree priority areas, data needs and reporting format around your transaction timeline.
Screen or investigate
Opportunity screening or full financial diligence — matched to where you are in the process.
Model and report
Findings and modelling are brought together so decisions are based on impact, not volume of notes.
Support the decision
We help translate issues into negotiation points, structure ideas and post-deal actions.
Ready to strengthen your next stage of growth?
Book a consultation to explore how advisory support can help you plan, invest and decide with confidence.
Book a Consultation
No obligation. Just a conversation.