Practical business guides

How to Prepare a Business for Sale in BC

Amati Capital Partners · October 23, 2026

Begin by making the business understandable and transferable. Before approaching buyers, clarify your objectives, test whether management can operate without you, organize financial information and identify the issues a buyer will need to investigate.

Define the outcome before the transaction

Write down your preferred timing, the income you need after the sale, the role you are willing to retain and the outcomes that matter for employees and family. Compare a third-party sale with a management or family transition before treating a sale as the only route. These choices affect preparation, financing and the handover.

Prepare an earnings story that can be checked

Collect financial statements, current management accounts, tax filings, debt schedules and a clear explanation of unusual items. Separate recurring business costs from proposed adjustments and retain supporting documents. An adjustment is a discussion item until a buyer and its advisers accept the evidence. Reconcile revenue, margins and cash flow rather than presenting EBITDA alone.

Test the business without the owner

List the decisions, customer relationships, supplier negotiations and approvals that rely on you. Assign responsibility and authority to other people, then test the arrangement. A planned absence can reveal gaps while there is still time to address them. Document the work so the buyer can understand what is being transferred.

Organize the information a buyer will request

Build an indexed information list covering corporate records, contracts, leases, employees, intellectual property, insurance, assets and material disputes. Review change-of-control and assignment provisions with counsel. A construction business should also explain backlog quality, project margins, holdbacks and contingent commitments. Control access to confidential information during a sale process.

Connect price to cash received

Compare the expected enterprise value with debt, working-capital adjustments, transaction costs, taxes and any deferred consideration. A headline price is not the same as cash available on completion. Have your accounting, tax and legal advisers assess the proposed structure before relying on a net-proceeds estimate.

Turn gaps into an implementation plan

Choose the few issues that most affect transferability and buyer confidence. Give each an owner, a deadline and evidence of completion. Amati can help assess readiness, compare transition paths and coordinate a practical preparation roadmap alongside your existing professional advisers.