For owners · Preparation
What helps at the start.
You do not need a data room for a first conversation. A rough picture of a few things goes a long way.
Guide by Black Tier Capital · Revised 30 September 2026
What should you prepare for a first call?
A brief outline is enough: what the business does, where it works, its broad trading picture and what you want next. Detailed accounts and identifiable client information can wait for an agreed later stage.
A first call needs
- The work, customers and team in broad terms
- Your current responsibilities and future plans
- Questions you want to ask the buyer
A first-conversation checklist.
Broad answers are enough. These are prompts for your own thinking — nothing needs to be written down, completed or sent before a call.
The business, sector and location
- What the business does, and which part of construction or building services it is in
- Roughly where it works — towns, boroughs or counties
- How long it has been trading, and roughly how many people work in it
- How work usually arrives: repeat clients, frameworks, tenders or referrals — types of client, not names
Your aims and timing
- Whether you are thinking about a full sale, a phased transition, investment to grow — or are still exploring
- Any timeframe you have in mind, and what is driving it
- The role, if any, you would like after a change, and for how long
- What matters most to you beyond the terms: the team, clients, the name
Dependency and continuity
- Which client relationships, approvals or decisions currently depend on you personally
- Who else carries day-to-day responsibility, by role — estimating, site management, accounts
- What clients and the team would need to hear, and when, for a change to go smoothly
Useful now, or keep for later.
Company-sensitive information is not needed to decide whether a conversation is worth continuing. It is shared only if both sides want to go further, on a basis agreed first.
| Topic | Useful now | Keep for an agreed confidential stage |
|---|---|---|
| The business | What it does, its sector and where it works | Detailed contracts, order book and pricing |
| Clients | The types of client and how work arrives | Client names, contract values and correspondence |
| Finances | Nothing required; a broad sense of scale only if you are comfortable | Accounts, management figures, margins, borrowing and tax information |
| People | Roughly how many people, and which roles carry the day-to-day | Names, pay, employment contracts and any personal information |
| Your plans | Your aims, timing and preferred role | Detailed terms, which are discussed only after an evaluation |
| Documents | None | Any documents, shared only once the basis for sharing is agreed |
Take the checklist with you.
Printable first-conversation checklist
The prompts above as a plain-text file to read before a call. It is for your own use — the enquiry form needs only a short description and does not accept attachments.
Preparation questions
Do I need accounts ready before the first call?
No. A first conversation needs nothing prepared and no documents. The checklist on this page covers the broad points that help; accounts, contracts and client details are kept for a later stage, if both sides want to go further.
When would financial information and client names be shared?
Only if both sides agree to go further, and only on a basis agreed first — including any confidentiality arrangements. Until then, broad terms are enough. How the process works explains each stage.
Should I speak to my accountant first?
It is often sensible to involve your own advisers early. We would always encourage independent legal, tax and financial advice.
Start a private conversation.
Tell us a little about your business and what you are considering. There is no obligation, and nothing moves forward without your agreement.