A guide for female founders
Empowering your entrepreneurial journey
As a female-founded business, you're joining a thriving community of innovators and leaders.
With female entrepreneurship on the rise in the UK, we know that there are challenges specific to you compared to other businesses. Facing perceived bias within the UK venture finance community is just one of them – less than 1% of UK venture funding goes to all-female teams and just 4% of deals*. There is a definite need for change and to recognise your contributions to innovation and economic growth.
Our specialist team is here for you. Throughout this guide, they’ll walk you through the key stages of your journey, highlighting the importance of financial planning at every step.
Know your worth: understanding your business value
At Saffery, we understand these unique challenges and the opportunities available for female entrepreneurs.
We offer a team of experienced professionals dedicated to supporting your business, from building tech-driven foundations to successful exits.
Stage 1: Tech-savvy startup
Stage 2: Building for success
Stage 3: Exit strategy and valuation
Stage 4: Optimising your wealth
Becca Durrant, our Cloud Accounting Manager, is here to empower you with the technology your business needs to thrive.
She'll help you:
- Choose the right cloud accounting software,
- Set up your system for efficiency and accuracy, and
- Utilise advanced features to gain valuable insights.
By leveraging technology and sound financial practices, you'll lay the groundwork for a scalable and successful business.
Stage 1: Tech-savvy startup
The foundation of any successful business is a solid financial backbone. In today's world, that means embracing technology. Cloud accounting offers a wealth of benefits for startups, including:
“Helping business leaders set up their finance function to automate processes, provide valuable insights and free up their time to do more of what matters to them is what I love most about what I do.”
Are you the sole decision-maker (FD) in your company? Do you value a collaborative and supportive environment? If so, working with Vicky McFarland, our Senior Audit Manager, would be the perfect fit to support you and your business.
She'll provide:
- Independent verification of your financial statements,
- Valuable insights into your financial health, and
- A sounding board and the knowledge that your financial statements are a model of best practice to give your investors or potential buyers confidence in your numbers.
Stage 2: Building for success
As your business matures, your financial needs evolve. You might be considering fundraising or even an eventual sale.
This is where an audit comes in – investing in a quality audit early on is an investment in your long-term success.
A clean audit report is a key factor in achieving attractive valuations (see Stage 3) and smooth transitions during fundraising or sale.
“As you embark on new endeavours, such as a potential exit or business restructuring plans, it’s important to know that you have the right team behind you, safe in the knowledge that they have the requisite knowledge, skill and desire to support you.”
Jenny Serridge, one of our Transaction Services Directors, will support you in getting your business sale-ready by providing clear, actionable financial insight.
Depending on where you are in your sales timeline, she will help you:
- Clarify your true financial performance, so you understand the value drivers that buyers will focus on.
- Assess the readiness of your financial information, ensuring it’s robust, well-structured and able to withstand detailed questioning from prospective acquirers.
- Identify and address potential issues early, helping you resolve red flags before they affect valuation or slow a sale process.
A focused, informed approach, designed to help you maximise value when the time comes to sell.
Stage 3: Exit strategy and valuation
Whether you envision passing your business to the next generation or maximising your return through a sale, having a clear picture of your business’s financial health is essential, and it’s never too early to prepare.
Our Transaction Services Team can deliver a pre‑transaction financial ‘health check’, designed to strengthen your financial records and prepare you for the scrutiny of due diligence. We tailor our work to your specific circumstances, focusing on strengthening and clarifying your financial information so it stands up to detailed questioning from prospective acquirers. By identifying and addressing potential issues early and ensuring your financial records are robust, well‑organised and transaction‑ready, we help you enter a sale process with confidence.
We’re also able to undertake a more formal, vendor due diligence exercise, which is an independent report detailing your business’s financial performance that can be provided to prospective buyers, reducing the scope of financial due diligence that they will require.
By investing in this early-stage work, you put yourself in the strongest position to handle the pressure of financial due diligence and to move through a future transaction smoothly and with greater control.
“There are several valuation methods, and the best approach depends on your company's stage and industry – I can help you with this valuation.”
You’ve got a deal on the table and want to understand what it means for you; it’s now time to enjoy the rewards of your hard work whilst ensuring that you understand your changing financial circumstances. Lizzie Murray, private wealth Partner at Saffery, can help you take control of your finances.
She’ll help you navigate the following:
- Personal tax implications of the sale,
- Strategies for minimising your tax burden, and
- Wealth planning and structuring opportunities to support your long-term goals.
Stage 4: Optimising your wealth
With a successful exit on the horizon, it's time to start thinking about securing your financial future. By taking control of your finances, you can enjoy the rewards of your hard work while strategically planning for the future.
“Hearing the stories of how businesses have been built, and being able to support founders through a sale, is always inspiring. Often, personal tax is the last thing to be considered; it’s my job to ensure this doesn’t get missed in the noise of the transaction.”
Saffery LLP is a member of Nexia a leading, global network of independent accounting and consulting firms. Please see https://nexia.com/member-firm-disclaimer/ for further details.
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