I have written over 200 information memorandums for business brokers, M&A consultants and company owners since 2017.
Having been through the share and business sales process myself twice, I know what motivates buyers to start serious conversations with the owners.
Too often, reps end up writing IMs instead of chasing offers. It’s a familiar trade-off but it drags deals out and eats into your returns. Here are three other reasons firms hand IM writing over to me:
The most effective IMs feature a simple, compelling narrative showing what the business does, how it makes money, who runs it and where it can grow.
Sellers drag their feet. Accountants go quiet. I handle all the chasing: owners, accountants, solicitors. That frees your team to focus on running your business.
I flag issues like an over-reliance on key staff or major clients so buyers know upfront and can’t use them to stall, renegotiate or chip away at the price later.
I’m one of the few UK copywriters brokers and M&A firms trust to write professional-grade IMs for companies going to market. Since 2017, I have:
I regularly write IMs for two of the UK's fastest-growing independent business broker and M&A firms.
I produce IMs and supporting sales material for entrepreneurs handling their own business sales.
I write press releases and ghost copy for M&A clients including articles for Acquisition Aficionado.
I’ve led the content, planning and writing for three substantial broker and M&A consultant websites.
I know the business sale process inside out. For 17 years, I built and ran a company, growing it to £2m turnover with 40 staff before exiting in 2015. A year later, I co-founded another business and sold my share to the management team in 2021.
Outsource your IM and supporting materials to me and you can set and forget. I handle every step and typically deliver within four weeks, so you can stay focused on finding more potential buyers.
Most brokers set me up with a branded email so I can deal with your client directly and look like part of your team. I’ll sign any NDA or confidentiality agreement you need.
Once your client has signed your mandate, let them know your Head of Client Materials will be in touch. Then send me their name, company name, registration number and best contact details so I can get started.
I send the client a short introduction email and a simple Excel template to collect their key financials, which they or their accountant can complete. I also schedule a welcome video call with the current owners.
I get a clear picture of how the business runs and what makes it valuable. We also cover operations, people, revenue, risks, customers, contracts and growth plans. Calls typically last 90 minutes to two hours.
After the call, I follow up with the owner and their accountant to collect anything still outstanding like asset registers, management accounts, debtor summaries, payroll reports or key financial data needed for the IM.
I present your client with the first draft. At this stage, they often find it easier to share extra detail once they see how the IM is shaping up. I ask for anything relevant, like new hires, upcoming projects or expansion plans.
I add any final important details your client shares at the previous stage and send over the updated second draft, usually on the next day. Most clients give sign-off within three working days, and the IM is done.
I send you the final IM plus wording for your NDA cover and advertising copy for sales listings. I also clear the extra content with the client. At that point, your team takes over and the business is ready to go to market.
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Each IM I produce includes everything a serious buyer expects to see before they request a meeting with an owner or move forward with a deal.
A focused summary showing what the business does, why it’s valuable and why buyers should look closer.
A full breakdown of how the business works, what it sells, where it sits in the market and how it delivers profit.
Three years of headline financials, including P&Ls and a balance sheet, showing how the business makes money.
Who runs the business, who’s on the management team and how decisions are made across the company.
A full list and informal valuation of the company’s assets, including equipment, property, IP and other key items.
Low-cost/no-cost ways to grow the business using existing staff, equipment and stock that buyers can act on.
How the business brings in customers today and how basic SEO improvements can unlock fast, low-cost growth.
Advertising copy for your sales listings and teaser ads, plus ready-to-use intro text for your NDA cover pages.
I’d love to show you samples, but I can’t. Every broker and M&A firm I’ve worked with asked for total confidentiality, and there’s a good chance you’ll want the same.
So here’s a one-time offer. Try me for £495 + VAT. If you’re not completely satisfied, you don’t pay. No risk. No drama. (Offer not open to entrepreneurs taking their own business to market.)
Mark Fairlie has written dozens of successful business plans for clients since 2016. Find out more about our business plan writing service designed to make your vision appeal to lenders and investors alike.
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Here's a selection of the types of questions customers ask when they contact us.
An Information Memorandum (IM) writer helps business owners and advisors prepare the key document used to market a business for sale. It lays out how the company operates, how it performs financially and how it’s positioned in the market. A specialist IM writer helps streamline the process and ensures the document presents the business clearly to serious buyers.
An information memorandum is the main document used to present a business to potential buyers. It gives a detailed overview of the company’s operations, financials, and market position, helping buyers assess the opportunity. It’s typically shared after an NDA is signed and forms the basis for due diligence if interest develops further.
A good information memorandum writer knows how to:
It helps sell the business by highlighting its strengths, but it also gets ahead of potential deal blockers by sharing key risks upfront. That way, buyers can’t use them later to renegotiate the price.
The writer lays out the information in a way that’s easy to follow—starting with a summary, then going into more detail section by section. The idea is to help the reader find what they need quickly, without getting lost.
Things like: team structure, management bios, key customers and suppliers (anonymised if needed), property info, major contracts, and how the sales and marketing engine works.
The writer will usually draft:
All of these match the content and tone of the main CIM, so everything feels joined up.
Time and focus. In-house teams are usually busy with deal origination, financial modelling, and buyer calls. Outsourcing the CIM frees them up while ensuring the document gets the attention it needs. External writers also bring structure, consistency, and the ability to handle difficult or sensitive content neutrally, something that’s harder to do from inside the firm.
An information memorandum writer sets the tone early on, usually professional but plainspoken. They then apply it to alll sections. It’s part of their job to make the document feel consistent, even if it’s based on input from multiple sources.
Leaving out risks damages the seller's credibility. Buyers expect to see both strengths and challenges laid out clearly, along with any mitigation. It shows the seller is being upfront and helps avoid issues later in the process.
They cross-check what they’re told with the financials and documents provided, and they flag any inconsistencies. Ultimately, the seller signs off the content, but the writer plays an important role in making sure it all holds together.
Use my service on businesses with a turnover of £500,000 or more. At that size, your client’s sign-on fee and success fee will usually cover my work comfortably.
Some brokers also use me for smaller businesses if the multiple is likely to be high or the owner is motivated to sell fast. The vast majority of my clients are on the sell side, working to attract the right kind of interested buyers with a clear, credible IM.
If you’re planning to take your own business to market and want a clear, buyer-focused information memorandum, I’m happy to help.
Most brokers focus on businesses turning over £1m or more, so if you fall below that threshold, you'll find fewer brokers willing to take your company to market. If you want to sell your own business, I can write your IM and point you to some valuable resources but I won't be able to help you in the sales process.
Just to be clear: I used brokers for my own exits, and I recommend you do the same if possible. They know how to position your firm to achieve maximum value.
Offering memorandums show serious buyers how a company makes money, where it stands in the market in relation to rival firms and where it could grow. They highlight key considerations like financial performance, operational strengths and competitive risks to help buyers assess how much the business might be worth to them.
A well-written offering memorandum can really speed up the deal process. It gives buyers the confidence to get through pricing negotiations and heads of terms faster so they can start the due diligence process sooner. It’s far more detailed than a pitch book, but often follows the same core structure.
I sign non-disclosure agreements for every project and treat all data as confidential. That includes financials, intellectual property, details about key employees and anything else your client wouldn’t want in the public domain.
You’ll make sure prospective investors and investment bankers have signed NDAs before they see the IM. Your client decides what goes into the document, so they control what’s shared and when. I write with discretion and will flag any key aspects they want to include that seem too sensitive, but the final responsibility for the content rests with them.
Each IM typically includes financial projections like cash flow forecasts, recent company sales volumes and other key selling points buyers look for like recurring revenue, strong margins and stable customer relationships. I include crucial information on market size, target market, and how the company’s products generate revenue.
I build each IM to help buyers see value first and fast by explaining in plain English what the business does, how it performs and why it’s worth a closer look. Most IMs I write also include a legal disclaimer written by my client (the broker or M&A advisor) based on their preferred NDA form.
A good IM doesn’t just list the facts behind a business for prospective buyers. It also provides information on the firm's financials, sales patterns, the industry a business operates in, the leadership team, any competitive advantages and immediately actionable ways to boost revenue (from new activities to the sale of underused assets).
I write each IM as a conversation starter. The goal is to get buyers interested, not to promise the world to them. I flag risks early for buyers so they know about the strengths and weaknesses of a business for sale. That way, those issues don’t come back later to bite your seller.
In my experience, no one ever buys a business that’s already perfect. There’s just less room to add value.
A pitch deck is a concise, visual presentation designed to capture investor interest quickly, while an information memorandum provides a comprehensive overview of your business for thorough due diligence.
IMs are used earlier in the sales process to gauge buyer interest while Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM)s are used in later stages of a sale.
Investment banks, M&A advisory firms and business owners usually prepare a CIM which can span between 50 to 150 pages. They are normally used in mergers and acquisitions to convey important information about a selling business.
The purpose of a CIM is to present a business in the best possible light to attract potential buyers and maximize sale value. CIMs include detailed sections on topics like market overview, company overview, financials, and management structure.
A CIM is not a legally binding contract; it is a marketing document intended to attract buyers. Before brokers and M&A consultants send over a CIM, potential buyers typically review a teaser document (the "information memorandum") that provides a high-level overview of the business.
CIMs help streamline the sale process by preemptively addressing common buyer questions and concerns. The CIM can help to de-risk the sale by disclosing potential issues early in the process.