Breeze Deal Readiness
How to build a more valuable business well before you ever consider selling
A quarterly Macildowie Connect webinar series, delivered in partnership with Breeze Corporate Finance. Sixty minutes, online and free to attend - built for business owners who don't want to leave 40% of their value on the table. Insight drawn from real clients and more than £1bn of completed business exits.
of completed business exits behind the advice you'll hear.
additional value available to owners who prepare properly. On a £10m deal, that's an extra £4m.
months ahead of a transaction is when the real value is created - not in the deal room.
Series Overview
Breeze Deal Readiness is a quarterly Macildowie Connect series, delivered with Breeze Corporate Finance, for ambitious business owners who want to build a stronger, more resilient and ultimately more valuable business.
It isn't an exit planning seminar and it isn't a sales pitch. It's a practical, 60-minute session on what investors actually value, what makes them nervous, and the steps you can take in the two to three years before any transaction to protect and grow your value - built from real client experience rather than textbook theory.
The same flagship session runs four times a year, refreshed each quarter with current market commentary, live transaction insight and new case studies.
What you'll take away
A clear understanding of what Deal Readiness is - and why it starts years before any transaction.
The Three Ps Framework: Professionalise, Plan and Perform.
What investors look for in your leadership team and your people.
Where the risks and price chips hide in your business - and how to remove them early.
Practical improvements you can start making immediately, whether you ever sell or not.
The option of a confidential Breeze Deal Readiness Situation Report.
Why Join?
The greatest opportunity to increase the value of your business happens years before anyone makes you an offer.
Don't leave value on the table
Preparation done early can add up to 40% to your exit value - and to the cash you actually walk away with.
See it from the investor's side
Understand what investors value, what makes them nervous, and where deals get chipped or fall over.
Get straight answers early
Objective insight before you appoint an adviser, from people who have been through it more than once.
Build a better business anyway
A stronger, more profitable, easier-to-run business is worth having whether you sell or not.
The Three Pillars of Deal Readiness
The Breeze Deal Readiness Programme is built on three simple principles - the Three Ps. Together they make a business more resilient today and more valuable tomorrow.
Professionalise
Building leadership capability, governance, operational systems and due diligence readiness - so the business stands up to scrutiny and stands on its own.
Plan
Succession planning, shareholder planning, tax planning, corporate structure and personal wealth planning - decided on your terms and in good time.
Perform
Improving commercial performance, profitability, growth strategy, brand positioning and resilience - the evidence that convinces an investor of your future.
Sound familiar?
You can run a very successful, well-managed business and still not be ready for a transaction. These are the issues we see most often - and every one of them is fixable with enough runway.
The business still depends heavily on the founder.
There's no clear succession plan below the top team.
Leadership development has never been formalised.
Nobody can tell you what the business is really worth.
Due diligence preparation hasn't started.
Tax planning is being left until it's too late to help.
Governance structures are informal or undocumented.
Your existing advisers don't have all the answers.
Assumptions and misinformation are colouring big decisions.
You don't yet know what you don't know.
None of this is unusual. Most owners face some version of it - and the earlier you start, the more flexibility and the stronger the outcome you'll have.
The session
Format: Live online webinar
Duration: 60 minutes
Time: 10:00am
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Frequency: Quarterly
Cost: Free to attend
Questions can be submitted in advance when you register, so we can cover what matters most to you.
Webinar agenda
Welcome & introductions
Welcome from Macildowie Connect, an introduction to Breeze Corporate Finance and to a business owner who has recently sold, plus an overview of the session and what you'll learn.
Why Deal Readiness matters
Why so many owners leave planning too late, what good preparation actually takes, how investors see your business, the options for designing the exit you want, and the common misconceptions about succession and exit planning.
The Three Pillars of Deal Readiness
Professionalise, Plan and Perform - the framework in detail, and what each pillar looks like in a real business.
Practical business insights
Lessons from real businesses, the challenges that come up most often during preparation, examples of practical improvements that increase value, and current market observations.
Introducing the Breeze Deal Readiness Situation Report
How the confidential assessment works, what to expect from it, typical outcomes, and how the report supports your future planning.
Questions & closing remarks
Open Q&A alongside the questions submitted in advance, a summary of the key takeaways, and an invitation to book your Situation Report.
Who should attend
The session is written for established business owners and the senior people responsible for the strategic direction of privately owned businesses - Business Owners, Founders, CEOs, Managing Directors, Shareholders and Family Business Owners.
It is most useful to established SMEs, family-owned and privately owned companies, growth businesses, organisations generating £1m+ EBITDA, and any business planning for future growth, investment or succession.
Advisers welcome
Professional advisers who support business owners are very welcome, either to attend themselves or to recommend the session to their clients.
That includes Corporate and Commercial Lawyers, Accountants, Tax Advisers, Wealth Managers, Commercial Bankers and Financial Planners.
The 2026 schedule
The webinar runs four times a year. The core content stays consistent, with fresh market commentary, transaction insight and case studies each time - so join whichever date suits you.
Autumn
Winter
Spring
Summer
Our upcoming Breeze Deal Readiness events
The Breeze Deal Readiness Situation Report
Every delegate is offered a confidential Breeze Deal Readiness Situation Report - an honest, objective assessment of where your business stands today and what would need to change to maximise its value.
There's no obligation and no charge. It's a private conversation about your business, not a pitch.
A clear view of how ready your business really is.
The gaps most likely to cost you value or derail a deal.
A view on your leadership team through an investor's eyes.
Practical priorities for the next 24 to 36 months.
The partnership
Macildowie Connect
Macildowie Connect brings senior leaders together to share what's actually working. The Breeze Deal Readiness series sits alongside our wider Connect programme, and brings a people-first perspective to a subject usually left to the numbers - because when investors assess a business, they are assessing its leadership too.
Breeze Corporate Finance
Breeze Corporate Finance advises business owners through growth, investment and exit. The Deal Readiness Programme is drawn from more than £1bn of completed transactions and the lessons learned alongside real clients - what created value, what cost it, and what owners wish they had started sooner.
Frequently asked questions
No. Deal Readiness is about building a stronger, more valuable and easier-to-run business. That's worth having whether you sell in three years, hand over to the next generation, or never sell at all.
Sixty minutes, including time for questions.
Yes. The session is free to attend for members of the Macildowie Connect community and their invited guests.
It's a practical, educational session built on real transactions - not a sales presentation and not a typical exit planning seminar. We've deliberately kept corporate finance jargon out of it.
Yes. You can submit questions when you register and we'll work them into the session, alongside live Q&A on the day.
Register anyway. The series runs quarterly, so we'll let you know about the next date.
Absolutely. Corporate and commercial lawyers, accountants, tax advisers, wealth managers, bankers and financial planners are all welcome - either for themselves or on behalf of clients.
The best time to prepare was three years ago. The second best time is now.
Join us for 60 minutes and leave with a clear view of what your business is worth, what's holding that value back, and what to do about it.
