Plain terms, in writing before you sign. No retainer, no upfront engagement fee, and no fee for the sale unless it completes.
A confidential conversation under NDA, a short questionnaire, and our written recommendation on which valuation fits. No obligation at any point.
A fixed fee, agreed in writing and paid before we start. Credited in full against our success fee if you sign with us within 6 months and the sale completes.
What the valuation covers →A percentage of the transaction value, paid only when the sale completes. The rate steps down as the value rises, and the exact terms are in writing before you sign. No sale, no fee.
Registering as a buyer costs nothing. If you want us to search for and negotiate an acquisition for you, that is a separate written agreement.
Register as a buyer →You do not pay us a monthly fee while the business is on the market.
The only fee before a sale is a written valuation, and only if you want one.
If the deal falls through, you owe no success fee.
Our sale fee is paid by the seller, under a written agreement.
Preparation alone runs four to six weeks, and a properly run sale takes three to twelve months. A shorter mandate pushes a business to market before it is ready, which is how price gets lost.
All enquiries come through us, including anyone who approaches you directly, so no buyer hears two different numbers.
A twelve-month non-circumvention period on buyers we introduce.
The success fee, the valuation fee and the credit are set out in the mandate before you sign anything.
Most advisers charge a success fee, a percentage of the sale price paid on completion, and some add a monthly retainer or an upfront engagement fee. At Clearmere the sale fee is success-based with no retainer, and the only cost before a sale is a written valuation if you want one, a fixed fee from S$3,000 that is credited back if you sell with us. Separately, budget for your own lawyer on the sale agreement and an accountant for tax advice.
Every established business is sellable. Whether it sells comes down to two things, time and price, and you only ever need one buyer: the right one. Our job is to find that buyer, at a price and on a timeline that work for you. If your number and the market’s are too far apart, we tell you before we go to market, not six months in, and show you what would close the gap. Because we are paid only on completion, our interests sit squarely with yours. If a sale still does not complete, you pay no success fee. The only fee you would have paid is for the written valuation, if you chose to have one.
Most charge a success fee: a percentage of the sale price, paid when the sale completes. The percentage is usually higher on smaller deals and steps down as the value rises, and many set a minimum fee. Some also charge a monthly retainer or an upfront engagement fee, whether or not the business sells. When you compare advisers, ask what you pay if the sale does not complete, how long the exclusivity and tail periods last, and exactly what the fee covers. Our guide to choosing an M&A adviser or business broker lists the questions to ask.
It is not refunded, but it is credited in full against our success fee if you sign with us within 6 months and the sale completes. If you sell with us, it comes off our fee.
Because a business marketed by several brokers at once looks unwanted, leaks faster and loses price tension. One adviser, one channel and one asking price protect both your confidentiality and your number. Twelve months reflects how long a properly run sale takes.
Not to register, and not for a business we are selling for an owner, because our sale fee is paid by the seller. If a buyer appoints us to search for and negotiate an acquisition on their behalf, that is a separate written buy-side agreement.
Your own lawyer for the sale and purchase agreement, and tax advice where needed. Stamp duty on a share sale is normally paid by the buyer. Our guide to tax and stamp duty on selling a business explains the rest.
Tell us about the business and what you want from a sale. We will tell you honestly whether now is the right time, and what a written valuation would cost for your business.
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