I want to sell my company in a few years. Am I preparing it well?
That was the question that brought Marta to Quality Finance.
Marta, 49. Co-founder of a tech consultancy. Barcelona.
She has spent 18 years building a digital transformation consultancy with two other partners. Her 40% stake is currently valued at around €1.5M. She wants to sell within 3-4 years and retire at 55.
But she had no idea whether she was doing it right.
Her situation when she came to Quality Finance:
Her biggest concern was that after 20 years of work, she might hand it all over badly — paying more tax than necessary or with the company poorly positioned for a good valuation.
"The last thing I want is to spend 20 years building something and then give it away badly."
What we did together
1. Simulated exit scenarios
We calculated the net result after tax in three scenarios: low sale (€1.2M), mid (€1.5M) and high (€2M). We structured the transaction to be taxed at the capital gains rate (23-28%) rather than the marginal income tax rate.
2. Prepared the company for sale
We identified the factors that most influence valuation: revenue recurrence, key person dependency, customer concentration. We gave her a 2-year action plan to improve all three.
3. Pre-sale tax optimisation
We analysed whether it made sense to create a holding company before the transaction to defer the tax impact and reinvest the capital with greater efficiency.
4. Post-sale life plan
We calculated how much she needs to maintain her lifestyle without working, what return her wealth needs to generate, and what investment structure makes most sense for the first years after the sale.
Marta now has a clear plan for the next 4 years: how to prepare the company, when to sell, how to manage the tax, and how to invest the proceeds. For the first time, the exit generates excitement rather than anxiety.
All case details have been modified to protect privacy. Presented for informational purposes only.