Advice Centre Help

Aim of the advice centre...

The Advice Centre gives those considering a corporate finance transaction access to information on www.cfconnect.co.uk and on the internet. You will have access to articles, publications, events, news, useful links and other information. We also provide a unique set of directories of advisers, lawyers, providers of finance and other specialists. You can use the comprehensive search facilities to select an adviser or find finance.

The information provided on this site is inevitably general and is a guide only.  It is designed to provide you with sufficient background knowledge to select an adviser and be able to discuss your needs. We always recommend that you should consultant a suitably qualified adviser before taking any action.

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What size of business is the site designed for?..

This site is targeted at established businesses, limited companies or partnerships with a value of in excess of £0.5 million or early stage businesses capable of exceeding this value. It is not generally designed for the exchange of trades or smaller businesses although some of the information may be relevant.

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What transactions are covered?..

You will find our members provide advice and finance for a range of transactions including:

• Selling a business
• Buying a business
• Valuation
• Management buy outs
• Management buy ins
• Raising working capital and debt finance
• Raising venture capital / private equity
• Business Angels
• Listing on Ofex, Aim or the Full list
• Due diligence and investigations
• Taxation of Corporate Finance transactions
• Turnarounds and restructuring

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What information can I search ?..

You can search the following sources of information:

• Advisers & Lawyers - Advisers, Legal, taxation and turnarounds
• Finance - Providers of equity, debt, working capital and specialist finance
• Specialists - Providers of a range of corporate services
• Articles
• Events and seminars
• Publications - links to numerous Corporate Finance publications available for download
• News - press releases from our members
• Information and links to useful sites

We are increasing our membership and the availability of articles, events and publications continually.

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Overview

You can view a comprehensive directory for each of our advisers as well as a summary of recent deals. We have designed a search that will help select the right adviser for you. 

You have a choice of selecting a specific Company name or a combination of the following:

• Region
• Category - corporate adviser, lawyer, corporate recovery or tax
• Deal Type
• Deal size
• Language - for those who need an adviser who can deal with enquiries in a language other than English
• Keyword - a powerful single keyword search which allows users to search for very specific items within the text and tombstones of the Adviser's entry

The results of your search will provide a list of advisers showing contact information, a corporate statement, a link to the Member's directory entry, website and if available brochure. Choosing the right adviser is important. We recommend you take time to review all those full directory entries that meet your search criteria.  Start with a detailed search, relaxing the criteria if too few records are selected.  Remember, advisers will often give a free initial meeting to discuss your issues.

Who are the advisers & Lawyers? - Our advisers are specialists in advising on corporate finance transactions.  To be a member they are required to be registered with the FSA or are members of an authorised professional body such as the Law Society or the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Can I search for a particular firm? - Yes, you can enter all or the first part of the firm's name in the company name box.  As with all searches, the search is not case sensitive.  Entries in the company name box will override entries in any other search box.

How do I select an adviser near me? - You can select an adviser within a region i.e. North West using the region box.  If you wish to search for an adviser with an office in a particular town, use the keyword search.  This will select matches in the address and other office fields of the advisers' directories.

The regions are classified as follows:

What are the adviser categories? - There are 4 categories

Adviser - deals with the financial and commercial aspects of a deal process and normally the first port of call.  Found in specialist departments of accountancy firms, in independent corporate finance boutiques, in some merchant banks or stock brokers

Turnaround & Recovery - Specialists within accountancy firms or independent firms who specialise in advising on companies who are suffering from lack of finance which could threaten the survival of a Company. They are experts at knowing how to deal with and turnaround a situation. 

Taxation - Specialists in tax advice related to corporate finance transactions. This category is for taxation specialists who do not have a corporate finance department. Advisers may also have this capability within their organisation.

How do I know an adviser deals with the type of deal I am considering? - You can use the deal type search to select from 21 different deal types to ensure that they match the services provided by the advisers.

Will all advisers deal with any transaction size? - Advisers often only deal with transactions above or below a certain size.  You can ensure you are selecting an adviser who deals with your transaction size by selecting your expected deal size from the deal size range box.

Can I find an adviser who can deal in a foreign language? - Yes you can select French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese from the selection box.  You can use the keyword search to identify advisers who have registered capability in other languages.

How do I use the keyword search and what fields does it cover? - The keyword search is not case sensitive and requires a minimum of 3 letters.  It will look for a match for the whole entry and therefore is only suitable for searching a single word. The search covers the following parts of the directory information : services, other addresses, corporate statement,  specialisations,  other languages and tombstones.

How do I search for a someone who deals in my industry or business sector? - As well as the searches above, each adviser can list a few areas of specialisation.  You can also see examples of the type of transaction the adviser is carrying out in the major clients section of the directory and by viewing recent deals .  Use the keyword search to match your requirements in the specialisations and recent deals       sections of the directory. You may also find what you are looking for by searching articles, events, or publications or clicking through to the website from the directory entry.

Can I revise my search? - Yes - use the fields on the left of the search results to revise your selection.

What do I see when I press search? - You will get a list of advisers which match your entry.  Each entry on the list shows the adviser's name, their corporate statement, address and contact details.  You can view the advisers website or go through to the adviser's full directory entry.  If you get too many or too few advisers try revising the search. Selecting the right adviser is important.  Tempting though it is to stop after the first entry, we strongly recommend you review as many as is practical. 

What is the next step after viewing the directory? - Once you have selected a directory, you can do the following:

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You can view a comprehensive directory for each of our Finance Members as well as a summary of recent deals. We have designed a search that will help select a Finance Member that provides the funding you may require. 

You have a choice of selecting a specific Company name or a combination of the following:

• Region
• Category - equity providers, bank/acquisition/leveraged finance, working capital finance, business angels network, specialist finance
• Deal Type
• Deal size
• Keyword - a powerful single keyword search which allows users to search for very specific items within the text and tombstones of the Adviser's entry

The results of your search will provide a list of advisers showing contact information, a corporate statement, a link to the Finance Member's directory entry, website and if available brochure. Choosing the right finance provider, the right type of finance and knowing how to approach a finance member is vital to your success in raising finance.  If you are not experienced in raising finance, we recommend you speak with a corporate adviser first.

Should I approach a finance provider directly? - Sometimes the type of finance you need is straight forward, in many cases it is not. If you are experienced in raising finance and you know: the type of finance required; how to approach and present your proposal to a finance provider; how to combine different sources of finance; who are the most active providers of finance and their criteria, the ability to evaluate the suitability and the pricing of finance including fees and due diligence costs, have the time and resources to provide the information required and manage due diligence and can appreciate your rights, responsibilities under any financing agreement, you probably don't need to appoint an adviser. In most cases an advisers specialist knowledge in the above areas can save far more than any advisers fee and prevent costly and time consuming errors in the process.

Can I search for a particular finance provider? - Yes, you can enter all or the first part of the firm's name in the company name box.  As with all searches, the search is not case sensitive.  Entries in the company name box will override entries in any other search box.

How do I select a finance provider near me? - You can select a finance member within a region i.e. North West using the region box.  If you wish to search for a finance member in a particular town, use the keyword search.  This will select matches in the address and other office fields of the finance members directories. Specialist finance teams are often located in regional centres so care needs to be taken in considering close location as a criteria.  See searching advisers for the regions and the areas they cover.

What are the finance member categories? - There are 5 categories:

How do I know an adviser deals with the type of deal I am considering? - You can use the deal type search to select from 21 different deal types to ensure that they match the deal type funded by our finance members

Will all finance providers deal with any transaction size? - No, finance providers will only deal with transactions above or below a certain size.  You can ensure you are selecting a finance provider who deals with your transaction size by selecting your expected deal size from the deal size range box.

How do I use the keyword search and what fields does it cover? - The keyword search is not case sensitive and requires a minimum of 3 letters. It will look for a match for the whole keyword entry and therefore is only suitable for searching a single word. The search covers the following parts of the directory information : services, other addresses, corporate statement,  specialisations and tombstones.

How do I search for a someone who deals in my industry or business sector? - As well as the searches above, each finance provider can list a few areas of specialisation. You can also see examples of the type of transaction the adviser is carrying out in the major clients section of the directory and by viewing recent deals . Use the keyword search to match your requirements in the specialisations and recent deals sections of the directory. You may also find what you are looking for by searching articles, events, or publications or clicking through to the website from the directory entry.

Can I revise my search? - Yes - use the fields on the left of the search results to revise your selection.

What do I see when I press search? - You will get a list of finance providers which match your entry. Each entry on the list shows the finance members name, their corporate statement, address and contact details. You can view the finance members website or go through to the adviser's full directory entry. If you get too many or too few finance members try revising the search.

What is the next step after viewing the directory? - Once you have selected a directory, you can do the following:

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Searching specialists..

You can view a directory for some of our Specialist Members. We have designed a search that will help select a Specialist Member that provides the service you may require. 

You have a choice of selecting a specific Company name or a combination of the following:

• Region
• Category - over 25 categories of service provider
• Keyword - a powerful single keyword search which allows users to search for very specific items within the Specialist's entry

The results of your search will provide a list of Specialists showing contact information, a corporate statement, a link to the Specialist Member's directory entry, website and if available brochure.

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Who has written the articles? - the articles are written by our members whether they be advisers, finance providers or specialist services members, or by the Corporate Finance Connections team.

Why are there articles on the site? We want those considering a corporate finance transaction, whether it is raising finance, selling or buying a business or the other 18 transaction types defined on this site, to be able to get background information and to be able to find advisers who can help them.  The articles can help inform you about the issues to be faced, the support you will need and the points to be discussed with an adviser.  

Why are the articles in plain text?- This is so our members can post articles to the site and so you can search using keywords every word of text.

If I read the articles, will I still need an adviser? - Yes. Informative as these articles are, they are inevitably generalisations. They cannot take into account a readers specific aims and requirements and the detailed issues to be dealt within a transaction. Circumstances change from area to area and from time to time. Although general illustrations are useful, no 2 transactions are ever quite the same.  You must take specific advice re your specific circumstances.

Can I search for articles written by a particular company? - Yes. You can enter all or the first part of the firm's name in the company name box.  As with all searches, the search is not case sensitive.  Entries in the company name box will override entries in any other search box.

How do I find an article covering the subject area I am considering? - You can use the article type search to select from 18 different article types such as buying a business or selling a business.

I searched articles previously, can I limit the search to recently posted articles? - You can limit your articles searched to articles posted in the last 3 days, week or month.

I am interested in articles written by advisers in my region, how do I do this? Use the region box to select the region most appropriate to you. See searching advisers for the regions and the areas they cover.

I am looking to find articles on  a very specific issue, how do I do this? - Use the keyword search. The keyword search is not case sensitive and requires a minimum of 3 letters.  It will look for a match for the whole keyword entry and therefore is only suitable for searching a single word.

Can I revise my search? - Yes - use the fields on the left of the search results to revise your selection.

What do I see when I press search? - You will see a summary of all articles that meet you criteria.  The summary will show the authors Company, the article title, the name of the author, the article type, the date posted and a short summary of the article. You can view the full article by accepting the terms and conditions of viewing the article.  You can open the terms and conditions from the article summary.

When the article is displayed on the screen

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Who has posted the events? - the events are posted by our members whether they be advisers, finance providers or specialist services members, or by the Corporate Finance Connections team.

Why are there events on the site? We want those considering a corporate finance transaction, whether it is raising finance, selling or buying a business or the other 18 transaction types defined on this site, to be able to get background information and to be able to find advisers who can help them.  The events can help inform you about the issues to be faced, the support you will need and the points to be discussed with an adviser.  

How do I find an event covering the subject area I am considering? - You can use the event type search to select from 18 different event types such as buying a business or selling a business.

Can I limit the search to events coming soon? - You can limit the events searched to those coming in the next  week, month, 3 months and 6 months.

Can I restrict my selection to events in my region? Use the region box to select the region most appropriate to you. See searching advisers for the regions and the areas they cover.

I am looking to find events on  a very specific issue, how do I do this? - Use the keyword search. The keyword search is not case sensitive and requires a minimum of 3 letters.  It will look for a match for the whole keyword entry and therefore is only suitable for searching a single word.

Can I revise my search? - Yes - use the fields on the left of the search results to revise your selection.

What do I see when I press search? - You will see a listing of all events that meet you criteria. 

When details of the event are displayed? - the following information on the event is displayed:

What links are on the entry? - the following links are provided

Who has written the publications? - the publications are written by our members whether they be advisers, finance providers or specialist services members.

Why are there publications on the site? We want those considering a corporate finance transaction, whether it is raising finance, selling or buying a business or the other 18 transaction types defined on this site, to be able to get background information and to be able to find advisers who can help them.  There is a substantial amount of useful information available in the form of publications. Our publications section provides links to a range of excellent publications.   

If I read the publications, will I still need an adviser? - Yes. Informative as these publications are, they are inevitably generalisations. They cannot take into account a readers specific aims and requirements and the detailed issues to be dealt within a transaction. Circumstances change from area to area and from time to time. Although general illustrations are useful, no 2 transactions are ever quite the same.  You must take specific advice re your specific circumstances.

Can I search for publications written by a particular company? - Yes. You can enter all or the first part of the firm's name in the company name box.  As with all searches, the search is not case sensitive.  Entries in the company name box will override entries in any other search box.

How do I find an publication covering the subject area I am considering? - You can use the article type search to select from 18 different article types such as buying a business or selling a business.

I searched publications previously, can I limit the search to recently posted publications? - You can limit your publications searched to publications posted in the last 3 days, week or month.

I am interested in publications written by advisers in my region, how do I do this? Use the region box to select the region most appropriate to you. See searching advisers for the regions and the areas they cover.

I am looking to find publications on  a very specific issue, how do I do this? - Use the keyword search. The keyword search is not case sensitive and requires a minimum of 3 letters.  It will look for a match for the whole keyword entry and therefore is only suitable for searching a single word.

Can I revise my search? - Yes - use the fields on the left of the search results to revise your selection.

What do I see when I press search? - You will see a list of publications that meet you criteria.  The summary will show the authors Company, the publication title, the name of the author, the publication type, the date posted and a short summary of the publication. Depending how our members have made the publication available, You can either select download the publication or request it. If you request the publication, a short contact form will appear for you to complete your request.

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Searching for news

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Info & Links...

Over 250 links to third party websites providing a library of information.

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Register for news...

We will be producing a monthly e-newsletter on issues in corporate finance and CF connect developments.  Sign up to receive a copy.

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Corporate finance jargon explained...

Corporate Finance uses a lot of Jargon and deals with issues that may be new to you. Click here to view our guide to Corporate Finance terminology.

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