Are you thinking of selling, passing on, or stepping back from your business?
Whatever has brought you to this point, a health scare, the desire for more family time, or simply knowing you won't run the business forever, every owner exits one day. The difference between selling well and selling under pressure is planning ahead, ideally two to three years before you intend to leave.
Sakura's Asset Rich and Exit Ready Programme gives you a clear, structured roadmap to maximise value, reduce stress, and get paid what your business is truly worth.
Does any of this feel familiar?
Exits that fail aren't usually about bad timing. They're about businesses that simply weren't ready early enough.
Challenge 1 | Owner reliance
If you can't take a three month break without things falling apart, buyers see that as risk, not value, and they price it accordingly.
Challenge 2 | Messy or incomplete financials
Gaps in your data, no rolling forecasts, or accounts that don't quite add up are the fastest way to lose a buyer's confidence.
Challenge 3 | Weak systems and team
If the key knowledge still lives in your head and your team constantly needs your input, buyers read that as a business that can't run without you.
Challenge 4 | Unresolved risks
Legal disputes, unclear ownership, or shaky customer relationships, whatever a buyer finds in due diligence, they'll use it to negotiate you down.
Challenge 5 | Sudden urgency
Health issues, family changes, or a sudden approach from a buyer can make exit planning urgent overnight. Time is leverage, and early planning gives you both.
Sakura works with owner-managed SMEs across Ireland and the UK, typically turning over €1m to €10m, at any stage of thinking about succession, sale, or stepping back.
The Asset Rich and Exit Ready Programme
A clear, structured roadmap from first thought to final handshake. We guide you through a three-stage, nine-step process, giving you a practical plan with milestones, responsibilities, and a timeline built around your business and your goals.
Stage 1 | Clarify (first 90 days) We identify where your business stands today, confirm the number you need from a sale to achieve the life you want afterwards, and prepare a dated roadmap with clear milestones and checkpoints.
Stage 2 | Optimise (next 12 to 15 months) We strengthen your management team, standardise your systems, and sharpen your financial reporting, so the business runs without you in the room and due diligence becomes straightforward rather than stressful.
Stage 3 | Accelerate (final 9 to 12 months) We polish the numbers, prepare your data room, and negotiate with the right buyers on your terms, with Damian at your side throughout.
Watch: how the programme works in practice
If you're seriously considering your exit options, this is the best fifteen minutes you'll spend understanding what the journey actually looks like.
What you walk away with after the first 90 days
The Clarify stage alone gives you:
Where your business stands today, and an indicative current value
Clarity on the milestones and actions needed to build value along the way
Your desired exit value and a realistic timeframe to achieve it
Improved profitability and reduced stress, starting now, not later
The key operational gaps currently reducing your business value
A detailed, step by step roadmap to carry forward into the next stage
Dominic Goodfellow
Fantastic company. Damian is clear, professional and very measured in his approach, which is welcomed. Excellent customer service. A breath of fresh air. Highly recommended.
Vic Kimmel
Damian Connolly and Sakura are like an extended part of our own team with super powers in the area of finance.
Liam Hughes
Damian’s critical eye and creative thinking have been invaluable for me over the last year of strategic review meetings
Caroline Durack
Working with Sakura gave us the ability to understand our finances more accurately and helped us in our strategic thinking. This in turn allowed us to make more informed decisions pertaining to our direction of travel as a business.
Eamon Chawke
Thanks to Damian’s advice and guidance, the finance team operates more efficiently and our financial visibility of the business has materially improved. We are now much more confident that we can achieve our 5 year goals !
Sheena Campbell
I have to do next to nothing to expedite matters... I think you are wonderful. Once again in a shorter time than it takes to say 'Damian, you are wonderful', you respond to my query. I have to do next to nothing to expedite matters and immediately any stress or worry is lifted.
Deirdre Monks
I got back in touch with Damian last November after a few years, and it honestly felt like no time had passed. He was the first person who came to mind when I had a very specific query, and I knew he was the expert to ask - and he absolutely delivered. Damian has a real talent for explaining things clearly and in plain English, which gave me total confidence in his advice. And rightly so, because everything he advised turned out to be 100% spot on. Highly recommend!
Evan Frechette
Damian was very helpful in his consultation, and took the necessary time to listen to my situation in great detail. His explanation for what I needed for my new business was very informative and knowledgeable.
Cyril Lynch
Damian and the team at Sakura provided great support when I set up my consulting company and on an ongoing basis they continue to provide professional, timely and reliable services with regard to the production and filing of annual accounts and the associated compliance requirements.
I would highly recommend Sakura Business Solutions for their dedication, commitment and ability to get the job done!
Ronan Reilly
Damian and the team at Sakura have provided excellent advice to me and also assisted a number of clients to whom Sakura have been recommended. Sakura advised in a professional and capable manner and now, post BREXIT, their offices in Dublin and London are likely to be very valuable to prospective clients seeking professional advice.
Cathy Moore
Sakura Business Solutions and Damian have provided invaluable guidance to our business as we transitioned from sole-trader to limited company. They have also advised us throughout the Covid-19 crisis and kept us fully updated on available government supports. The introduction of Quickbooks has been very useful to us, it is easy to navigate and a very effective tool for managing our accounts. We highly recommend Sakura Business for accountancy and business advice.
Jane Manzor
I have known Damian from Sakura Business Solutions for just over a year. He is a true professional and has been very helpful to me in particular in tax and planning advice. He is also very current and has been a huge help in keeping me up to date on government supports since Covid 19. I would highly recommend Damian and his team for all of your accounting and financial needs. 5 stars!
Jo-Anne Mac Millan
When I moved from my previous accountant, I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure about the financial side of my business. Accounts and bookkeeping aren’t my strong points, and I needed support I could trust. Damian and the team at Sakura stepped in and made the transition seamless. They handled the handover efficiently and took time to understand how my business works and what I needed from them. I’m no longer worried about year-end surprises, and I feel more confident making decisions. It’s been a genuinely positive shift, and I’m delighted I made the move to Sakura.
Jean Evans
Damian is a fountain of knowledge and is so generous with his time and knowledge around all things accounting, tax, scaling your business, getting exit ready and working to go international in business between Ireland and UK or vice versa.
He is a true gentleman, very approachable, particularly on topics that can feel and seem overwhelming. He is calm and patient; definitely an ally to have in your corner!
From the Insights Blog
Two things every business owner should read before starting their exit journey.
The Triggers That Start SME Business Owners Considering a Sale or Exit
The idea of selling rarely arrives as a lightning bolt. Age, market change, health, family, or simply wanting the next challenge, we look at the moments that get owners thinking seriously about their exit, and why recognising the trigger matters more than the trigger itself.
Why Exit Planning Takes Two to Three Years (and Why Less Time Costs You More)
You can rush an exit in under a year if you really want to. You'll just pay for it, in lost tax reliefs, rushed restructuring, and a lower price for your business. Here's what those two to three years are actually for.
Download the Making a Successful Exit Guide
Everything you need to understand the exit planning process - the common pitfalls, the due diligence checklist, and the Sakura roadmap from first thought to final handshake.
Download Free Guide
