OVERVIEW

Founded by James Ashford, GoProposal’s pricing, proposal and engagement letter software enables accountants and bookkeepers to price consistently, increase revenue, sell more confidently, and minimise risk across their entire firm. Grown completely organically and driven by a set of core values, philosophies and strategies, the company has established a strong client base over the last years with over 1,100 members.

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CHALLENGE

We had previously worked on the sale of Senta to the IRIS Software Group which was a major deal in the SaaS (Software as a Service) sector. This deal sparked much interest from the owners of similarly sized businesses who were looking to exit their business while the market conditions were particularly advantageous.

Having been approached by James Ashford, we began preparing information to support the sale of the business. This initially included financial modelling and the production of an impactful IM (Information Memorandum) that would showcase GoProposal in the best possible light. We then produced a list of potential buyers before running a sales process designed specifically to create competitive tension in the market, thus ensuring that Go Proposal found the right partner and at the right price.

Another key aspect of our work was preparing the business for the complex due diligence process as early as possible. This ensured that GoProposal were able to swiftly provide information and answers to specific queries from potential buyers, thus helping to foster confidence in the company and its offering.

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OUTCOME

In October 2021, the company was acquired by Sage, one of the UK’s leading technology companies. With over 12,000 employees in 22 countries across North America, UK & Ireland, mainland Europe, South Africa, Australia and Asia, the company has millions of customers across the globe.

The deal, which comprised 100% of the share capital in the company, was part of Sage’s commitment to building a portfolio of modern and forward-thinking practice management solutions in the cloud for accountants in the UK and globally.

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TESTIMONIAL

“We have put all of our passion and knowledge and energy into GoProposal, which has had a huge impact on the accounting industry and in turn, their clients. Finding the right home for our team, our customers and our product was of paramount importance for us, which is why we couldn’t have been more thrilled that Shaw & Co helped us to secure the deal with Sage. Building and then selling this business has been exciting, challenging and absolutely nerve wracking in equal measures. This whole process was the most intense period of my life and I couldn’t imagine having gone through it with any other company other than Shaw & Co.  Jim and Myles at Shaw & Co were with us every step of the way and have helped secure a promising future for myself, my family and GoProposal by Sage.”

James Ashford, Founder, GoProposal

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“We worked closely with James and the GoProposal team to ensure that, not only did we get the best deal for the shareholders, but that we also found the best strategic partner for the company and its employees. GoProposal has built a unique proposition and an outstanding team with a distinct culture, so it was particularly important that its people and values would continue to be nurtured post acquisition. Once we had packaged the business and taken it to market it soon became clear that Sage was the perfect fit.”

Jim Shaw, CEO & Founder, Shaw & Co