Are these timelines realistic?

They're mid-range for UK SME processes — readiness through completion at roughly 34 weeks for an institutional equity raise, ~12 months for a sale, ~20 weeks for debt. Hot processes run faster; thin diligence teams and August run slower. Once an adviser is appointed, their timetable governs.

What if my date is already too close?

The planner says so plainly and gives the two honest options: move the date and prepare properly, or compress and accept that unresolved gaps get priced. What it won't do is pretend the arithmetic is different.

Why does readiness take 8–12 weeks?

Because the slow items are calendar-bound: monthly accounts need months to show a rhythm, board minutes need meetings to exist, models need iterations. Documents can be sprinted; track records can't.

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Free planner · works backwards from your date

When must readiness actually start?

Pick the completion date you're imagining — the raise closed, the deal done, the refinance signed. The planner works backwards through a realistic process and tells you, to the week, when readiness work has to begin. It is usually earlier than people think.

Work my dates backwards ↓

The deadline maths, honestly

Your inputs

What's the event?

Target completion

Has structured readiness work started?

Phase lengths are mid-range for UK SME processes — competitive tension, diligence depth and August all stretch them. Assumptions shown under the plan.

Planned

Ref MFR / RTP
Basis Mid-range UK process phases — assumptions below

Readiness must start by

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Working backwards

Discuss this timeline → Score my readiness first

↑ opens your mail app, results pre-filled — or

The maths, honestly

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Backwards by designDeals are planned from the completion date, not the kickoff — this does the subtraction honestly.

Three process shapesEquity, exit and debt run on different clocks; each phase plan reflects mid-range UK timelines.

Deadline pressure, earnedIf the maths says you're late, it says so in red — with the two honest options that remain.

Pairs with the scorecardRun the Investment Readiness Scorecard first; the planner tells you how long you have to fix what it finds.