KHAOS Legal · Business review
Business review before a key decision
A business review helps determine whether the company's structure, tax position, contracts, responsibilities and regulatory obligations still fit how the business actually works — and the decision you are about to make.
It is not an audit for its own sake. It is a practical diagnosis: what works, what creates risk or cost, what may block an investor, financing, sale or model change, and what should be fixed first.
Why do a business review
A review makes sense when the business has moved further than its documents. Ownership structure, contracts, tax treatment and procedures are often set at an earlier stage, while the business grows, changes model, enters new markets or prepares for investor conversations.
In that situation, a single contract review or tax answer is usually not enough. The whole picture matters: who controls decisions, how money flows, where responsibility arises, which contracts are critical and which regulatory duties may limit the next move.
Three questions we start with
What is the business trying to do?
Investor entry, sale, financing, reorganisation, regulated activity or expansion each creates different risks. The first step is to understand the decision that is actually in front of you.
What will that decision change?
We check whether the change affects tax, control, shareholder rights, management responsibility, contracts, regulation or money flows.
What should be fixed before the decision?
Not everything requires immediate reorganisation. Sometimes the key is two or three changes that should be made before speaking with an investor, bank, buyer or regulator.
What the review covers
The scope depends on the business and the decision, but we usually connect several perspectives. We do not treat them as isolated issues, because in practice one change often moves risk from one area to another.
- ownership and decision control
- tax and money flows
- key contracts and responsibility
- corporate documents and decision processes
- regulatory duties, AML, sanctions, dual-use or compliance
- risks that may affect an investor, financing, sale or next stage of growth
What you receive
Risk map
A structured view of the key issues: what the problem is, why it matters and when it may become visible.
Priorities
A practical order of what should be handled first, what can wait and what should not be ignored before a larger decision.
Next step
A view on whether a larger reorganisation is needed or whether specific documents, tax arrangements, contracts or procedures can be fixed directly.
What the review is not
The review is not aggressive tax optimisation, a ready-made implementation scheme or a template applied to every business in the same way.
If a specific transaction, dispute, audit or proceeding has already started, the review may help organise the starting point, but it does not replace advice on that specific matter.
Start with a short description
At the beginning, a short description of the business, the decision and the main concerns is enough. After an introductory conversation, we will agree what documents and information are needed for the review.