How do I explain my catering company’s busiest months to buyers?
Show the pattern in your own records, month by month, and say what causes it. Buyers want to see which events fill the calendar, how you staff the peaks and how you get through the quiet stretches. Explain it plainly and back each claim with bookings and invoices.
Start with the financial statements for several periods, arranged so the busy and slow months can be compared side by side. Add the booking calendar and a list of your largest events. Then write a short narrative: which kinds of events drive the peak, whether they repeat each year, and how far ahead they usually book.
Be open about the slower months too. Buyers will ask what you do then: corporate lunches, off-season menus, maintenance, training, or time off. Show how you manage cash through that stretch, and what you pay to hire extra people for the rush. If a peak depends on one client or one venue, say so before they find it.
Finally, explain what happens in a typical busy week, in terms a stranger could follow: who prepares, who delivers, who serves, what equipment is stretched. Offer to let the buyer see a peak event. That gives them confidence that the numbers come from a system and not luck. Ask your accountant to show the figures in a form the buyer can follow. Mention any change in the pattern, such as a new venue partner or a lost account, and say how it affected the busy months. Buyers value a clear explanation of surprises.
Key takeaways
- Chart your records month by month and explain what drives each peak.
- Say how you staff the busy stretch and fund the quiet one.
- Let a serious buyer watch a peak event before they decide.
Related reading
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are financial statements?
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaIndustryHow to sell your business
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to minimize negotiations when selling your business
- 04Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
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