Sell-side advisors and business brokers
Get the seller's numbers on day one, without asking for the keys to their books.
A seller who has just signed an engagement letter is nervous. Asking them to add you as a QuickBooks user makes it worse. FinShare asks for a list of reports instead, and they approve in a few minutes.
How it goes today
Getting the numbers shouldn't mean getting into their books.
The export round trip
You send a list, the seller's bookkeeper exports what they think you meant, and you spend the next week asking for the right periods.
Access feels like exposure
Owners don't want an outsider in their books, seeing payroll and personal expenses. You don't want to be the one holding that access when a deal falls apart.
Buyers will check your numbers
If the financials in the CIM came from a hand-edited spreadsheet, the QoE will find the difference, and the price will move.
| Exports by email | A QuickBooks login | A FinShare request | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you can see | Whatever they decide to send | Their whole accounting system: payroll, owner draws, every customer and vendor | Only the reports on the list they approved |
| What you can change | Nothing, though anyone can edit the file before it reaches you | Whatever the user role allows, often more than reports | Nothing. FinShare only reads reports |
| Can you trust the file? | Basis, dates and columns vary; cells can be typed over | Yes, if you export it yourself, correctly, every time | Checked against QuickBooks' totals before you see it |
| When it ends | Never starts, so it never ends | When someone remembers to remove you | On the date the owner approved, automatically |
| What you're holding | Spreadsheets of uncertain origin | Credentials to someone else's books | Files, with a record of who approved them |
- What you can see
Exports by emailWhatever they decide to send
A QuickBooks loginTheir whole accounting system: payroll, owner draws, every customer and vendor
A FinShare requestOnly the reports on the list they approved
- What you can change
Exports by emailNothing, though anyone can edit the file before it reaches you
A QuickBooks loginWhatever the user role allows, often more than reports
A FinShare requestNothing. FinShare only reads reports
- Can you trust the file?
Exports by emailBasis, dates and columns vary; cells can be typed over
A QuickBooks loginYes, if you export it yourself, correctly, every time
A FinShare requestChecked against QuickBooks' totals before you see it
- When it ends
Exports by emailNever starts, so it never ends
A QuickBooks loginWhen someone remembers to remove you
A FinShare requestOn the date the owner approved, automatically
- What you're holding
Exports by emailSpreadsheets of uncertain origin
A QuickBooks loginCredentials to someone else's books
A FinShare requestFiles, with a record of who approved them
With FinShare
The reports without the login.
One request covers it
The due diligence package: three fiscal years, the trailing twelve months by month, balance sheet, general ledger and both agings.
The seller stays in control
They approve a list, choose how long access lasts within what you asked for, and can revoke whenever they like.
Numbers that survive diligence
Every file is checked against QuickBooks' own totals before delivery, so what you market is what the buyer's accountants will find.
Keep it current through closing
Roll the request forward as each month closes, so the buyer always has the latest period.
Start from
The packages most teams like yours use.
Built into the new-request screen. Change any report or period before you send.
Due diligence
What a buyer or advisor needs to start.
- Profit and Loss, last 3 fiscal years, by year
- Profit and Loss, trailing 12 months, by month
- Balance Sheet, as of period end
- General Ledger, trailing 12 months
- A/R Aging Summary
- A/P Aging Summary
Monthly financials
The month just closed. Pairs with roll forward.
- Profit and Loss, latest month
- Balance Sheet, as of month end
- Trial Balance, latest month
Questions
Common questions.
- Do I need to be added to the seller's QuickBooks?
- No. The seller connects QuickBooks to FinShare and approves your request. You receive the reports; you never get a QuickBooks login.
- Can I share the reports with buyers?
- Yes. The files are ordinary Excel, CSV or JSON. Put them in your data room like any other document.
- What if the seller's books are on QuickBooks Desktop?
- FinShare works with QuickBooks Online only.
Reading
Related articles.
Diligence · 8 min
Financial due diligence request list: What to ask a seller for
The QuickBooks reports to put on a due diligence request list, report by report: P&L, balance sheet, GL, trial balance, agings, periods and basis.
Reporting · 6 min
TTM explained: Trailing twelve months and how to roll it forward
What trailing twelve months means, a worked example ending September 30, how TTM differs from LTM, YTD and fiscal year, and how to roll it forward.
Reporting · 6 min
How to get QuickBooks reports without asking for exports
Why exported QuickBooks reports go wrong (wrong basis, wrong dates, edited cells, cut-off GLs) and how to get clean reports straight from the books.
Send your first request today.
Sending a request is free; you pay only when the owner says yes. Nothing to install, and the owner needs only QuickBooks Online.