# Commercial Due Diligence for Investors | Chesterton Hills [Public page](https://www.chestertonhills.com/investor-services) ## Commercial support for investors and owners Venture firms, family offices, and strategic owners need people who can test a company's commercial story and work inside the business when the answer calls for action. Investor Services is that work: before an investment, through the years of ownership, and ahead of a sale. We examine how the company earns revenue, what its growth plan depends on, and where the evidence supports or challenges it. Once you own the business, we can carry the commercial work forward with management: pricing, sales, market entry, partnerships, and the operating discipline behind the forecast. ### Support throughout the deal lifecycle #### Commercial Due Diligence You are evaluating an investment in a startup or an established company and need to test the growth case. Full detail A company's plan is built on assumptions about its customers, its market, and how quickly it can sell. We examine those assumptions against the business it has demonstrated: who is buying, why they buy, whether they stay, what the pipeline contains, and how much of the forecast depends on something that has not happened yet. The work follows the stage of the company. In a startup, that may mean distinguishing early enthusiasm from repeatable demand. In an established business, it may mean testing customer concentration, retention, pricing, and the sales capacity behind the next year of growth. We put the findings, their supporting evidence, and the unanswered questions in a written assessment your team can use in its own evaluation. #### Portfolio Growth Support A company you own is missing its forecast, entering a new market, or needs commercial leadership it does not yet have. Full detail A board can see that growth is behind plan and still have an incomplete picture of why. We go into the business with management and examine the work itself: real sales conversations, the pipeline, pricing decisions, the handoffs between teams, and the customers the company is choosing to pursue. Then we run the agreed improvements alongside the team. That can mean rebuilding the sales process, correcting pricing, launching a product, opening a market, or carrying a senior commercial role while a permanent leader is hired. Owners and management get the same operating picture: what is changing, who is responsible, and whether the change is showing up in the business. #### Business Sale Preparation An owner is considering a sale and wants the company ready before outside scrutiny starts. Full detail The work that makes a business easier to evaluate starts before the process does. We organize the commercial evidence, reconcile the story with the numbers, and identify the weaknesses a buyer is likely to question: customer concentration, dependence on the founder, inconsistent metrics, unclear contracts, or a forecast that the sales engine cannot support. We work with management to address what can be fixed and prepare clear explanations for what cannot. The data room, management materials, and rehearsals draw on the same facts, so the company is ready to answer consistently. This is preparation of the business and its team. The owner and its appointed transaction advisers carry the sale process and negotiations. #### Mergers & Acquisitions Support You are examining an acquisition, a merger, or an add-on and need to understand how the businesses would work together. Full detail The commercial argument for a combination usually depends on customers buying more, a new channel becoming available, or a market opening faster. We test those expectations against how the two businesses sell today. Overlapping customers do not automatically create cross-selling, and combining two sales teams does not automatically create more capacity. We examine customer fit, channel conflicts, pricing, product overlap, and the work needed to make the combined offer credible. The output separates what has supporting evidence from what remains an assumption, then lays out the operating changes, resources, and sequence required. This is commercial assessment and preparation; transaction structuring, valuation opinions, and negotiations sit with the parties and their appointed advisers. #### Commercial Integration A business has changed hands and the commercial plan now has to become day-to-day work. Full detail After an acquisition, customers still need a clear point of contact, sellers need to know what they can offer, and someone needs to own the forecast. We organize that work with management before confusion becomes lost revenue: account ownership, customer communication, pricing, sales responsibilities, and the route to a combined offer. We build the first commercial operating plan, assign owners, and stay in the weekly rhythm as the teams put it into practice. Where the acquisition case depended on a new channel, cross-selling, or market expansion, we turn that assumption into a sequence of actions and measures. Management and owners can see what is working, what is slipping, and what needs to change. Engagement Options ### Ways to Work With Us [FAQs](https://www.chestertonhills.com/faq#how-we-work) Each engagement starts with a written consulting agreement covering the scope of work, responsibilities, and commercial terms. #### Retainer-based A retainer supports continuing commercial and operational work with an investor, owner, or portfolio company. We agree on the scope of work, responsibilities, and schedule, then stay involved as the business develops. This suits commercial priorities that continue beyond a single assessment or milestone. #### Project-based A project engagement covers a specific company assessment, sale preparation, or piece of commercial work. The consulting agreement sets out the scope, outputs, responsibilities, and completion date before work begins. This gives the assignment a clear endpoint and a shared basis for reviewing the work. #### Hourly Hourly work suits a specific question, a review of company materials, or a limited piece of support for management. We agree on the scope and hourly terms before starting, so you can bring us in for the work you need. It can help your team examine an assumption before committing to a larger assignment. ### Other services and referrals [Growth ExecutionWe help companies enter markets, launch products and services, improve sales and pricing, and build commercial partnerships. Bring us a plan to execute or work with us to develop it.See Growth Execution](https://www.chestertonhills.com/growth-execution) [Capital ReadinessEducation, training, mentorship, and preparation for the conversations ahead. The full retainer-based program is a zero-equity incubator and concludes with Demo Day; hourly and project engagements cover preparation services.See Capital Readiness](https://www.chestertonhills.com/capital-readiness) [Refer a CompanyIf you know a company that could use our services, please refer them. We welcome introductions to market-ready companies looking for growth, preparation, or commercial support, and will reach out to discuss how we can help.Refer a Company](https://www.chestertonhills.com/refer-a-company) Global Network ### Commercial Insight Across Markets Our network of operators, commercial partners, distributors, and capital allocators spans North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. It brings local operating experience to the questions an investment or acquisition raises: how customers buy, how distribution works, and what expansion requires. We draw on those relationships for commercial diligence, portfolio growth, and preparation for a sale or acquisition. The work may call for testing a market assumption, finding a commercial partner, or understanding the practical work behind a combined business. We bring the relevant people into the engagement and carry that understanding into the plan. [Who We Partner With](https://www.chestertonhills.com/partners) Drag to explore ### Tell us what you need to understand A company you are evaluating, a portfolio business that needs help, a market you want to enter, or a sale you want to prepare for. Start with the question and the timeline. [Discuss the work](https://zcal.co/jaspercannon/discoverycall) ## Advisory role and securities limitations Chesterton Hills is not a broker-dealer, investment adviser, or placement agent. We do not offer, sell, or solicit investments or securities. Our role is purely advisory and connective; we are not involved in any deals or negotiations. Chesterton Hills is also not a venture capital firm, angel group, or other funding organization, we do not invest or provide any funding for our clients. Nothing on this site constitutes an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation to purchase any investment or security. #### 2. No securities activity, and no offer Chesterton Hills is **not** a broker-dealer, investment adviser, or placement agent. We do **not** offer, sell, or solicit investments or securities. Our role is purely advisory and connective; we are **not** involved in any deals or negotiations. Chesterton Hills is also **not** a venture capital firm, angel group, or other funding organization, we do **not** invest or provide any funding for our clients. Nothing on this site constitutes an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation to purchase any investment or security. The firm is **not** a finder or a registered representative of any of them, and is **not** registered as such with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, any state securities regulator, or any comparable authority in any other jurisdiction. The firm is **not** a law firm and does **not** provide legal or investment advice. The firm does **not** offer, sell, solicit, or negotiate the purchase or sale of securities; does **not** raise capital on behalf of any person; does **not** act as an intermediary in, or a party to, any financing or transaction; and does **not** receive any commission, success fee, finder's fee, or compensation tied to a transaction. The firm's capital readiness and investor services consist of company assessment, commercial and operational support, education, training, mentorship, company development, preparation, coaching, materials, and connections, and the decision to invest, to accept an investment, to transact, or to proceed on any terms rests solely with the parties concerned. Demo Day participation is offered only through the full retainer-based Capital Readiness program, after the company's preparation is complete. The firm invites members of its capital network whose investment interests match the company's industry to hear the business presentation and make connections. Demo Day is connections only and is **not** a fundraising service. Hourly and project preparation engagements do **not** include Demo Day participation. The firm does **not** solicit investment commitments, negotiate terms, handle investor funds or securities, or receive success-based or transaction-contingent fees.