John Colley • Investment Banking Practitioner Series

Mergers & Acquisitions: M&A, Valuation & Selling a Company

Close Deals Like a Pro | Learn from a Former Investment Banker Who’s Executed Millions in M&A Transactions

★★★★½ 4.57 (4,204 ratings)  |  24,308 students enrolled  |  12 hours of video  |  150 lectures
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The promise

“The complete M&A masterclass — from initiation to integration, with the practitioner judgment that maximises value when you sell.”

4.57★
Rating
24,308
Students
12
Hours
150
Lectures
February 2026
Updated

Why this course

Selling a company is the single biggest financial event most entrepreneurs ever go through. Get it wrong and you leave millions on the table. Get it right and you walk away with the value you spent decades building. This is the course built specifically for the entrepreneur who is going to sell — and for every adviser who works alongside them.

Twelve hours of practitioner content covering every stage: valuation techniques (balance sheet analysis, cash flow valuation, WACC), negotiation strategy, the full sales process, common pitfalls, the art of managing your advisers, term sheets and how to read them, MBO dynamics, deal closing complexity, and how to come out the other side cleanly.

Trusted by over 24,000 students with a 4.57 star rating and over 4,200 reviews — the most established M&A course on Udemy in this category.

What you will master

Every outcome below is built into the course — not a marketing list, the actual curriculum.

Understand the key concepts and principles of mergers and acquisitions
Apply valuation techniques: balance sheet analysis, cash flow valuation and WACC calculations
Develop effective negotiation strategies to secure favourable deals
Get practical insights into the sales process and how to maximise value when selling
Understand the entire M&A process from initiation to integration
Manage advisers effectively, leveraging their expertise for optimal outcomes
Read negotiation and term sheets with the eye of a senior practitioner
Understand management buyouts and their dynamics in M&A
Navigate the complexities of deal closing and ensure a smooth transition
Approach the sale of a company with confidence — informed, prepared, defensible

Who this course is for

  • Any entrepreneur considering selling a business at some point in the future
  • Students of investment banking, corporate finance or M&A wanting insights beyond textbooks
  • Professional advisers who believe they can still learn about M&A
  • Senior managers who need to improve their corporate finance and M&A knowledge

Requirements

  • No prior knowledge assumed
  • No materials required

What students are saying

Verified reviews from students who completed the course on Udemy.

★★★★★

“As a beginner, I found this course to be concise, pragmatic, and highly informative. It’s especially valuable for those who don’t specialise in M&A but want a clear understanding of the fundamentals.”

Pahala Alexandra Lumbantoruan
Verified Udemy student
★★★★½

“This course is a treasure trove of knowledge. John’s expertise can be seen in every lecture. I finished the course feeling much more confident about my knowledge of mergers and acquisitions.”

Neetu Verma
Verified Udemy student
★★★★½

“Mr Colley is obviously vastly experienced. I’m impressed with the in-depth explanations, with case studies, of M&A worldwide. Another skill under my belt.”

Nathan Wanje
Verified Udemy student
Your instructor

John Colley

Investment banker turned educator. 30+ years across Hoare Govett, M&A, private equity and corporate finance. Cambridge graduate, Bayes Business School MBA with Distinction.

Author of the Investment Banking Practitioner’s Handbook Series — the largest practitioner-authored IB content library available online. Trusted by 150,000+ students across 30+ Udemy courses.

Every course is built on real deal experience — not textbook theory. The voice is a senior banker explaining how things actually work, not a lecturer reading notes.

Ready to enrol?

Lifetime access. 30-day Udemy money-back guarantee. Mobile and desktop. Certificate of completion.

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Part of John Colley’s finance course library on Udemy. More courses at jbdcolley.com