How I Help
Every business owner reaches moments when an experienced outside perspective makes all the difference.
Whether you’re preparing for sale, considering an acquisition, strengthening your leadership team or planning the next stage of growth, I help business owners make better strategic decisions that increase the value and resilience of their businesses.
Every recommendation I make has been tested in real businesses—not just discussed in boardrooms. My advice is shaped by decades of leading companies, buying businesses, supporting owners and helping leadership teams navigate important decisions.
Build Business Value
Every business owner wants to create a successful business.
Fewer think about what makes that business valuable in the eyes of a buyer.
The truth is that the factors that increase a business’s value also make it stronger, more resilient, and easier to manage. Whether you’re planning to sell in two years or twenty, building business value is always a worthwhile investment.
Together we’ll identify the opportunities to strengthen your business by focusing on the areas that matter most, including:
- Reducing dependence on the owner
- Strengthening leadership and governance
- Improving profitability and cash flow
- Building reliable systems and processes
- Creating sustainable growth
- Increasing buyer confidence
The result is a business that is not only worth more but also more enjoyable to own and lead.
Prepare for Sale or Succession
The best time to prepare a business for sale is long before you intend to leave it.
Many owners only begin preparing when they receive an offer or decide the time is right to retire. By then, opportunities to increase value or reduce risk may have been missed.
Whether your future involves selling to a trade buyer, passing the business to family, completing a management buy-out or simply creating more strategic options, careful preparation can make a significant difference.
My Fit to Sell Assessment examines your business from a buyer’s perspective, identifying the strengths that add value and the issues that could reduce it. Together we’ll develop a practical plan to strengthen your business and maximise your future options.
The earlier you begin, the more control you’ll have over both the process and the outcome.
Acquire with Confidence
Growth by acquisition can be one of the fastest ways to strengthen a business—but it also carries significant risks.
Successful acquisitions require far more than agreeing a price. Understanding the strategic fit, assessing financial performance, identifying hidden risks and planning for successful integration are all critical to achieving the value you expect.
Having advised businesses on acquisitions from both the buyer’s and seller’s perspective, I help owners make informed decisions throughout the process. From evaluating opportunities and carrying out commercial due diligence to negotiating terms and avoiding costly mistakes, my focus is on helping you complete acquisitions with confidence.
Every acquisition should create value—not unexpected problems.
Leadership and Governance
Strong businesses are built on strong leadership.
As businesses grow, the challenges facing owners change. Decisions become more complex, leadership teams need to develop, and governance becomes increasingly important. The qualities that helped build the business are not always the same as those needed to lead its next stage of growth.
Drawing on more than 35 years of executive leadership, board experience and business advisory work, I help owners strengthen leadership capability, improve decision-making and develop governance that supports sustainable success.
Whether acting as a coach, mentor, Non-Executive Director or trusted adviser, my role is to provide independent perspective, constructive challenge and practical guidance to help you and your leadership team make better decisions with confidence.
The strongest businesses are those that can succeed without relying on one individual.
Let’s talk about your leadership team
Books and Resources
The best business advice should be practical.
Over the years, I’ve written a series of books to help business owners and leaders tackle the challenges I encounter most often in my advisory work. From preparing a business for sale and negotiating acquisitions to leading through uncertainty and developing stronger leadership teams, each book is based on real-world experience rather than theory.
Whether you’re looking for practical guidance or considering working with an adviser, I hope you’ll find ideas that make an immediate difference to your business.
Featured Titles
Fit to Sell
Learn how to build a business that buyers want to buy and maximise its value long before you decide to sell.
Deal Finance
Understand the financial principles behind buying, selling and growing a successful business.
The Enlightened Leadership Series
A collection of practical books covering negotiation, emotional intelligence, coaching, leading through crisis and Stoic leadership for modern business owners and leaders.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Every business is different.
Some owners are preparing for sale.
Others are looking to grow through acquisition or strengthen their leadership team.
If you’re unsure which path is right for your business, an initial discovery meeting is an opportunity to discuss your objectives, explore the options available and decide whether working together is the right fit.