Grow My Business Or Sell It: Recent Episodes
Graham Rowan
Welcome to Grow My Business or Sell It, the podcast that helps entrepreneurs in three ways – how to grow your business in the most cost effective way, how to sell it for as much money as possible and how to invest the proceeds of all that hard work. Whichever stage you’re at, listen up because I guarantee you’ll take something valuable from every episode.
Phil Fraser has been through the entire entrepreneur journey from soup to nuts. After a couple of false starts he had the winning idea, grew the business from scratch until it became a market leader over an 18 year period then sold it for an eight figure sum.
A transaction that has given him the breathing room to help other entrepreneurs as a coach and mentor. Phil talks us through his failures and how they ultimately turned to massive success - with 18 years of hard work along the way.
An early adopter of the internet, Phil's story is a great case study on how to recognise opportunity and be prepared to pivot if things don't go to plan. He talks about the struggle to raise finance for his first business when the market simply wasn't ready for it.
He describes how he was able to boot strap the business with virtually no funding and the strategies he used to drive growth and reach profitability. The sale process was not straightforward so Phil talks us through what happened and how he ended up with that Holy Grail of business sale scenarios - multiple bidders.
How did it feel the day after the money hit his bank account? What investment decisions has he made since the? How did he cope with the transition from full time business owner to being an ex entrepreneur?
Like all my guests, Phil generously shares his top three nuggets of advice you’d offer to any entrepreneurs trying to build a business that will give them an eight figure exit.
Find Phil on LinkedIn or learn more at https://philfraser.co.uk/
For this episode of Grow My Business Or Sell It we’re travelling all the way to Richmond Virginia to meet Kelley Powell. She has huge experience in private equity and M&A, culminating in her current role as CEO of MacLaurin Group, providing technology support to both sides of private equity transactions - the buyers and the sellers. She’s also a very active angel investor, mentor and chairwoman for fast growing companies and is the author of the best selling book Courage To Lose Sight of Shore, - How To Partner With Private Equity To Grow Your Business With Confidence. When it was published last year the book was described by Entrepreneur Magazine as “ one of the 9 Must-Read Books to prepare Entrepreneurs for 2021”.
In this engaging interview Kelley talks about the lessons she learned about managing growth and change in business, including how to manage the process of partnering with private equity. She has a positive but realistic approach to change, suggesting the appointment of an 'Excitement Committee' to oversee the project but recognising that you are at some stage likely to enter the Valley of Despair when it feels easier to give up than keep pushing forward.
We discuss the key lessons from her book which you can obtain using this link: https://geni.us/couragetolosesight including the important concept of 'reverse due diligence' where you look at the profile and track record of the private equity company before deciding if you want them to acquire your life's work. It's rarely just about the money, it's about looking after your brand, your legacy and the team you've built.
You can learn more about Kelley at https://kelleywpowell.com/ or contact her directly on kelley@kelleywpowell.com
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
My guest today continues the international flavour of entrepreneurs we’ve spoken to on Grow My Business or Sell It as he comes from the Czech Republic. He had a promising career as a professional basketball player that was cut short by health issues. He then channeled his energies into business and grew one of the largest packaging materials companies in the country before selling it to packaging giant Bunzl. Since then he has invested in businesses in the hospitality sector and in sport as well as growing his private portfolio. His name is Filip Linek, Filip, welcome to the show.
Tell me about your early life growing up in what was originally communist Czechoslovakia and later became the Czech Republic in 1993
Your first career was as a professional athlete playing basketball. How did that come about and why were you forced to give up your sporting career?
What was your first job after giving up sport and how did that lead on to starting your own business?
You founded Oskar Plast as a packaging company in 1997 – what were the challenges that faced you as you started a business from ground zero?
How did you grow the business? Did you focus on organic growth or did you start buying up competitors?
Were there any specific challenges to building a business in a former communist country?
How did the approach to sell your business to the packaging giant Bunzl come about?
You then served a multi year earn-out in senior roles for Bunzl – what was it like moving from entrepreneur to employee?
Since selling Oskar Plast you’ve invested in some other businesses, notably in the hospitality (PECR apartment hotels) and sports sectors (Czech Assoc of Beach Volleyball Clubs). How did these come about and how have you learned about new sectors?
One of the hardest things for any entrepreneur whose sold his business is knowing how to invest the proceeds of the liquidity event. Tell me about the thought processes you went through in deciding what to invest in and what assets have found their way into your portfolio. (Commercial property? Portuguese property)
What are your thoughts on the current macro economic situation with high inflation, rising interest rates, war in eastern Europe and increasing social unrest. Where is this leading and how does it impact your own decisions on your lifestyle, your business and your investment portfolio?
What’s next for Filip Linek? Do you have a specific plan or are you happy to take it easy for a while and enjoy the fruits of your success?
From your own business experience what are the top three pieces of advice you would pass on to entrepreneurs listening to us today?
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
Ammar Mirza CBE makes Richard Branson look like a timewaster. He’s been involved in establishing over 700 new businesses, as well as helping many existing ones. He’s raised millions of pounds for a broad range of organisations alongside being an angel investor in fast growing companies. He sits at the epicentre of one of the largest and most influential networks across the North of England including being the chair of Asian Business Connections. He’s a serial multi award winning entrepreneur whose accolades include being a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, he’s been awarded the CBE for his services to business and been made honorary colonel of the 101st Northumbrian regiment of the Royal Artillery.
- Ammar gives his advice on how to make the most of networking to build value driven relationships.
- He talks about the challenges faced by the Asian business community and what other entrepreneurs can learn from them, including how they are 3 or 4 times more enterprising!
- We touch on what the new Prime Minister should do to help SME businesses including encouraging more start ups, Over 50% would like to set up a business but only 35 go on to do so. There's also a lack of awareness by business owners of help that's available, like the £100m business support fund.
- Ammar explains the difference between desirability, feasibility and viability. The latter is especially important in a world where companies garner multi billion valuations without making a penny in profit.
- Many SMEs are not aware of how to make themselves 'investor ready' so Ammar talks about some of the steps you need to take to be attractive to a private equity organisation like the Beaufort Society. There are many forms of investment from grants to equity to convertible loan notes that you need to become aware of.
- Innovation, internationalisation and digital transformation all have a role to play in scaling your company - how does your current plan measure up against these factors?
- Ammar's focus is on scaling companies that are already growing at 20-30% per annum. He is working with the NHS on innovation pathways including life sciences, one of the fastest growing sectors globally.
- Finally, Ammar shares some rules for success that he's learned from experience across hundreds of companies and decades of success
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
In this episode author, speaker and investor Graham Rowan explains why you need to use your business as a giant ATM machine and how to funnel your profits into assets that will create multi-generational wealth for your family.
You will get a lot more from this episode if you first download a template Wealth Pyramid at https://grahamrowan.com/pyramid/
He uses his proprietary Wealth Pyramid concept to describe the four layers of assets and what each type of asset does for you:
The Bedrock Layer - assets that protect the purchasing power of your money, especially important in this era of excessive money printing, currency debasement and 40 year high inflation.
The Passive Income Layer - assets that regularly put money into your bank account so you can pay your bills, go on nice holidays and drive the car you always promised yourself.
The Global Diversification Layer - assets in other countries so that you have choices on where you live, which currencies you own and where you can run your business. This includes digital visas and Citizenship By Investment programmes.
The High Velocity Layer - this is the pointy end of your Wealth Pyramid where you can have fun with crypto trading, forex trading, spread betting, planning gain projects and the like. They tendn to be high risk, high return projects with a relatively short timeframe.
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
Jeremy Harbour joins me from his home in Singapore.
Jeremy left school at 15 to start his first business and is now a globally renowned expert in Mergers & Acquisitions . He’s the founder of Unity Group, a firm specializing in buying and selling businesses, as well as attracting capital investments, and helping small and medium-sized enterprises to scale.
He’s on a mission to democratize wealth and one of the cornerstones of that was the founding in 2009 of the Harbour Club where he teaches the 14 ways of buying or selling a business. He’s the author of 5 books including one of my favourite ever titles – Democratising Wealth – A Pragmatic Alternative To Murdering The Rich.
Extracts from our interview:
"You think bitcoin is volatile – try small business!"
"Never borrow money to buy a business!"
"Financial institutions controlling $93 trillion of capital have a higher allocation to Bitcoin than to small business! "
"Stop filling your calendar with customer related tasks and make sure its filled with shareholder facing tasks - leave teh customers to operational management"
"When you buy a business you didn’t create all the jobs and processes so you can pick and choose what you take on. "
"Institutions consider three factors – risk, scale and liquidity. New money piles into specially created derivatives and not into the real economy where people actually work. "
"The four horsemen of the Apocalypse have arrived for small business - the perfect shtstorm!"*"Fortunes are made in troubled times"
"Of all the recessions I've ever seen this one is by far the most recent!"
Learn more about Jeremy at https://www.jeremyharbour.com/
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
My guest in this episode is the owner of a private equity group and his primary focus is as an investor who specialises in taking companies already producing multiple six figures in revenue and accelerating their growth to over 10 million.
Dan Bradbury's love of numbers and finance is what sets him apart and allows him to find the hidden assets and weaknesses within the businesses that he invests in and the business owners that he consults with. He has over 15 years of business experience in a wide range of industries and has founded, built and sold two companies for seven figure sums and has invested in over a dozen other companies as well as the five businesses that he has purchased outright.
His specialty is maximising the value of a business, whether it be simply to keep the business and reap the rewards or to exit the business for a big payout as he has done on seven different occasions.
NOTE FROM GRAHAM: Sorry there are some broadband issues at various points during the interview but 98% is fine and the content is priceless!
Many entrepreneurs have a strange start in business Dan is the first person I’ve spoken to who launched a business based on speed reading. He explains how it came about and also why it failed.
After getting his fingers burned he made the smart decision to go and work for a big companyto get some experience. Dan explained what he learned and how it helped him second time around. What did that teach you and how did that influence your next business venture?
Some of the powerful quotes Dan shares:
"It's what you don't see that costs you money"
"There are only half a dozen business problems to solve"
"I don't go for distressed businesses, I use the Charlie Munger approach of buying great businesses at a fair price"
Dan describes the factors that make a business attractive to him to acquire and the steps he takes to increase its value post acquisition.
He believes most businesses are the same so he talks about how he deals with acquiring a business in a sector where he has no previous experience?
This happy story was suddenly interrupted by a massive cycling accident that could have been fatal. Dan explains what happened and whether it has changed his approach to life and to business.
I ask if Dan has built an investment portfolio outside of business and if so what assets he favours.
As entrepreneurs we tend to be a positive lot but I confess I’m concerned at a macro level when I hear the WEF saying that by 2030 we will own nothing, have no privacy and be happy and when I see a survey of Gen Z in which 63% believe they’d be better off under a socialist or communist regime. Are free market capitalism and entrepreneurship in danger of becoming dinosaurs of a bygone age? I quiz Dan on his take on these macro issues.
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
Jeremy Hall forged a reputation for growing organisations through acquisition during the dotcom boom and has gone on to become one of the UK’s most prolific aggregators of small businesses. Previously chairman of the prestigious global brand Who’s Who Publications, the CEO of asset provider WestWon has invested in a range of businesses over the last two decades including audio visual, hospitality, digital printing, distribution, credit information, import, publishing, recycling and commercial property sectors.
He founded Wyse Leasing, which became one of the UK’s largest independent IT leasing companies with £65 million of annual lease transactions a year. He knows how to acquire and build businesses by finding synergies, analysing competitors, uncovering true value, building networks and accelerating organic growth through acquisition. Sounds like he’s on the right podcast then!
Jeremy explains how he built Wyse and how he sold it, including writing a cheque for hundreds of thousands of pounds to an external adviser.
We then discuss what he did after banking a multi million pound cheque from the sale and how quickly you go from a high status chairman to Billy No Mates. This is a dangerous time for entrepreneurs who have to become stewards of significant wealth.
He is honest about the mistake he made in rebranding Power Leasing which had already been established for nearly 30 years at the time he acquired it.
As anyone running a finance business in 2008 will know, there were some tough years when liquidity dried up and there was no money available to support leasing deals. Jeremy talks about how he got through those tough times.
With severe restrictions on his previous core IT sector part of the business sale, Jeremy talks about the challenges of starting afresh in new sectors with new suppliers. He also talks about moving from a regional office structure to a more heavily online based approach.
Banks are famous for only lending money to companies that don’t need it – I ask Jeremy whether leasing is different? How flexible can you be and what can business owners do to ensure they get the best leasing terms?
We discuss whether Jeremy has an exit plan and if so how he might extract himself from the business.
Watch for Jeremy over-delivering when I ask him to share the top three lessons he has learned for the benefit of our community.
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
Dan Bates is part of a very exclusive club – he’s the CEO of an alternative energy provider who survived the carnage in the market caused by the wholesale price explosion in late 2021. In fact the company he founded, Rebel Energy, has come out of the energy crisis in better shape than ever and is winning more than 1,000 new customers a week. He’s on a mission to end fuel poverty as well as restoring the planet while making great returns for the small band of private investors who funded the launch of Rebel Energy.
Dan is something of a gamekeeper turned poacher as he gave up a senior role in BP to launch Rebel Energy. He tells us about his corporate life and how things changed when he decided to jump ship and start a new company from scratch after 18 years.
I suggest it's a bit unfair that companies like BP are being demonized simply for providing the energy that the Western world needs to sustain its economy and all of our lifestyles.
Dan describes the process he went through to take Rebel from the germ of an idea to a business ready to take on its first customers.
He very quickly decided that technology was going to play a key role in the Rebel Energy back office. He tells us why did and how he made it happen.
One of the more bizarre elements of the Rebel Energy story is how Dan and I met and how Beaufort Society became fundraiser-in-chief for Dan's company
They seemed to have done everything right. Great brand. Timely mission. Strong management team. Solid funding from a small cohort of private investors. Then they launch in August 2021 and all hell breaks loose two weeks later. Dan explains what happened and why was it so devastating for the newer players in the energy market.
I’ll never forget the phone call I got from Dan and the letter he was going to send the next day telling staff and investors that you were going to close the company. Dan talks us through what happened and how we turned the situation around.
Rebel re-entered the market in February 2022 with 50% fewer competitors and a lot of people who are disgruntled with the treatment they’ve been receiving from the Big 6. Dan talks about how the chain of events has left Rebel stronger than ever and winning almost
1,000 new clients every week.
Key to Rebel's growth is a scalable but cost effective infrastructure. Dan explains how this has been achieved without huge capital expenditure or staff recruitment.
What also impresses me about the Rebel Energy business plan is the holistic view they’ve taken of an energy provider's role. Dan talks about some of the partnerships Rebel has entered into and how they are even attracting attention at government level.
Looking two or three years out, Dan describes Rebel/s planned transition from energy provider to energy service provider.
Rebel’s a young company but one that has already had bigger players sniffing around. Dan discusses the likely exit strategy as Rebel goes from strength to strength.
Dan has packed a decade of business experience into a couple of years. I ask him to share the three most important lessons he's learned from this roller coaster ride.
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for over 1,000 high net worth investors in 37 countries.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
Nigel Botterill is famous for building NINE separate million pound businesses in the last 12 years. He’s a Sunday Times best-selling author, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Entrepreneurs Circle, the UK’s largest private organisation dedicated to helping entrepreneurs to get & keep customers. So its not surprising that he’s known as the most sought after business growth expert in the UK.
Along with his team he has helped over 50,000 entrepreneurs to skyrocket their businesssuccessthrough a proven 5-part system, how-to guides, tools, resources, and live weekly calls. And I need to declare an interest here having been a member of EC since it was founded back in 2010.
Nigel starts by sharing the fear he felt as he gave up a multi-six figure income in the corporate world to start a business in his back bedroom.
I then pick his brains on some of the business models he's used to grow million pound businesses with limited start-up capital. One of which went from zero to a million in just 21 days!
I was at one of the first events he held back in 2010 when 50 of us met in the club house of a golf course. Today Nigel gets 1200 people to his big events. He explains how he uses events to drive business profitability.
Nigel talks about the key skills he has used to grow his businesses and how he delegates everything else with the result that he has no exit strategy because he doesn't want to stop doing what he loves!
He also shares the ups and downs as he made money, spent money then realised that those nice people at HMRC wanted their share!
Every week he sends an email to EC members, usually a motivational piece at the start of the week. But last year there was a far more poignant message – the subject line was just ’18 more summers’. That was the age difference between him and the rock star Meatloaf who had just passed away. Nigel talks about how early in life he became aware of his mortality and how this has influenced his approach to life.
Finally Nigel shares the 3 key lessons he's learned in 20 years as a serial entrepreneur.
My guest today is a chartered financial analyst who is active in two spheres, property and private equity. She’s a regular writer on property matters for the London Evening Standard and views her own property investment activities as her 'guilty pleasure'.
But in our interview I focus on her other role as chair of the Portfolio Advisory Board at Novastone Capital in Switzerland. The group acts a private equity search fund to find, support and invest in CEOs of companies in the £10- £30 million range. The process is unique in my experience and listeners to Grow My Business or Sell It can definitely learn from it and may even want to take part in it!
Sara explains her background in the City where she was global head of FX strategy for JP Morgan and how she ended up in the rile at Novastone.
She gives an overview of how the search fund process works, bringing together three main parties - Baby Boomer business owners who are looking for an exit but are lacking any succession plans, potential acquirors of their business and well heeled family offices to fund the acquisition.
Sara describes the profile of the ideal searcher or CEO that she looks for and describes just how tough the selection process is – 800 applicants for each place!
We discuss the ideal profile of business they are looking to acquire and the range of geographies, sectors, size, revenue and EBITDA in the current pipeline.
Sara explains how the search stage of the process funded and what’s in it for the family offices who fund the search.
We then discuss the due diligence process that the team goes through before making a commitment to an acquisition and how negotiations on price are handled.
Sara also explains how acquisitions are funded between equity and debt and how the Searcher/CEO is rewarded at the acquisition stage and on through to the planned exit.
I ask Sara if there could be conflicting objectives between the family office investors looking for a fast growth and a clearly defined exit versus the acquiring CEO who might want to build a long term multi generational business for his family?
We look at whether there is a limiting factor – the right calibre CEO, the right profile of target company or the availability of investor capital?
Finally I ask if there is a way that investors outside this exclusive group can gain access to the companies that are acquired without needing to have such deep pockets?
Interested in becoming a searcher or selling your business through this programme? Just email me on graham@beaufortsociety.com and I will connect you directly to Sara.
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
Siam Kidd is a former RAF pilot who has packed a lot into his young life. He’s now a full time Investor and trader in the financial markets as well as owning a group of profitable businesses. What’s especially relevant for us is that he has built his main business - coaching people in financial trading - through organic growth while also using M&A techniques to acquire a portfolio of other businesses alongside it with, shall we say, mixed results.
Siam was motivated to create the Realistic Trader platform as an ethical alternative to the Get Rich Quick charlatans who tend to dominate the sector. He explains how he has established and maintained those ethics that set him apart from the online hustlers.
Realistic Trader is a subscription coaching model that provides the Holy Grail of recurring revenue. Siam explains how he got started and what approaches he's used to grow to more than 450 members.
Siam has a really strong relationship with the people he coaches, and we explore how he has built those relationships and what can other business owners learn from his approach.
I ask Siam if there's an optimum size for this kind of subscription based coaching business model or whether it's infinitely scalable.
At what point did Siam decide to start acquiring other existing businesses and what approach did he take to finding them?
The challenges of acquiring a business in a sector where you may not have any previous experience - Siam ended up owning one of the oldest potteries in the UK and still can't make a teapot!
Siam explains why, having at one point acquired 16 companies, he had 60 people chasing him every day and why he has taken a samurai sword to his business portfolio and reduced it back down to just three companies run by two staff.
The importance of the Shareholder Agreement and why you should avoid 50/50 partnerships.
Siam and Graham share their passion for financial education - listen out for Siam's unique requirement that his kids have to achieve before they inherit their trust fund!
What would be the top three lessons Siam would share with other entrepreneurs trying to grow or sell their business?
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
My guest today combines being the founder of Quantum Group, a multiple award winning fintech incubator that owns 2 fast growing unicorns, with being the leading light in the Compass For Life Foundation, providing leadership and values training for everyone from schoolchildren to senior teams in sport, business and the public sector.
He’s made the rare transition from military leader to entrepreneur, having joined the SAS at the age of 22 and being awarded the Distinguished Conduct medal for his work in Iraq and the MBE for his service in Afghanistan. He’s written multiple books on leadership and is also an award winning speaker. His name is Floyd Woodrow.
- We start Floyd's story as he leaves the military after more than 20 years and return to civilian life.
- Floyd describes how high end security became his first business building on your military record and how he grew that business.
- Then we highlight the opportunistic way in which he and his business partner Peter Malmstrom added fintech to their business portfolio
- Floyd describes the two stars in the Quantum portfolio, Volopa and Tail, who they serve and why are they proving so popular
- We discuss the multi-step strategy Quantum has used to acquire and grow the fintech businesses in the group
- Beaufort Society has played an important part in funding Quantum's growth, a role that Floyd is pleased to recognise and reinforce
- With Volopa and Tail in the rapid growth phase I ask Floyd if his thoughts are turning to an exit strategy
- If Quantum is Floyd's business, his passion is the Compass For Life coaching and development programme. Floyd talks about the impact the programme has on everyone from 5 year old school children to senior executives in business and the public sector
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
My guest today has made a career out of acquiring two kinds of assets - companies and property.
Graeme Carling is Scotland's biggest residential landlord and chairman of United Capital. His property company has handled over £1 billion of transactions while United Capital is focused on winning big government projects in decarbonisation on the road to Net Zero.
In this fascinating interview, Dubai-based Graeme talks about how he acquires businesses in anything from 3 days to 3 years, why he is focusing on property services and the reasoning behind his focus on 'greening' the UK's property portfolio.
Whether its heat pumps or insulation, he wants his group to be winning teh large scale government projects coming down the pipe. It's all about balance sheet strength which is why he's targeting a £500m turnover business by 2025.
Graeme shares why he no longer targets distressed acquisitions, how his group supports the management team in acquired companies and why it's important to integrate them as soon as possible.
Graeme is a close friend of Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki and shares the story of how he inspired them to build their property portfolio. He also tells Graham whether he's a buyer or seller of property in the current market.
Finally Graeme shares the top three lessons he's learned for the benefit of other entrepreneurs trying to grow or sell their business.
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
Paul Avins is one of the most sought after business coaches in the UK. His Grown Up Business System is designed to help founders and family owned businesses to scale for a successful exit. He’s coached over 550 businesses through the system with many clients selling their businesses for life changing sums.
His mastermind groups quickly fill up with most members renewing year after year and he also runs Scale Up bootcamps to help business owners think bigger and put the right building blocks in place for growth and to develop the resilience we all need if we’re to survive and thrive on the entrepreneur journey.
It's a journey that hasn't been easy, after neglect of his health caused a heart attack that almost killed him in 2014. Paul describes the story then goes on to deliver massive value as we cover topics like:
What he's found to be the most effective way to grow a business, organic growth or acquisition?
The key elements that need to be in place to build a 'grown up' business
The most effective way to fund business growth
Many business owners seem to lack a clear exit plan. What does Paul advise his mastermind members on achieving clarity and how does that influence the way they grow their business?
What has Paul found to be key to maximizing the value of a business before and during the sale process?
There’s a new breed of therapist that helps people deal with ‘sudden wealth syndrome’ - for example after they’ve sold a business for a significant sum. What new sets of problems face entrepreneurs who successfully exit their business?
The top three lessons Paul has for entrepreneurs trying to grow or sell their business
You can learn more about Paul and take the Grown Up Business Scorecard Challenge at https://www.paulavins.com/businessgrowthcoach
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/
My guest today is a real expert in the art and science of acquiring, growing and selling businesses. So much so that hundreds of people join his Dealmaker Academy mastermind group each year to learn from him. As well as teaching others he practices what he preaches and has built the fourth largest chain of nursery schools in the UK from scratch during the biggest global pandemic for a century. in the last three years. His name is Jonathan Jay.
Here are some of the topics we cover in this content-filled episode:
- Jonathan's background - no job since leaving uni, only business!
- How he came to see M&A as the fastest route to growth
- How he's grown Welcome Group to the UK’s 4th largest nursery chain from scratch in less than 3 years
- How he helps others around the world into M&A through the Dealmakers Academy
- The biggest challenges he sees people face in trying to grow through M&A
- How you acquire a business on favourable terms when the owner has spent years building it?
- Why he is now looking to outside funding to further grow the Welcome group
- How he plans to maximise the exit value of the group
- His top three lessons you would share with other entrepreneurs trying to grow or sell their business?
You can learn more about Jonathan Jay at https://www.thedealmakersacademy.com/
If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser? Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.
Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/