7.5 minute read Trade, Family Office, Private Equity, or Management Buy-Outs (MBOs) are all recognised exit options for business owners – each with its own pros and cons. However, we are increasingly seeing a changing trend with shareholders now opting for Employee Ownership Trust structures (EOTs) for sale and succession because they offer significant benefits over…
8.5 minute read The “perfect” trade sale – is a fuss-free, maximum value, strategic trade deal with buyers that just “get it”. Yes, this is great in theory, but how can you achieve it? The Right Stuff Preparation, timing, and process all have a bearing on achieving the “perfect” trade sale, however, strategic buyers will be…
4.5 minute read Business Strategy “Good to Great” Top 10 Tips It’s 20 years since Jim Collins published his archetypal business strategy book “Good to Great”, a study on why some companies make the leap to success… and others don’t; it is still a great read today. Central ideas from the book which studied 28…
3.5 minute read So, there you have it another Spring statement and a very difficult act. Quite simply, the UK and increasingly the finances of its households are in a mess. Inflation is rife resulting in the biggest fall in disposable income since records began in the 1950s. Post-pandemic growth is being stifled and the war…
6 minute read Research & Development tax relief drives innovation and fuels growth, could investigating a claim transform your business? What is R&D Tax Relief? Research & Development (R&D) Tax Relief is a government tax incentive intended to reward UK companies who invest in innovation or allow them to mitigate the financial risks of unsuccessful development…
11 minute read Acquisitions can propel companies towards competitive advantage at a faster pace than organic growth can achieve. When well-executed, acquisitions can grab headlines and secure ‘CEO saviour’ or ‘leader’ reputations – but, when badly executed, they can destroy value and create ‘CEO scoundrels’, such as we saw with Sir Fred Goodwin’s ABN AMRO purchase.…
8 minute read Employee Ownership (EO) is an established exit strategy, whereby shareholders sell their company to a trust for the benefit of their employees. Since 2014, (“CGT”) free – this advantage is primarily driven by Government studies demonstrating that Employee Ownership increases company productivity, sustainability, local investment, and social mobility https://www.gov.uk/employee-ownership. There are now circa…
6.5 minute read The M&A market continues to go from strength to strength. Trade buyers need to make acquisitions to shift their business models and create scale and private capital is looking for the yields that smaller businesses can provide. Valuations are holding and if you are planning to sell your business, the following revisited…
5 minute read Quite often a ‘good’ company is perceived as being average. In the 1990s, well-known management books such as “Good to Great” and “In Search of Excellence”, further re-enforced this view. ‘Great’ or ‘excellent’ is the mantra and ‘good’ is not sufficient. This is a shame, as it can result in CEOs and…
6 min read With high fees, leveraged debt and now the takeover of cherished public companies, Private Equity firms (“PE”) may be viewed as the new imperialists, dominating every sphere of the corporate world. So how does this translate within the emerging mid-enterprise (EME) market – that is, businesses with an enterprise value of £3-£50m?…