The Myth of the Sunset: Why Most Founders Never Actually Leave the Harbour
We have all seen the cliché image of “The Exit.” The silver haired founder, champagne in hand, sailing off into a golden sunset. It is the reward we tell ourselves we are working for. I took this photo over the weekend because it seemed to capture that dream perfectly. It looks peaceful, aspirational, and ready […]
The Messy Reality of Succession: Why Your Family Business Doesn’t Fit the Textbook
When I speak to Essex business owners about their exit, they often feel like they are failing a test. They look at the standard academic models of succession and wonder why their reality feels so chaotic in comparison. Usually, they have been shown the famous “Three Circles Model.” If you look at this image, you […]
Could you look your best employee in the eye after you sell?
I recently sat down with Chris Daems on the What Happens Next podcast to discuss the reality of selling a business. We talked about the elephant in the room: why so many successful founders put off planning until it’s too late. You can listen to the full podcast here. The “It Won’t Happen to Me” […]
Essential Guide to UK SME Business Succession – FAQ
Don’t Wait to Plan: The Essential Guide to UK Business Succession (FAQ) Many UK business founders are thinking about selling their company sooner than they expected. It’s a huge, emotional decision. Technical advisors (like your accountant and solicitor, IFAs) are brilliant at the “how to”, the legal steps and tax but they often can’t […]
Escape the Success Trap? – The founder’s Paradox
You’ve dedicated your life to building something successful. As an SME founder, your drive, self-reliance, and intense need for control were the exact traits that powered your growth for decades. But here is the irony, we call it the “Founder’s Paradox”: the traits that guaranteed your success now stand as the biggest obstacle to your […]
10 Succession Tips for SME Founders
When you built your business, you weren’t thinking about “how to sell it someday” but your decisions today shape your future options. The following 10 tips help you build a business you can run well now and pass on gracefully when the day comes. Each comes with a reason to start early (for your own […]
The £2.5 Billion Lesson: Who Are You Without the Business?
The £2.5 Billion Lesson: Who Are You Without the Business? Rupert Murdoch recently “won” his court case to secure his chosen successor, but the victory came at a catastrophic cost: a fractured family and a settlement valued at approximately £2.5 billion. For the Essex business owner, the headlines offer a critical warning. The destruction of […]
The “This City Is Mine” Trap: Why Holding On Too Tight Destroys What You Built
Category: Founder Psychology / Succession Planning Read Time: 4 Minutes You’ve likely seen the drama unfold in series like This City is Mine. The “top dog” fights tooth and nail to hold onto their territory. They operate with a single, driving mindset: “I built this. This is mine. I am the only one who can […]
Control the Uncontrollable: How to Structure Your Business Against the “5 Ds”
You are an expert at running your business daily. You have processes for sales, operations, and finance. But for many founders, the long term future feels like walking through a minefield blindfolded. When we feel overwhelmed by the complexity of succession, we often freeze. We call this Process Paralysis. The antidote to paralysis isn’t “guessing.” […]
What Downton Abbey Can Teach Us About Leaving Well (And Protecting Your Team)
If you’ve ever watched Downton Abbey, you know it is a treasure trove of insights that extend well beyond its dazzling period drama façade. But for a business owner, the central struggle of the Crawley family hits a little differently. Lord Grantham didn’t just view the estate as an asset to be sold to the […]