Article Source: Forbes Today, businesses operate in markets that are increasingly complex. Consumer preferences are dynamic and traditional business models are frequently challenged by disruptors. Internally, technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), present promising opportunities to transform every corner of the business, from sales and marketing to human resources. Faced with this changing landscape, many … More Five Engineering Secrets Any Leader Can Apply To Grow Their Business

Topics in this section: On Raising Finance  On Management Buyouts On Banks and Cash On the Balance Sheet On Financial Control On Human Resources On Marketing On Mission and Values On International Expansion On Board Structure On Pension Building On Preparing for a Sale On Negotiating the Sale On Post-sale Integration On Family and Business … More LESSONS LEARNT FROM STARTING, GROWING AND SELLING A SUCCESSFUL ENGINEERING BUSINESS

The opportunity to create our first business came through a ‘Management Buyout’ which I will talk more about in the next section. It may well be said that this is an easier option than trying to raise cash for starting up a business from scratch. The deal at the time was a relative small one, … More ON RAISING FINANCE

When the realisation dawns  that you have the opportunity to stage a management buyout, the first reaction of the team is likely to be euphoria, quickly followed by fear and panic. So… what should you do next? Take a deep breath, get your attitude adjusted (if necessary!) and get organised quickly. The longer negotiations go … More ON MANAGEMENT BUYOUTS

A lot has been spoken in previous sections about business goals and finance. Running your own business does not feel like an ordinary job. You are driven by a passion and desire to succeed. It requires unshakeable belief in yourself and the ability to get up time and time again when you are knocked down. … More ON FAMILY AND BUSINESS

It would be very unusual for the owner manager to be allowed to walk away from the company before the ink was dry on the sale and purchase agreement. The chances are that you and your team would be required to remain with the company for a certain period of time after the sale and … More ON POST ACQUISITION INTEGRATION

A lot has been said in previous sections about making a company ready for a sale.  Assuming you have done your preparation correctly and you have a buyer or preferable several buyers with whom you are talking to seriously about the sale of the company, here are just some of the things that you should … More ON NEGOTIATING THE SALE

The likelihood is that unless you are running a ‘life style’ company, the objective of yourself and any corporate backers will be the ultimate sale of the company. If you have been reading some to the previous sections of the document, you will have seen that everything you do is ultimately leading up to that … More ON PREPARING FOR A SALE

I would not attempt for legal and technical reasons to go into the maze of legislation and options related to pensions and pension planning.  This is a job for the specialists and I would urge extreme caution before considering any of the issues below. The SSAS (Small Self-Administered Scheme) is a piece of pension legislation … More ON PENSION BUILDING

No matter how small a company it is important to have a very clear distinction between the different roles and responsibilities of the various groups involved in a company i.e. shareholders directors and the management team. Even though there will be instances where the same people will have responsibilities in each group, if there is … More ON BOARD STRUCTURE