Startups and Small Businesses

The programme

We start by establishing where you have real strengths and where support is needed. From that we agree a set of realistic goals and a set of stretch targets we will expect you to strive for. We are explicit about what reaching them will require, whether that is advice, finance or introductions.

We then meet regularly, by phone or face to face, and watch progress closely. The aim is to help the company succeed. We will not shy away from highlighting where we think you are falling short and suggesting ways to make up the ground — but most of the time we are simply touching the rudder and building on the skills you already have.

You remain in charge of your own company throughout. As you succeed, we take more and more of a back seat.

The sort of company we work with

We look for companies with potential. The business proposition has to be strong: a product must be innovative with a real market, and a service must be genuinely differentiated. Typically you are small — often fewer than ten people — and already trading, though we will consider exceptions.

Above all, the people must be committed to growth. You need to know your market as well as your product, understand who the decision makers are and how to persuade them. If you have a strong technical idea but no route to market, find a salesperson and then push the idea forward together.

Preparation and planning

Initially, you will be running to achieve a positive cash-flow that allows you to take drawings. If you wish to expand you will need a business plan that covers the essentials: the proposition, the vision, an appraisal of the market and of the ompetition, the marketing and sales plan, the finances, future developments and the key staff. If it shows a need to raise money, it must explain how you arrived at the amount and exactly where it will be spent — and you should expect to be asked what you would cut if the money were constrained, and what that wouldcost you.

The point is not the document. It is to show, to others and to yourself, that you have thought through the future of the business and how you will take a share of the market. If you feel ill-equipped to produce it, we can help; there is a charge for that work, and we will tell you honestly what we think of the plan that results.

Ongoing support

Where the relationship warrants it, one of our associates takes a non-executive seat — as mentor, consultant, guide, advisor and, where it helps, introducer. The fee is geared to what the company can bear. Our associates must add value, and you will be encouraged to be critical of their contribution, positively or negatively, just as they will be asked about the company.

When things go wrong

Difficult periods are when openness matters most. The task is to find the root cause — competition, poor marketing, an unstable product, or simply an organisation that has outgrown the way it is being run. Often the situation is temporary and decisive action as a team produces results. Occasionally it is not, and then the job is to achieve the best available outcome for everyone with an interest in the company. We will be straight with you either way.