Unlocking Value
Unlocking Value is designed to give founders and owners of professional services firms more confidence when they're working toward an exit or thinking about taking on investment.
Across six episodes, our host John Howard speaks with founders, investors and advisors about the moments that define the transaction journey - how to get ready, what to expect and how to succeed.
We cover everything from value drivers and team alignment to investor expectations and life after the deal. You’ll hear from people who’ve sold their firms, taken minority investments, stayed on, exited and started again – and from those who advise or invest in firms like yours every day.
Unlocking Value
Latest Episodes
Episode 37: Richard Longstreet – The Hiring Data Doesn’t Match the Headlines
John's guest this episode is Richard Longstreet, the founder of Tarka Talent – a specialist recruitment firm working with consulting businesses across the UK and the US. Tarka places experienced hires across the consulting market and produces a...
Episode 36: Stephen Johnson – Hard-Won Lessons from 17 Years of Growth, Setbacks and Leadership
In this episode, John is joined by Stephen Johnson, founder and CEO of Roq, a consultancy focused on helping organisations deliver large-scale technology change.Stephen founded Roq in 2009 and has since grown the business into a 120-pers...
Episode 35: Duncan Ramsay – Inside the investor mindset: Building scalable consulting firms
In this episode, John is joined by Duncan Ramsay, a Partner in the commercial team at ECI Partners, where he works closely with management teams to help scale and grow businesses across the portfolio. Before moving into private equity, Duncan s...
Episode 34: Jenny Burns – The Accidental CEO: The Leadership Path She Never Planned
In this episode, John is joined by Jenny Burns, CEO of Magnetic, an innovation consultancy that helps organisations solve complex problems and create new products, services and experiences at pace. Jenny’s career spans more than 25 years across...
Episode 33: Andrew Laird – Where values lead, growth follows: Rethinking how consultancies scale
In this episode, John is joined by Andrew Laird, Chief Executive of Mutual Ventures, a specialist consultancy focused on public service reform and local transformation.Andrew co-founded Mutual Ventures over 15 years ago with a clear but ...
