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.
Episodes
18 episodes
Episode 18: Olly Purnell – The Anti-Exit Strategy: Building a Consultancy Designed for Long-Term Independence
In a sector where scaling often leads to external investment or an eventual sale, what does it look like to build a consultancy that grows, stays independent and develops a long-term ownership model for its people?
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1:01:40
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Episode 17: Pekka Metsaranta – No Co-Founders, No Roadmap, No Illusions
In this episode of The Unlocking Value Podcast, John Howard speaks with Pekka Metsaranta, founder and CEO of Sisua Ltd, a consultancy known for stepping in to help clients succeed with ...
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47:54
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Episode 16: Laura Morrill – Game, Set, Growth: An Investor’s View on Resilience, Partnership and Long-term Value
If you’re leading a professional services firm and want to grow without losing what makes it yours, this episode brings clarity to one of the biggest decisions you’ll face: whether to take on investment and how to do it without comprom...
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50:06
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Episode 15: Tom Burnet – Building With Intent: Lessons on Focus, Client Service and the Courage to Make Tough Decisions
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Tom Burnet, an experienced chair, former public company chief executive and long-time leader across technology, services and people-centred organisations.Tom’s caree...
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Episode 15
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41:16
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Episode 14: Rhys Hefford - Build, Scale, Exit, Repeat: A Serial Founder’s Playbook
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Rhys Hefford, a serial founder who has built, scaled and sold multiple professional services businesses over the past fifteen years.Rhys has launched six fi...
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46:51
Episode 13: Marcus Eden-Ellis - The Bid Expert Who’s Turned Selling Into a Science
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Marcus Eden-Ellis, the founder and chief executive of Bid Perfect, a specialist consultancy that helps organisations compete, persuade, and win.Marcus spent...
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57:20
Episode 12: Adam Craker - Leading in one of the toughest markets ever and the subtle art of GESHIDO
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Adam Craker, Chief Executive of iqbusiness, one of South Africa’s leading consulting and digital integration firms.Adam has led iqbusiness for more than 15 ...
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53:46
Episode 11: Jon Grant - Achieving Premium Valuations in Tech Services M&A
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, we welcome Jon Grant, Tech M&A Director at Clearwater, one of Europe’s leading corporate finance firms. Jon is one of the UK’s most experienced advisors on technology and consultin...
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Episode 11
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41:52
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Episode 10: Andy Strictland - Demystifying Private Equity
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Andy Strickland, Partner at Palatine Private Equity.Andy has spent more than a decade backing ambitious Professional Services founders and management teams, often at...
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Episode 10
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53:35
Episode 9: Richard Jones - The Paradox of Difference: How to Make Senior Hires a Success
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with leadership coach and former consultancy partner Richard Jones about one of the hardest things to get right in professional services: senior leadership transitions....
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51:53
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Episode 8: Craig Herd - Marketing Only Matters If It Goes Somewhere
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Craig Herd, founder of Consultancy Growth. Craig shares his journey from door-to-door sales at 19, to becoming National Sales Director with a team of 55, to wor...
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51:15
Episode 7: Justin Langford - Watermelon KPIs, Moneyball Thinking and Scaling without External Investment
In this episode, John Howard speaks with Justin Langford, co-founder and CEO of Coeo. Over nearly two decades, Justin has grown the business from a two-person start-up into a consultancy trusted by some of the UK’s largest organisations....
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54:18
Episode 6: After the Deal: What No One Tells You
In the final episode of this series, we talk to a panel of experienced consultancy leaders and advisors about what really happens after a deal is done – and what no one tells you in advance.The conversation explores the emotional, cultur...
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Episode 6
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58:27
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Episode 5: Getting Ready: What to Do Before You Press Go
In this episode, we focus on what it really means to be ready for a deal – not just in theory, but in practice.Host John Howard is joined by two seasoned founders and a corporate finance advisor to explore what it really means to be read...
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Episode 5
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1:03:40
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Episode 4: What Buyers Look For – and What Spooks Them
In this episode, we look at how investors and advisors assess a business – and what can spook them.We’re joined by an investor, a corporate lawyer and a corporate finance advisor to talk about what builds confidence during a transaction ...
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Episode 4
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53:26
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Episode 3: What Makes a Business Valuable?
In this episode, we ask a deceptively simple question: what actually makes a business valuable?Host John Howard is joined by a founder, an investor and an advisor to explore what really drives high valuations in professional services. Th...
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Episode 3
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57:27
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Episode 2: Are We Really Aligned?
In this episode, we explore one of the biggest hidden success factors in any deal: alignment between shareholders.We’re joined by four founders who’ve lived through the challenge of keeping ambitions, personalities and timelines aligned ...
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Episode 2
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58:22
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Episode 1: Should We Even Consider a Deal?
In this opening episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, we go right back to the first big question founders face: should we even do a deal? Host John Howard is joined by four guests with direct experience of weighing up whether to sell, take on...
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Episode 1
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56:16
