Mike Introna - Market Consolidation and Ways Businesses Can Ready Themselves for an Acquisition
Return to Media
Background
An owner looking to enter the next phase of his established street food business located in Borough Market, London engaged with Tinderbox to explore the growth options and determined the best route is to franchise the business. Having conducted the initial Analysis Tinderbox will be conducting a feasibility study for a franchise model in 2023 and upon a successful outcome will develop the franchise model for the client and support its implementation.
Background
A unique business that has built success using an international virtual team to develop high quality content for educational purposes, especially in the field of English language education. The company has built a solid track record but was severely impacted upon by the global Covid pandemic and was experiencing margin erosion, late delivery and cash flow problems on its projects.
The Analysis conducted by Tinderbox identified a lack of common Vision and Strategy and deviations from the core culture that had made the business a success. Recommendations have been made to move the business forward by creating one team with a common purpose.
Background
A customer with a turnover of £4,000,000 with sales plateauing, even declining, and margins being eroded following the achievement of solid growth over a number of years. Following our introduction by a Relationship Manager Tinderbox undertook a period of Analysis including front line sales visits with salespeople. The Analysis was presented in the form of a report and an action plan recommended the requirement for new sales standards and an improvement in the professionalism and selling skills from Agents along with the need to define clear sales policies and procedures and the Sales Director requiring some management training and development.
The Sales Director, highly motivated by the support from Tinderbox, significantly changed the sales approach and recruited a new Agent team. Sales increased by c18% in the first year and margin by 4 percentage points as a result of the better practice and new team.
Owner/Director Testimonial
“We have had consultants in here before but all they did was tell us what our problems were and gave us a pre prepared formula that, frankly, disappointed. Tinderbox are the only ones to get to the real issues and provide a personalised solution and offer to help do it.”
Background
This client has built up an attractive and successful business creating exceptional environments for prestigious commercial clients and earned a reputation for quality. Their business has grown successfully in recent years and makes a good profit. The business is now at a critical stage where considered strategic decisions need to be taken to ensure continued success and avoid stagnation.
The goal is to deliver revenue growth while maintaining the current profit levels, while further building their reputation for quality. Challenges identified during the Analysis include alleviating capacity constraints, maintaining quality, enhancing efficiency, capturing growth opportunities, and ensuring they have the right structure, skills and processes for growth.
Tinderbox has helped the owners to clarify and align on an appropriate strategy to double annual revenues to £5m within 5 years and is currently supporting them to implement a number of associated initiatives including the development of best practice business processes, building an improved, sustainable organisational effectiveness and capability and establishing an enhanced leadership and communications framework.
Owner/Director Testimonial
“Hans and Phil, thank you for coming yesterday and running through your observations and proposals for improving Pearl as a business.
We have found you both very professional and knowledgeable. Your experience in business is there in abundance for anyone that sat with you to see. The whole team have said that they felt that their opinions were valued and counted towards what was being pulled together into your report, with your friendly and informative approach it made you very easy to talk to.
We are very much looking forward to implementing the changes to the business; how it all turns out and to seeing the effect on the team and the business.”
Background
Tinderbox have been retained by this customer to undertake an Analysis of the business and its team with a view to developing a growth strategy to take the owners to exit in the years ahead. Start date January 2023.
Background
A £7.5m customer providing mail order catalogue gifts predominantly for the less mobile older generation with owners highly active in the business well past retirement age and no exit strategy in position. An MBO was being considered. They had been introduced to a corporate finance firm and the owner was looking for management consultancy support to assist through the process and evaluate the readiness of the organisation for transition.
An Analysis period was undertaken to obtain a 360 view of the company and its business. The feedback provided was to progress with a sale of the business to long serving employees along with a coaching and development period for the new management team. The outcome, under recommendation from the corporate finance team, was the establishment of an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT). Tinderbox provided leadership development and coaching for MD designate, assisted with the organisation and leadership team development and attended meetings with corporate finance and legal firms to be able to support the owners through this process. Owners sold 100% of shares to EOT, concluded in April 2022.
Background
The company specializes in high quality machined components, bespoke to customer requirements. The business offers a unique problem-solving capability to help resolve customer’s business problems, utilising the latest CAD techniques and a range of state-of-the-art CNC machines. The owner is forward thinking and recognises the potential for growth but also the need for reorganisation and redevelopment to best position the company for growth in the post Covid-19 economy.
Opportunities for process (lean manufacturing) and sales improvement uncovered during the Analysis phase were developed in the subsequent Implementation Phase.
Owner/Director Testimonial
“Having been introduced to Tinderbox by my Relationship Manager, and the 3 months that we have been working with them so far, there is no doubt that Tinderbox possess the experience, ability and credibility to identify and tackle a number of business issues we have.”
Background
An innovative early stage business looking to attract investment to achieve significant growth, Tinderbox met the owner at an event in London and followed up with an initial meeting at the client’s business premises. Tinderbox supported the owner in the development of the business plan and Series A pitch deck which has resulted in a circa £500k investment being raised.
Background
The company specializes in high quality machined components, bespoke to customer requirements. The business offers a unique problem-solving capability to help resolve customer’s business problems, utilising the latest CAD techniques and a range of state-of-the-art CNC machines. The owner is forward thinking and recognises the potential for growth but also the need for reorganisation and redevelopment to best position the company for growth in the post Covid-19 economy.
Opportunities for process (lean manufacturing) and sales improvement uncovered during the Analysis phase were developed in the subsequent Implementation Phase.
Owner/Director Testimonial
“Having been introduced to Tinderbox by my Relationship Manager at HSBC, and the 3 months that we have been working with them so far, there is no doubt that Tinderbox possess the experience, ability and credibility to identify and tackle a number of business issues we have.”
Background
A £7.5m HSBC customer providing mail order catalogue gifts predominantly for the less mobile older generation with owners highly active in the business well past retirement age and no exit strategy in position. An MBO was being considered. HSBC had introduced the owners to a corporate finance firm and the owner was looking for management consultancy support to assist through the process and evaluate the readiness of the organisation for transition.
An Analysis period was undertaken to obtain a 360 view of the company and its business. The feedback provided was to progress with a sale of the business to long serving employees along with a coaching and development period for the new management team. The outcome, under recommendation from the corporate finance team, was the establishment of an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT). Tinderbox provided leadership development and coaching for MD designate, assisted with the organisation and leadership team development and attended meetings with corporate finance and legal firms to be able to support the owners through this process. Owners sold 100% of shares to EOT, concluded in April 2022.
Background
This client has built up an attractive and successful business creating exceptional environments for prestigious commercial clients and earned a reputation for quality. Their business has grown successfully in recent years and makes a good profit. The business is now at a critical stage where considered strategic decisions need to be taken to ensure continued success and avoid stagnation.
The goal is to deliver revenue growth while maintaining the current profit levels, while further building their reputation for quality. Challenges identified during the Analysis include alleviating capacity constraints, maintaining quality, enhancing efficiency, capturing growth opportunities, and ensuring they have the right structure, skills and processes for growth.
Tinderbox has helped the owners to clarify and align on an appropriate strategy to double annual revenues to £5m within 5 years and is currently supporting them to implement a number of associated initiatives including the development of best practice business processes, building an improved, sustainable organisational effectiveness and capability and establishing an enhanced leadership and communications framework.
Owner/Director Testimonial
“Hans and Phil, thank you for coming yesterday and running through your observations and proposals for improving Pearl as a business.
We have found you both very professional and knowledgeable. Your experience in business is there in abundance for anyone that sat with you to see. The whole team have said that they felt that their opinions were valued and counted towards what was being pulled together into your report, with your friendly and informative approach it made you very easy to talk to.
We are very much looking forward to implementing the changes to the business; how it all turns out and to seeing the effect on the team and the business.”
Background
An HSBC customer with a turnover of £4,000,000 with sales plateauing, even declining, and margins being eroded following the achievement of solid growth over a number of years. Following our introduction by a HSBC Relationship Manager Tinderbox undertook a period of Analysis including front line sales visits with salespeople. The Analysis was presented in the form of a report and an action plan recommended the requirement for new sales standards and an improvement in the professionalism and selling skills from Agents along with the need to define clear sales policies and procedures and the Sales Director requiring some management training and development.
The Sales Director, highly motivated by the support from Tinderbox, significantly changed the sales approach and recruited a new Agent team. Sales increased by c18% in the first year and margin by 4 percentage points as a result of the better practice and new team.
Owner/Director Testimonial
“We have had consultants in here before but all they did was tell us what our problems were and gave us a pre prepared formula that, frankly, disappointed. Tinderbox are the only ones to get to the real issues and provide a personalised solution and offer to help do it.”
Background
A unique business that has built success using an international virtual team to develop high quality content for educational purposes, especially in the field of English language education. The company has built a solid track record but was severely impacted upon by the global Covid pandemic and was experiencing margin erosion, late delivery and cash flow problems on its projects.
The Analysis conducted by Tinderbox identified a lack of common Vision and Strategy and deviations from the core culture that had made the business a success. Recommendations have been made to move the business forward by creating one team with a common purpose.
Background
An owner looking to enter the next phase of his established street food business located in Borough Market, London engaged with Tinderbox to explore the growth options and determined the best route is to franchise the business. Having conducted the initial Analysis Tinderbox will be conducting a feasibility study for a franchise model in 2023 and upon a successful outcome will develop the franchise model for the client and support its implementation.
Background
Tinderbox have been retained by this HSBC customer to undertake an Analysis of the business and its team with a view to developing a growth strategy to take the owners to exit in the years ahead. Start date January 2023.
Background
An innovative early stage business looking to attract investment to achieve significant growth, Tinderbox met the owner at a HSBC event in London and followed up with an initial meeting at the client’s business premises. Tinderbox supported the owner in the development of the business plan and Series A pitch deck which has resulted in a circa £500k investment being raised.
