This is a common question, but we see the following 2 key differences:

1. Private Equity fund are usually run by bankers or accountants and not entrepreneurs. They are great at running the numbers, but not so much at getting their hands dirty running the business day-to-day.

2. Private Equity associates work for their investors and not for you. They rarely use their own money and use both debt financing and investor money (limited partners) to deliver 30x returns. This encourages greater risk taking whether it be in over leveraging through debt financing or chasing non-sustainable returns.

Headmark Advisory is different because we are the opposite of this. We are run by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. We are independent advisors and invest our own money and/or sweat equity to we can generate win-win scenarios for all. We only advise debt financing where there is a strong business case for it and when there is no other option. At the end of the day we may decide together to exit to a Private Equity fund, however we remain on your side throughout the process.

Oggin is a good fit for entrepreneurs and businesses with revenue £1-2 million revenue, profitable and have a 1-3 year horizon to prepare for a successful exit.

We have enjoyed success working with companies up to $200 million revenue across a wide variety of sectors from technology to e-commerce and hospitality in Europe, UK and Australia. However, we have the most experience (and enjoy the most too) working with businesses under £5-10 million revenue where the owners are very hands on and we can deliver outcomes quickly and without the political lethargy most large companies experience.

Although we have worked with early stage start-ups before, we are not a good fit for them when backed by VC's with complex structures and very little revenue or systems in place.

At the end of the day, we are just passionate about getting our hands dirty with like-minded entrepreneurs who are humble, hard-working and open to new ideas to bring about change for the better.

If you're not sure, drop us a line here or Book a Call to find out more. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

Our team has built SME's and start-ups and have the wounds to show for it. We have also been the consultants or worked in big corporate so we know how they can be. We take the best of all world's and apply our no bullshit approach to working with you.

From the outset, we are on your side and keen to get as much skin in the game as we can so any deal becomes a win-win for both parties.

Depending on the scope of the deal, the people you will interact with will either be in the trenches with you every day or be experts coming in to deliver a specific outcome. At the end of the day, we are in this together.

Practically, this means a first phase of our collaboration is where we create the right plan to achieve your desired outcomes. We then focus on getting better results ASAP - usually through bringing in new sales, or solving cash-flow pains. Once done, we are in a position to reinvest and achieve annual and quarterly objectives. We communicate as regularly as needed.

Want to know more? Drop us a line here or Book a Call. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

This is the crux of it.

For the business - we aim to deliver 2-5x revenues in 12-36 months whilst increasing your cash flow and profitability. We do this by focusing on tangible initiatives impacting the 5 core areas of the business: finance, sales, operations, people and technology.

For you: Our goal is to help you make the shift from manager to owner/investor helping you to empower your teams and step away from the day-to-day so you can focus on the bigger picture.

This is no 'out-of-the-box' solution for this as we tailor each response to align with your goals. Having said that though, some challenges businesses face are similar and therefore we're able to leverage lessons learnt so we don't make mistakes again.

For example:

Some companies have plateaued and need a reinvigoration of ideas to get things moving in the right direction (think new sales, marketing or operations approaches) whereas other companies need experts to help them modernise their digital infrastructure so they can compete in new markets.

Other times we work with companies who are scaling up their business and need help fund raising or growing organically (win new clients, expand existing) or inorganically (buying other businesses). This could involve finding and hiring new talent or helping them overcome short-term cash flow issues to allow them to invest.

Not sure where to start? Check out our Exit Readiness Assessment to get an idea where you might start looking. Otherwise, Book a Call to speak to one of our specialists.

Yes and no.

Our approach and strategies are designed to maximise the value of your business over a 12-36 months time frame to give you the best chance to exit. Therefore our preference is to work with entrepreneurs who are looking to exit over that time frame, but we know things can change.

We would still be open to discussing your objectives if an exit is on the horizon and you haven't yet decided how or when. So don't be put off or intimidated to start a conversation. We have had many situations where we start a conversation, the timing isn't quite right, and then we pick it up again another time.

Want to know more? Drop us a line here or Book a Call. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

Before day one...

Prior to agreeing on any deal, we spend some time to get to know each other. We start with learning about you, your goals, current finances, and where you think focus areas of the business might be. We then come up with a non-binding Heads of Agreement (what we call a 'framework for success') which is essentially a high-level 'mission objective' that allows us to agree at a high-level as to what success might look like.

Stage 1 - Set the vision

This is the most frantic period together where we get our hands dirty getting to know the team and the business in a little more detail. Within this first stage we co-develop a high-level tailored growth and exit strategy together focusing on initiatives that actually create value.

At the end of this initial period you can take what we have developed together for a small fee or we roll it over into the implementation as partners for a successful exit.

Stage 2 - Implementation

Working hand-in-hand, we start building your in-house capabilities, grow through inorganic/organic strategies and sustain the results month on month. When the time is right we will ensure there is the right level of inbound and outbound activity to find the right buyer.

Want to know more? Drop us a line here or Book a Call. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

Our aim is to give you the tools to be able to do that yourself so you can see how our co-developed strategies will impact the valuation over the time we work together. At the end of the day, your business is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

There is no hard and fast rule for valuation, however the most common approach is based on: a) net profit, b) a multiple, and c) the net assets.

Net Profit (EBIT) x multiple + net assets.

Another way to look at it is how long will the buyer take to make back their initial investment and start making a return. For tech businesses, the recent net profit might be very low but the cost of the net assets (ie. the tech) might be the main driver because that software might have the potential for much great future earnings.

Not all of our clients are tech businesses, for the average SME, most sell for a 1-3x multiple of net profit. The multiples vary by industry. On average in the UK, only 20% of businesses sell and of them less than 30% of their value is paid out as cash on day one.

If you want to have a deeper discussion on this, drop us a line here or Book a Call. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

Yes. Cash is king and one of the most common challenges businesses face. We will look at this during our first meeting and explore some of the strategies that we can put in place together to overcome quickly to focus on building value.

If the fundamentals are there and cash is your concern, drop us a line here or Book a Call. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

We are unable to guarantee returns as results will vary from business to business as there are always risks - both within our control and external.

We are conservative by nature and aim to deliver 2-5x revenues in 12-36 months whilst increasing your cash flow and profitability to give you a valuable and salable asset. We do this by focusing on tangible initiatives impacting the 5 core areas of the business: finance, sales, operations, people and technology.

The value of SME and start-up equity can go up as well as down and involve the risk of loss. Past performance will not necessarily be repeated in the future. You should not agree to any terms unless they are suitable for you.

If you want to have a deeper discussion on this, drop us a line here or Book a Call. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

The time taken to grow the business to a stage when it is the most optimal to sell vary's and depends on the current state of your business. It could take as a little as 6 months to get it ready to sell, but usually a time frame of 12-36 months is reasonable.

Once a buyer has indicated their intent to acquire the business, the process to finalise the deal could be as little as one week but it usually takes a few months depending on deal complexity. Just to set expectations, most deals involve less than 30% cash on day one and usually require an 'earn out' period whereby you continue to work in the business with your final payment has to be 'earned' by achieving targets set by the buyer.

For example, one business we worked with was sold for $30m. The three founders received $10m in cash on day one, At the end of year one they would get an additional $10m if they hit targets with pro-rata payment if they didn't. Then finally at the end of year three they were allowed to leave the business and take their final $10m if they hit the targets (or pro-rata amount).

If you want to have a deeper discussion on this, drop us a line here or Book a Call. It's free and there is no obligation to do anything.

Awesome. We would love to explore opportunities together either as a buyer for a client we are working with or as an partner helping to grow a specific business to an exit. Get in touch here with your proposal.