Phil Fraser has been through the entire entrepreneur journey from soup to nuts. After a couple of false starts he had the winning idea, grew the business from scratch until it became a market leader over an 18 year period then sold it for an eight figure sum. 

A transaction that has given him the breathing room to help other entrepreneurs as a coach and mentor. Phil talks us through his failures and how they ultimately turned to massive success - with 18 years of hard work along the way.

An early adopter of the internet, Phil's story is a great case study on how to recognise opportunity and be prepared to pivot if things don't go to plan.  He talks about the struggle to raise finance for his first business when the market simply wasn't ready for it. 

He describes how he was able to boot strap the business with virtually no funding and the strategies he used to drive growth and reach profitability. The sale process was not straightforward so Phil talks us through what happened and how he ended up with that Holy Grail of business sale scenarios - multiple bidders. 

How did it feel the day after the money hit his bank account?  What investment decisions has he made since the? How did he cope with the transition from full time business owner to being an ex entrepreneur?

Like all my guests, Phil generously shares his top three nuggets of advice you’d offer to any entrepreneurs trying to build a business that will give them an eight figure exit. 

Find Phil on LinkedIn or learn more at  https://philfraser.co.uk/ 

For this episode of Grow My Business Or Sell It we’re travelling all the way to Richmond Virginia to meet Kelley Powell. She has huge experience in private equity and M&A, culminating in her current role as CEO of MacLaurin Group, providing technology support to both sides of private equity transactions - the buyers and the sellers. She’s also a very active angel investor, mentor and chairwoman for fast growing companies and is the author of the best selling book Courage To Lose Sight of Shore, - How To Partner With Private Equity To Grow Your Business With Confidence. When it was published last year the book was described by Entrepreneur Magazine as “ one of the 9 Must-Read Books to prepare Entrepreneurs for 2021”.

In this engaging interview Kelley talks about the lessons she learned about managing growth and change in business, including how to manage the process of partnering with private equity. She has a positive but realistic approach to change, suggesting the appointment of an 'Excitement Committee' to oversee the project but recognising that you are at some stage likely to enter the Valley of Despair when it feels easier to give up than keep pushing forward.

We discuss the key lessons from her book which you can obtain using this link: https://geni.us/couragetolosesight including the important concept of 'reverse due diligence' where you look at the profile and track record of the private equity company before deciding if you want them to acquire your life's work. It's rarely just about the money, it's about looking after your brand, your legacy and the team you've built. 

You can learn more about Kelley at https://kelleywpowell.com/ or contact her directly on kelley@kelleywpowell.com 

If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com

Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser?  Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets.

Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/   

Ammar Mirza CBE makes Richard Branson look like a timewaster. He’s been involved in establishing over 700 new businesses, as well as helping many existing ones.  He’s raised millions of pounds for a broad range of organisations alongside being an angel investor in fast growing companies. He sits at the epicentre of one of the largest and most influential networks across the North of England including being the chair of Asian Business Connections. He’s a serial multi award winning entrepreneur whose accolades include being a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, he’s been awarded the CBE for his services to business and been made honorary colonel of the 101st Northumbrian regiment of the Royal Artillery. 

• Ammar gives his advice on how to make the most of networking to build value driven relationships. 
• He talks about the challenges faced by the Asian business community and what other entrepreneurs can learn from them, including how they are 3 or 4 times more enterprising!
• We touch on what the new Prime Minister should do to help SME businesses including encouraging more start ups,  Over 50% would like to set up a business but only 35 go on to do so. There's also a lack of awareness by business owners of help that's available, like the £100m business support fund. 
• Ammar explains the difference between desirability, feasibility and viability. The latter is especially important in a world where companies garner multi billion valuations without making a penny in profit.  
• Many SMEs are not aware of how to make themselves 'investor ready' so Ammar talks about some of the steps you need to take to be attractive to a private equity organisation like the Beaufort Society.  There are many forms of investment from grants to equity to convertible loan notes that you need to become aware of. 
• Innovation, internationalisation and digital transformation all have a role to play in scaling your company - how does your current plan measure up against these factors?
• Ammar's focus is on scaling companies that are already growing at 20-30% per annum. He is working with the NHS on innovation pathways including life sciences, one of the fastest growing sectors globally.  
• Finally, Ammar shares some rules for success that he's learned from experience across hundreds of companies and decades of success   

If you would like to appear on Grown My Business Or Sell It, or would like Graham Rowan to appear on your podcast, please email Graham on graham@grahamrowan.com
 
 Looking to raise capital for your business or invest the sale proceeds in some outstanding opportunities that you won't hear about from your accountant or High Street financial adviser?  Take a look at the Beaufort Society, a private members club for high net worth investors around the world. With 1,000 members in 37 countries they raise millions in equity, bonds and loan notes for fast growing companies that meet their criteria and also provide access to private placements in the arbitrage markets. 
 
 Learn more at https://beaufortsociety.com/