by John F Kettley | Aug 17, 2026 | Exit Strategy, Leadership, SMEs
One of the questions I’ve been asked more than any other over the years is, “What do you think my business is worth?” It’s usually followed by a conversation about turnover and how great their sales opportunity pipeline is (Next year will be our best year ever). They...
by John F Kettley | Aug 12, 2026 | Exit Strategy, Leadership, SMEs
Business owners often ask me what they should be doing if they want to sell their business in the next couple of years. It’s a sensible question, but I don’t think it’s the right place to start.The businesses that achieve the strongest outcomes are very rarely...
by John F Kettley | Jul 6, 2026 | Leadership, SMEs
When I look at a business, I usually start with the owner. Not because the numbers don’t matter. They do. But the numbers are often the result of decisions that started much earlier. They show the effect. The owner usually shows the cause. How someone talks about...
by John F Kettley | Apr 6, 2026 | Leadership, SMEs
Culture isn’t posters. It’s the founder’s behaviour under pressure. If you really want to see a company’s culture, ‘don’t’ read the values slide, instead, watch what happens when something goes wrong. Culture isn’t posters. It’s behaviour under pressure. It’s how the...
by John F Kettley | Mar 4, 2026 | Exit Strategy
OWNER DEPENDENCEY IS THE BIGGEST HIDDEN VALUE HAIRCUT If the business can’t run without the founder, it isn’t really a business in the eyes of a buyer. It’s a job, with payroll and liabilities attached. This is one of the biggest gaps between how owners see value and...
