Testimonials

"I work with Alan when I’m faced with difficult decisions and the stakes are high. I prize his insight, coaching and mentoring very highly; he is direct, scrupulous, sees the big picture and all the detail. Alan fights my corner and challenges me hard to think differently — as an entrepreneur, that's my top combination! He also meets me (conceptually) at a place that leaves me energised, not overwhelmed."

"I needed help with development of funding plans and projections. Working with Alan enabled us to successfully raise the funds required. He also guided me on who and where we should go for the funding, and how we should approach it politically. Alan is an unusual combination of being both analytical and creative. He has a holistic and distinct approach. Alan is very good! He's a solid chap, funny and listens."

"Engaging you as our M&A advisor was pivotal to selling our business to a great company for a sizeable initial consideration and a short earnout period. The game-changer was how you showed us the best way to develop our pitch deck though insisted we do the work. This way we understood it, believed it, and so we confidently presented our business to the Board of our target buyer, and they used the deck to sell the acquisition to investors. It worked!"

"Our business had organisational issues and I needed help in sorting them out. As soon as Alan became involved, he quickly gained valuable insight into the business and identified the key issues immediately. In his own controlled and considered way, he was unafraid to have uncomfortable but necessary conversations. Not only has he helped my business, but also my own personal business development since I first started working with him. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Alan. I trust his opinion and value him greatly."

"I was faced with a range of issues in my business when I was recommended to Alan. He helped me analyse them and turn them into opportunities. In addition, Alan helped us grow a new revenue stream by 600%. He is a first-class business coach / advisor / consultant (all three are different), and he steps between them with ease. Alan's a genuinely great guy and an invaluable sounding board."

"One of our biggest issues was how to grow our business. Alan has been instrumental helping us do that. My clients are typically successful business owners working towards exiting their business. Alan knows when to encourage them to push through, and when they need to do things differently. Having owned and sold businesses himself, he has been 'in their shoes' and has the perfect credentials and experience to help my clients along their journey."

"We didn't have a clear strategy for our business when we engaged Alan. He helped us create strategy papers for three key areas of our business. He was a rock of support, offering his expert guidance and assistance throughout each step of the process. Over time, as the papers took shape, he helped us knit the whole project together to achieve the most effective outcome for our business. He's made a huge positive impact on our business."

"When we started with Alan, we were struggling to grow the business; we were focussing on the operational stuff. He changed the way we look at the world. He has helped us see things differently from the outside in, and evaluate our internal environment with a fresh perspective, so we’ve been able to restructure effectively. Through his business coaching, Alan helps people to understand their own businesses better than they could before, and he has helped transform ours."

"Alan changed the way we look at the world. He has helped us see things differently from the outside in, and evaluate our internal environment with a fresh perspective, so we’ve been able to restructure effectively. Through his business coaching, Alan helps people to understand their own businesses better than they could before, and he has helped transform ours. I'm at least 50% more effective as a result."

"When we met Alan, our business was growing fast. It was exciting and scary in equal measure. As young entrepreneurs, my partner Theo and I knew what we wanted to achieve, but we weren’t sure how to get there. Alan highlighted the gaps in our knowledge, and helped us focus in on our skills with a lot of care. He has played a key role in helping us build out the foundations for the growth and development of our business, and we are very grateful to have him as our mentor."

"I’d been running my business for 25 years and it was time to sell. Alan started by conducting a RealityCheck®, which was very valuable. Then we worked with him for two years to get the business ready. He not only identified a hidden asset in the business, but he helped us sell it for more than we ever imagined. He has helped us to understand the value of our business and its added value to our clients, as well as the financial value. I’m so grateful to him for what he’s done for us."

"Before working with Alan, I led the business on my own, which was hard. But over the many years I’ve worked with Alan, he has helped us through our whole business cycle. He has an innate ability to distil things down to the key points. Ultimately Alan has brought clarity and purpose to my business at a time when it's been undergoing extensive transformation. Also, he's been instrumental in helping me negotiate a number of key deals that have been very lucrative."

“How did we attract a buyer for our niche business run by two retirement-seeking Directors? We gave you a call a year ago, followed your advice and sold to our target company in 11 months. Every aspect of our business sale exceeded my expectations. It has a great new home, and we achieved an excellent value with a short earn out, completed within our timescale. This is all down to your M&A experience, process and coaching, and your motivation to make it happen for us.”

"Alan was recommended to me by an industry contact, who described Alan as the best investment he’d ever made…it’s easy to see why. Company culture is top of my priorities, we wanted to check that our culture, vision and brand image aligned. Working with Alan enabled us to take a deep dive and ask the questions every company should ask themselves. I have to agree, the best investment I’ve ever made, thanks!"

"Before joining Alan’s Business of Business Programme® I wasn’t as confident with how to run my business as I needed. It was amazing and the content was great. He gave me the confidence to understand what my business is, how to structure it and how to be more goal driven; starting with a clear vision and going from there. I learned a lot about the basics of running a business, and it was an eye opener to understand that everyone involved with your business is part of your team."

"Advice to secure a significant joint venture was not the reason I contacted Alan, yet, with his mentoring, I made it happen within 3-4 months. Much quicker than any prior growth projects. Alan's approach engaged and motivated our JV partner as it matched their culture. Just as Alan said it would. It established a rapport that respected the commercial needs of both sides yet retained our control of brand and pricing strategy, and immediately generated new business through this crucial profit centre."

"When Alan started working with us, we were facing a tumultuous period in our business development. He guided us through it, while helping us build a strong strategy for the future. He worked with us on our purpose and values, vision and direction, functionality and capacity, as well as teaching us many valuable ways of selling, facilitating meetings and managing people. He is supportive, encouraging, knowledgeable, patient, committed and generous with his time and energy. He’s a pleasure to work with."