Recognise capability
Look beyond titles and CVs to identify the judgement, resilience and influence already present in the team.
For corporate finance advisers
Making businesses more sellable
Help founders build a leadership team that gives buyers confidence the business can perform after the founder steps back.
A strong sale process needs more than good numbers. Buyers also examine who makes decisions, where knowledge sits and how dependent performance is on the founder. Matt works with founders and senior teams to surface capability, develop independence and prepare the people side of the business before due diligence.
Back the team
Give capable people meaningful responsibility, support and room to demonstrate that the business can operate without every decision returning to the founder.
Build evidence
Create time for the senior team to show independent decision-making and commercial ownership before a buyer tests it.
Where Matt fits
Matt complements the transaction advice. He focuses on the founder and leadership team: the decisions they still centralise, the overlooked people who could step up, and the habits that need to change for the business to become less founder-dependent.
This work is best started well before a planned transaction. A typical adviser-led introduction would begin 12 to 36 months before an intended sale, giving the team time to develop and demonstrate its capability.
Questions from advisers
Which clients should an adviser introduce to Matt?
A useful introduction is a founder-led or owner-managed business with strong commercial potential but too much decision-making, customer knowledge or leadership responsibility still concentrated around the founder. The work is most valuable when there is enough time for the senior team to develop and demonstrate independence before a sale.
How does leadership affect the value of a business at sale?
Buyers price the leadership team as part of the risk. If a business depends heavily on its founder, buyers may reduce their offer or slow the deal. A capable senior team that runs the business independently gives buyers confidence after completion.
How far ahead of a sale should the work begin?
Ideally, preparation begins 12 to 36 months before going to market. A focused mentoring engagement may run for six to eighteen months, but starting earlier gives the team more time to demonstrate independent capability in the numbers and in the room.
What evidence of leadership independence will a buyer see?
The aim is a senior team that can explain the plan, own commercial decisions and show how performance continues without every issue returning to the founder. That evidence is built through real responsibility and a track record over time, not a presentation prepared just before due diligence.
How does this work alongside our existing adviser relationship?
Despite having the experience of selling his own businesses, Matt is not an M&A expert and always works alongside the chosen adviser. Matt works with the owner and senior team on leadership and leaves the financial and legal work to you and your other advisers.