The Game of Happy Companies

You're just starting out with a new idea for a product or service. You're aware of the fact that 70% of all new companies in the UK fail within the first 12 months and you don't want to be one of them. You're short of cash but would rather start slowly than borrow money with all the implications involved. You can't afford to pay for advice at this stage.

You've run a company before or have held a senior position in a large organisation and want to get your new company up and running quickly. You need a good business plan and maybe some introductions to sources of finance. You may also need help with setting up other aspects of your business.

You had a great idea and perhaps with a colleague or two, quit your old job and formed a company to exploit it. A year or two later, where are you? Well, you're still here, which is an achievement in itself. But you are short of cash; you are gradually realising that you need other expertise and sales are not as high as you had hoped for.

The company is now several years old. The original vision has faded and although you're working all the hours in the day, all the hard earned cash just seems to vanish. You're not happy; your family's not happy with the hours you work and all you seem to do all day is waste time on red tape. There must be a better way of earning a living.

You don't need any help. You're coasting along and the company's doing just fine. You've got a product that everyone wants and nobody else makes. Cash is flowing nicely thank you. But for how long? Competition does not sit still. Unless you continually strive to keep ahead, your market will disappear. This can happen overnight.

You set the company up several years ago, perhaps with a couple of colleagues. You had a vision when you started, but the company hasn't grown as you had hoped. You're drifting - the excitement has gone; the incentive is lacking. You're profitable, but you know it can't last. You know something has to be done, but what?

You've built the company up from scratch - its a family business with various roles now handled by your children. Lately, you've been thinking about retirement. You need to gradually relinquish control, but this is not easy, when you're not sure that your children have the necessary experience to take over completely.

You have obviously used our services in the past! The allure of work is dropping and it's warm in Spain! You could of course just go, but it's better to plan ahead and sell the company for what it is really worth. You might not want to let go completely - that's fine. There are many options and we'll go through them to help you decide.