EOT stands for Employee Ownership Trust and was introduced by the UK Government in 2014 along with a package of incentives aimed at making it an attractive option for shareholder exit, as well as for employees. Although it was introduced almost 10 years ago now, that still makes it relatively new in terms of available options for shareholders looking to exit their business. In addition, they are becoming an increasingly popular option… Employee Ownership Association Chief Executive, James de le Vingne says; “Just as electric cars are the next generation of transport… EO can and will be a next ..read more

A whole sub-industry has grown up around corporate transactions. Sometimes this preparation activity is called ‘grooming’ for sale. I went through a phase in my life where I thought that all such activity was irrelevant. This prejudice was fed by the numerous horror stories I came across. I recall a client in Cheshire telling me about spending £250,000 on grooming his business. It turned out that none of the potential purchasers his accountants identified cared about any of the changes they had themselves initiated! This provides me today with my first key point. “Do not make changes to the bu ..read more

I was sitting one day recently, musing – as you do – on what a corporate transaction means to the owner of a SME. To most it means a relief from the ‘daily treadmill. To all it means a sudden influx of money. To all it means changes in how they spend their time and measure their priorities. In a very real sense, the business no longer – ever – comes first. It may remain important to an individual who has stayed on post-transaction. But it will never again be an all-consuming passion – or an all-consuming problem! Selling your company NEVER makes you a different person, although it may well ma ..read more

Entrepreneurs Hub Team recently celebrated a decade of working business owners help business owners achieve their goals and aspirations and realise the value of their life’s work. I have recently joined the Entrepreneurs Hub and decided to interview our founders Malcolm Murray and Andrew Shepperd to gain their insights on the last decade of Entrepreneurs Hubs journey and what are their plans for the next 10 years. 1. Where did it start? Malcolm: Andrew and I met one evening to discuss our personal futures at a local Indian restaurant – and by the time we got to the chicken tikka masala we ag ..read more

This month we share a ‘virtual coffee’ with Senior Deal Leader, Mike, who has worked in the sector for many years. We find out a little about his background, what he most enjoys about his career in Corporate Finance, and how he likes to take his coffee! What was your background prior to joining Entrepreneur’s Hub? I’ve been in the Corporate Finance industry for approximately 15 years now, having previously worked in another M&A firm. I used to work with Malcolm, so when I was aware there was an opportunity to join EH and work with him again, I decided to go forward with that. What do yo ..read more

Our ongoing association with the St. Michael’s Hospice gave us the opportunity to take part in their Charity Golf Day. We would like to congratulate the hospice team who hosted a great day and raised some more much needed funds for the hospice. This event also gave our own Team – Malcolm Murray and Tim Allaston – a chance to meet their former clients Darrel Jones, ex owner of Elite Fire Protection Services and Paul Garry, ex owner of Fire Action, who both sold their business through Entrepreneurs Hub. Tim described the event like this: “it was a great day. It is always great to meet up for a g ..read more

The team recently had the chance to interact with one of UK’s leading female entrepreneurs, Jo Fairly, and to gain a deeper insight into her journey – during which she built and sold ‘Green and Blacks’, a leading British chocolate company to Cadburys – and the challenges she faced as an entrepreneur. The Chalkhill Blue team did a great job organising and hosting the evening, which Entrepreneurs Hub co-sponsored with Thrings Solicitors. We had recently worked with Thrings on the successful sale of Optimal Industrial Automation and Technologies Ltd to the USA-based Bruker Corporation. Several ke ..read more

Entrepreneurs Hub are delighted to announce the sale of Ground Engineering Ltd, a long-established and highly specialist provider of ground engineering services. The company specialises in the provision of site investigation services and geotechnical testing, providing a strong addition to the Geo-Environmental team at Delta Simons. About Ground Engineering Ltd Ground Engineering is the successor to Soils Engineering, which was originally Pre-Piling Surveys Ltd, founded in 1936, highlighting the level of experience and reputation that Ground Engineering has in the marketplace. They offer geo-t ..read more

VitalHub have acquired 100% of the equity capital of Hicom Technology Limited, a world leader in diabetes healthcare management and hospital information systems. Hicom have become a trusted technology partner for many Healthcare organisations, providing innovative secure solutions that allow healthcare professionals to deliver exceptional patient care. VitalHub is a growing, ambitious multi-country healthcare technology business that is building an ever more comprehensive solution set to support numerous requirements across healthcare environments. Vital Hub already serve technology needs in a ..read more

Entrepreneurs Hub are pleased to announce that Ian Williams Ltd of Chipping Sodbury has acquired all the shares in Rochdale-based E.R. Williams (Painting Contractors) Ltd. About E.R. Williams (Painting Contractors Ltd) and Ian Williams Everyone asks whether these two companies have family connections. They do not. The similarity is entirely coincidental! Founded in 1970, E.R. Williams Ltd is a specialist commercial painting and decorating company that provides services to a wide range of sectors including social housing, residential property management, education (schools and universities), in ..read more