My working life started in my family’s bakery, Pilkington’s of Stockport, a business that taught me early on what it really takes to keep customers coming back and a team pulling together.
From there I moved into sales, first at AB Dick, where I became the top salesman in the UK and Europe.
Then as National Sales Manager at Riso UK, before setting up Midshire Business Systems in my home town in 1997. Over 20 years I built Midshire from a standing start to £35m turnover, before selling the business to Sharp in 2017.
That experience, on both sides of the table is what led me to found Exit by Design.
I now work with owner-managed businesses across Stockport and Greater Manchester to help them prepare for a future sale: getting the valuation, the numbers, the team and the owner’s own role in shape long before any buyer conversation begins.
What I’ve found, time and again, is that the business you build to be ready to sell is almost always a nicer business to run in the meantime, whether or not you ever actually sell it.
That’s really the heart of what I do:
helping owners build a business worth selling, so they end up owning a business worth having.
Just some of the areas I can help you with… Exit planning · Business valuation · Buyer targeting and M&A process · Sales leadership and coaching · Building owner independence
