As the owner you can be the most valuable asset in the business. Manufacturing companies focus on equipment, inventory, capacity, and productivity. All are very important to success, however what is often overlooked is that a key asset is the systemisation and transferability of the owner’s knowledge, relationships, decision-making, and leadership. Most manufacturing businesses have two production systems: The visible system Equipment ERP systems Production schedules Inventory The invisible...

Mike Warmington is a director at Platform 1, a Newmarket-based specialist firm that has spent 15 years helping founders exit their businesses differently — maximising value, protecting what they have built, and transitioning gradually into the next stage of life beyond the grind of a 40+ hour week. This is what Mike says: Optionality Is Built Early, Not When You’re Ready to Exit. This something that some owners only realise too late... Your best options exist before urgency shows up. Before:...

Due Diligence Traditionally, in the context of buying and selling a business, due diligence is the deep investigative process undertaken by a purchaser before the deal is completed. This is where the buyer starts lifting floorboards. They review employment agreements, supplier contracts, customer concentration, leases, compliance issues, intellectual property, tax positions, and operational systems. They scrutinise the financial statements in forensic detail — often with accountants and...