How a £9m UK Prof Services Business Reignited Growth; Achieved a 9x Exit
- Jan 20
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 4
A high growth startup with an amazingly talented team rapidly reached £9m turnover… then saw revenues stagnate and new business stall – it hadn’t won a pitch in nine months.
Within six months, revenues were up 50% and grew by 80% within eighteen months; the CEO was able to succession out of the business and lay the basis for its future trade sale at a premium to the sector.
The Challenge
Despite strong finances and a cohesive leadership team, the business had plateaued: turnover had stabilised at £9m for three years, and attempts to diversify were undercut by competing priorities. Without continued rapid growth, the lure of a future pay day for the executive team on a sale was starting to fade and talent was eyeing the door.
It was a still a great business, offering best in class advice, but the market wasn’t clear on how it differentiated from the larger incumbents and the kind of emerging new startup that they had once been. Morale was low; the magic had vanished. A sense of drift was setting in.
The Approach
Strategic Clarity: We focused on addressing sales. We aligned the (re)positioning of the brand as a serious challenger, not a wild card startup, broadening out the profile of the leadership team away from the focus on one or two key individuals, and training all sales related personnel in differentiating sales presentation skills. No more reading out PowerPoints…
Leadership Structure: Rebalanced accountability, moving away from management by big committees with the effect of clarifying roles around growth priorities. We split out Back office, revenue generating and strategic conversations and activities.
Cultural Leverage: We helped the team build a ‘bottom up’ cultural management system. There was no shortage of purpose led activities in the business – but these weren’t codified and linked to the employee journey.
Owner Outcome Focus: Defined the long-term wealth and legacy objectives underpinning the growth plan; driving the build of repeatable systems and the development of off balance sheet assets – improving the multiple and increasing the value of the business.
The Results
Revenue: £9m → £14m within 6 months, £18m within 18 months.
Team: Critical talent retained. New Group MD hired, enabling succession.
Outcome: Successful trade exit at 9x EBITDA multiple.
Key Takeaways for Business Owners
Growth can stall even in well-run firms — often due to structural, not talent, issues.
Objective, external validation helps leadership teams reframe choices.
Clear alignment between owner goals and business strategy accelerates results.
If your business growth has plateaued, Westcliff Strategic can help you rediscover its next stage of value creation.
Westcliff Strategic partners with SME leadership teams to unlock enterprise value and prepare owner-driven exits
Head to www.westcliff.co or email rcameron@westcliff.co to start the conversation
Comments