I Told You It Was Viable

One of the funniest things I’ve witnessed in an owner-managed business (OMB) was the Managing Director being presented with an idea that had been worked up into a plan. All the hard work that went into it proved the plan should not go ahead. This was evident from the Excel spreadsheet that showed the proposed business would deliver a whopping loss.

This was rapidly fixed by the MD who just increased the sales line in the spreadsheet and then announced, “Look, I told you it was viable.”

The approval process became, “I’m right and you will confirm it.”

The history of not planning, shooting from the hip and gut intuition continued. How does the owner transition into something with a little more science?

Kevin Harrington Partner

Kevin Harrington is a Partner at Exit Factor UK, helping SME owners increase business value & build a rewarding, well-planned exit. Former CMO at BBC Worldwide.

See Full Bio

Marketing B2B Marketing Maximising Business Value Product Marketing