Advisory firm launched to help SMEs

Two leading consulting firms have partnered to form Bannister Ventures, a new M&A advisory firm dedicated to helping SME business owners maximise the value of their businesses.

With years of experience working with organisations from start-ups to FTSE 250 businesses, driving investment and M&A activities, the founders of Bannister Ventures saw a need for more accessible and effective support for business owners looking to grow and exit their businesses.

Named after Roger Bannister (pictured), who famously broke the four-minute mile, Bannister Ventures takes inspiration from his approach to success.

Like Bannister, the firm focuses on setting clear goals, reverse-engineering the steps needed to achieve them, continuously benchmarking progress, and collaborating with coaches and pacesetters to achieve success.

David Thomson, co-founder of Bannister Ventures said: “As with Bannister 's sub-4-minute mile, achieving your goal relies on details, mindset and execution of your plan. Bannister felt so good on the first lap that he could have run faster but knew he would pay for it at the end, so he stuck to the planned pacing and hit his goal perfectly.

“In the same way, it 's easy for management teams to get carried away and depart from their plan, potentially overstretching their resources. But, have a clear vision of what you 're trying to achieve, get the details right, and you can position your business for a premium-value exit. ”

Bannister Ventures utilises several unique tools and resources, including benchmarking data for more than 60,000 SMEs across eight value drivers, to help business owners build value, improve the health of their businesses, and develop a plan for a potential exit.

Jonathan Watt, co-founder of Bannister Ventures said: "After working with SMEs for more than 25 years, we have seen first-hand the challenges that business owners face in realising the full potential of their businesses.

“We founded Bannister Ventures to provide effective, tailored support to SMEs looking to maximise and realise the value of their businesses. We believe every business owner deserves the opportunity to achieve their goals and create a lasting legacy."

As part of their launch, Bannister Ventures is offering members of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce access to their value builder assessment tool, which provides a competitive valuation of a business's value drivers and identifies areas for improvement.

Access the value builder tool here.