In this episode of Business Made Smarter, Doug D’Aubrey is joined by ETC business consultant Chris Jepson to explore how decades of experience in business ownership, mergers and acquisitions, and consultancy can help small businesses achieve sustainable growth. Chris shares his fascinating career journey, from negotiating international business acquisitions and working with major organisations such as Daimler-Benz to running his own successful printing business and eventually becoming a business adviser.
Key Takeaways
Finding Your Niche and Developing a Strong USP: Chris explains how he transformed a traditional printing business by embracing digital technology and identifying an opportunity in online document printing. By offering a six-hour delivery service anywhere in the UK, he created a compelling USP that helped his relatively small business attract major clients, including McDonald’s, Vision Express and HSBC.
Embracing Change and New Technology: Chris shares how the printing industry changed dramatically with the introduction of digital equipment and the internet. Rather than resisting these developments, he recognised how technology could reduce costs, improve efficiency and allow smaller businesses to compete with much larger organisations.
The Importance of Planning Your Business Exit: Having negotiated numerous mergers and acquisitions and sold his own business, Chris explains why business owners should seek experienced advice when preparing to sell, transfer ownership or step away. Understanding the process, identifying potential challenges and developing a clear exit strategy can help owners avoid costly mistakes.
Supporting Small Businesses Through Council Partnerships: Chris discusses how ETC’s relationship with local authorities began with Dudley Council and expanded into areas including Sandwell, South Staffordshire, Stafford and Telford. Through funded workshops and business development programmes, ETC has helped entrepreneurs and established businesses access practical training and support that might otherwise be unavailable.
The Success of Strive for Success: Chris highlights ETC’s work with South Staffordshire Council on the Strive for Success programme, which helps business owners develop strategies, improve performance and plan for growth. The programme became part of an award-winning partnership between the public and private sectors, receiving a Gold award for its positive impact on local businesses.
Key Moments
“The internet made it easy for me to compete with companies which are 10, 20 times bigger than myself.”
“We said that we could deliver anywhere in the UK within six hours and nobody else would do that. So that was our USP.”
“The grant hasn’t been the thing we’ve been after. We’ve been after the training.”
“It’s not ticking a box… What we’re really doing is actually helping businesses to grow.”
About the host
Doug D’Aubrey, founder and Managing Director of Executive Training and Consultancy (ETC), leverages extensive senior management experience to help businesses across the UK and Europe. With tailored consultancy packages ranging from short-term projects to 3-year growth programs, Doug aids companies in improving operations and achieving results. Doug’s success lies in his honest communication with leaders, identifying strategies to enhance management skills and optimise service delivery for measurable outcomes.
Take advantage of a FREE 2-hour Business Review with ETC’s expert consultants to identify goals, tackle challenges, and create a clear plan for growth. Visit https://exec-tc.com/ to book your review.
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