Whatever you’re going through with your business, and whatever stage you’re at, this book can help. Entrepreneur Nick Suckley has built four start-ups and managed three exits over the last 20 years, through good and bad economic times and all the ups and downs, the challenges and joys, of being your own boss. He’s distilled his many years’ experience – good and bad – into these 75 life-lessons for starting, growing and selling companies. Start. Scale. Sell.will help you navigate your journey as a business owner. Discover: · the importance of acting like an entrepreneur – even before you take the plunge; · the simple Golden Rule for maximising profits · why investing in yourself and your own learning is so crucial · how to hustle and when to pivot · the secrets to building a strong brand and much more. These bite-sized lessons offer accessible, no-nonsense advice for even the most time-poor entrepreneur. It’s a blueprint for business success from an author who has been there, done it and has several T-shirts to prove it. Nick Suckley is a successful serial entrepreneur with the battle scars to prove it. Now you can take advantage of the lessons he learnt the hard way.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Lessons on how to get started Lesson 1: The Founder’s Mindset. Treat yourself as self-employed even if you have a job. Lesson 2: It’s all about spotting the opportunity. Is there a market for what you are doing? Lesson 3: Don’t underestimate how long it will take. Use the time from idea to execution wisely. Lesson 4: Take time with your business plan. You won’t think of everything but it will help. Lesson 5: The Six-Month effect. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Lesson 6: Banks – beware Lesson 7: Look after your business by looking after yourself Lesson 8: How hard do I need to work? Have I earned my money today? Lesson 9: Push versus pull factors in getting started Lesson 10: Get real about where your sales will come from Lesson 11: Having little to lose in the early days means you can be ballsy. Don’t underestimate the power of offering an outside view. Lesson 12: Making money while you sleep Lesson 13: Raising external investment: beware the pitfalls Lesson 14: Company valuations: getting to your first £1 million – and beyond Part 2. Lessons for the growth phase Lesson 15: Sweat equity: you can only sell shares in your company once, so be smart about how much you trade, and for what Lesson 16: Just do it Lesson 17: Walk the walk #1: establish your company values Lesson 18: Walk the walk #2: decide what will you stand for Lesson 19: Get your shareholdings right and adjust them if need be. It will avoid more serious problems down the line. Lesson 20: Understand how you make money. Get your finances in order Lesson 21: Why productivity matters Lesson 22: Manage your cash as if your life depends on it Lesson 23: Why every company needs a war chest Lesson 24: Hustling for growth. Why you should ask for business...but you can’t hustle for ever Lesson 25: Don’t be afraid to pivot. Especially if it is better for your customers Lesson 26: It’s not all glory scaling a business. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves Lesson 27: How to build successful joint ventures Lesson 28: Growth phase: building a money-making machine SCALE Part 3: Lessons for Scaling Up: The Coming of Age phase Lesson 29: Perception is reality #1: how an office move can re-invigorate growth Lesson 30: Perception is reality #2: your brand is far more important than you realise Lesson 31: Do you really need a non-executive board? Or should you be looking elsewhere? Lesson 32: Everyone needs an elevator pitch. Here’s how to write one. Lesson 33: Insight can be an effective way to engage with potential customers Lesson 34: Get the right management information and use it to inform your decision making Lesson 35: How building a coaching culture can help you avoid problems before they become critical Lesson: 36: Red Team can help you make better decisions Lesson 37: Remove the temptation for fraud wherever you can Lesson 38: The resource trap: how to ensure you have the right resource in the right places. Lesson 39: Diversification: take care when launching or investing in other businesses Lesson 40: Pick your battles: when to let a legal challenge go Lesson 41: The downside of a successful JV Lesson 42: Building technology? Understand what you’re getting into, and the skills you’ll need Lesson 43: Opportunistic approaches versus a planned exit. When should you start thinking (seriously) about an exit? Part 4: Lessons for Scaling Up: Surviving tough times Lesson 44: Showtime Lesson 45: Be brutally realistic about how much business is on the horizon Lesson 46: Bite the bullet – sometimes redundancies are better than endless uncertainty Lesson 47: Never make a loss. It means you will never lose control Lesson 48: Use the Power of Three to maintain focus and direction Lesson 49: Every downturn is different. Sometimes you just need to sit it out Lesson 50: The Importance of investing in yourself. Why lifelong learning is important Lesson 51: Don’t agonise over rates of staff turnover. Employees are more mobile than ever and people are going to leave Lesson 52: Stronger marketing will bring more sales and help you survive a downturn. Lesson 53: How to identify and avoid poor performing sales people Lesson 54: Hire slow and fire fast Part 5: Lessons for Scaling Up: Building Scale for Sale Lesson 55: Your role as CEO Lesson 56: The importance of scale: getting to £1m profit Lesson 57: Why founder-shareholder alignment is critical Lesson 58: Boosting profitability: use the right tools Lesson 59: Ramping up marketing and sales: have clear product pitches and marketing messages - and use them Lesson 60: Build a high-performance team – and be ready to give them the autonomy they need to make a difference Lesson 61: Getting sale ready – plan ahead and give yourself 12 to 18 months. SELL Part 6: Lessons for Selling Up Lesson 62: Don’t allow a well meaning buyer distract you from the job you need to do post sale . Lesson 63: Timing and the economic cycle; the impact on deal structure Lesson 64: Don’t let your emotions get in the way of the right deal – focus on the bigger picture and don’t fixate on small details. Lesson 65: The right advisor can help you reach the widest audience of potential buyers. Beware doing it yourself. Lesson 66: Your Investor Memorandum is your shop window. Spend time getting it right; you can only sell your company once. Lesson 67: Meet as wide a range of suitors as you can. Demand can come from interesting places you hadn’t previously considered. Lesson 68: Think beyond the deal. Do not ignore the fact that you will be living with what comes after the transaction Lesson 69: Don’t be afraid to walk away from a bad deal – even if it is from an appealing buyer Lesson 70: Don’t be afraid to pause the whole process if need be. It’s emotionally tough but the right deal will come along eventually Lesson 71: Deal structures and securing a premium Lesson 72: The deal that is right for the company may not be right for all the individuals concerned Lesson 73: Anticipate due diligence – and prepare for it to be a full-time job when the time comes Lesson 74: Keep lawyers in their place. They can easily derail a deal Lesson 75: Think about what happens post-sale