Episode 56 - Paul Collins - Equiteq

Today's episode is one I recorded just under two months ago and it’s amazing how much the world has changed in that time. For some of you listening, today’s episode could possibly be the most valuable episode of Climb In Consulting that I’ve ever recorded. And while the topics we discuss may not be top of your list right now, the principles and advice that today’s guest shares will certainly help you when we start to emerge from the current crisis. So who is today’s guest and what makes this such a valuable episode? In today’s episode I speak to Paul Collins, Founder and Chairman of Equiteq, the leading M&A Advisory firm for the consulting sector. Over the last 16 years Equiteq have helped over 100 consulting entrepreneurs successfully sell their businesses. Guiding them on what they need to do to set themselves up for sale and then helping them navigate the often-challenging sales process. Paul's journey in to the world of Consulting M&A started with his own experience when he sold his Consulting business WCI to private equity for $100 million dollars in 2002. He saw first hand how little support there was available to consulting firms in the current M&A market and decided to launch Equiteq to help fill that gap. In today’s conversation we go deep into the world of M&A and dig in to everything you need to know if you’re growing a consulting business with the view to sell it at some point in the future. Even if you’re not building a firm to sell, much of the advice Paul shares is equally applicable for you and will help you build a stronger foundation from which to grow your business. To give you an idea of what’s to come, some of the topics we discuss include: - What determines the valuation of a consulting business and how small adjustments to your business can have a huge impact on the ultimate valuation you receive. - What you need to do to set your firm up for success from the outset and the key functions that you need to establish in your business if you’re looking to sell it at some point in the future. - And Paul’s candid advice, from his own experience, on how to balance growing your business with maintaining a happy and healthy personal life. In an industry as broad and diverse as consulting there’s very few people who are known ‘industry wide’, people whose reputation precedes them and are known by firms big and small. Paul is one of those people.  You can find out more about Paul on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pecollins/  You can find out more about Equiteq at https://www.equiteq.com/home/