In this episode of Making Your Business Less Dependent on You, Malcolm Palmer FCA explores one of the most talked-about but often misunderstood exit routes: the management buyout (MBO).
Malcolm breaks down the pros, cons, and tax angles in plain English, helping you decide if selling to your own team could be your best route to freedom.
You’ll learn:
Why an MBO might preserve your business’s legacy and client relationships
The biggest financial and emotional pitfalls to watch out for
How to structure a buyout using shares, an Employee Ownership Trust, or even a franchise-style arrangement
What to do if your team doesn’t yet have the capability (or funds) to take over
If you’re starting to think about stepping back or one day selling this episode is essential listening before you make your next move.
📘 Download the free book: Making Your Business Less Dependent on You
📞 Book a 1-2-1 with A4G: a4g-llp.co.uk/contact
In this episode of Making Your Business Less Dependent on You, Malcolm Palmer FCA explores one of the most important and often overlooked parts of building a business that works without you: defining what you actually want from it.
Drawing on lessons from Olympic gold medallists and decades of advising business owners, Malcolm shares why clarity on your outcome is what turns hard work into progress and how your goals will shape every system, hire, and decision that follows.
Whether your aim is more time, more profit, or eventually stepping away, this episode will help you decide what “success” really means for you.
Download Making Your Business Less Dependent on You for free at a4g-llp.co.uk/making-your-business-less-dependent-on-you
Or start your journey with a 1-2-1 at a4g-llp.co.uk/contact
Next episode: The big one - planning your exit.
In this first episode of the revival of Making Your Business Less Dependent on You, Malcolm Palmer - founder of A4G and author of Accidental Millionaires and Making Your Business Less Dependent on You - shares what it felt like to step back as managing partner of A4G after 30 years.
Malcolm talks openly about:
The moment he realised his firm could run without him
Why he didn’t sell to private equity (and what that decision means for his team)
The letter-with-no-form incident that started his obsession with systems
How The E-Myth Revisited changed the way he thought about business
And how his fictional Bright family came to represent real clients and lessons from decades of helping owners grow and let go
This isn’t just about Malcolm’s story. It’s about yours.Because every business owner eventually faces the same question: Can my business thrive without me?
If you’d like to:✅ Make your business less dependent on you✅ Build something that grows without constant firefighting✅ Or prepare for sale or succession on your own terms
Start by talking to us.A4G has been helping business owners achieve freedom, growth, and value for over 30 years.
Download Making Your Business Less Dependent on You for free at www.a4g-llp.co.uk/making-your-business-less-dependent-on-youOr book a call with Malcolm and the A4G team to talk about your own journey. Email enquiries@a4g-llp.co.uk, or click here
Next episode: Where to begin and why the starting point isn’t the same for everyone.
In this episode, Danny Hanlon, COO of Granite and Trend Transformations UK, reveals the inner workings of franchising and the invaluable lessons it holds for small businesses.
Gain insights into:
Key takeaway: Small businesses can glean invaluable insights from the franchise world, particularly in process documentation and standardisation
Why this episode is for you:
Keywords
franchising, home improvement, franchise model, franchisee characteristics, staff recruitment, operations manual, franchise support, decision-making, toxic employees, delegation, franchise world, management differences, documenting processes, small businesses
In order to make your business less dependent on you, you need to have a team around you that you can trust to delegate to and who will ensure the business continues to flourish. Do you have that? If you don't, this podcast episode is for you.
In this podcast episode, Malcolm speaks to Paul Mallinson, Partner at Backley Black, about finding the balance between performance and people in business.
Backley Black is run with Paul alongside Steve Backley and Roger Black (ex-Team GB Olympians who Malcolm wrote his book with!) and blends aspects of performance with sport and the aspects of performance with business. Prior to that Paul worked in a well-known pharmaceutical company running a sales team and training departments to perform best of their level.
If you want to make your business less dependent on you but aren't confident you can step away and the business not fall to pieces without you, you need to listen to this episode.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Continue the conversation…
Are you a Ronald or an Elton? This week you’ll learn exactly what we mean by Ronald and Elton and how a balance of the two will make your business less dependent on you.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Continue the conversation…
In this podcast episode, Malcolm Palmer interviews Andy Lopata. Andy is a true luminary in professional relationships and networking. With over 25 years of expertise under his belt, Andy is hailed as one of Europe's leading business networking strategists by the Financial Times and Forbes.com.
In this conversation, Andy shares invaluable insights on stress management, time optimisation, and the delicate balance between vulnerability and positivity in professional relationships. He doesn't just offer theories; he provides actionable advice gleaned from years of experience and success.
Key takeaways from their discussion:
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction and Background
03:00 - Managing Stress and Overwhelm
07:02 - Balancing Vulnerability and Positivity
09:35 - Time Management and Delegation
16:18 - Limitations on Business Growth
20:42 - Productivity and Deep Work
25:19 - Catastrophizing and Strategic Thinking
29:01 - Building Positive Relationships and Letting Go of Negative Ones
35:20 - Franchising and Lessons Learned
43:16 - Exit Strategy and Succession Planning
LINKS
A4G | Website | Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
Durban Offshoring | Website | Email
Andy Lopata | Website
In this podcast episode, Malcolm Palmer discusses the importance of making your business less dependent on you.
He introduces the five stages of the strategic planning process and emphasises the need to envision where you want your business to be in the future. He also highlights the challenge of finding employees who can perform tasks as effectively as you can. Malcolm encourages business owners to trust and delegate to others, and he provides tips on building a valuable team member.
Takeaways
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:47 Chapter 4: The Five Stages of Strategic Planning Process
03:12 Step 1: Where Do You Want to Be?
04:06 Step 2: Where Are You Now?
05:02Are You the Only Person Who Can Do This Task?
06:24 The Challenge of Finding Mini Versions of Ourselves
07:19 Reaching the Natural Ceiling of Your Management Style
11:56 Learning to Trust and Delegate
14:34 Finding the Right People to Help
15:18 Building a Valuable Team Member
LINKS
For this week's episode, we decided to begin with the end in mind (a reference to the book The Seven habits of highly effective people).
Malcolm interviewed someone who has done the whole journey - from start up to growing their business to being the best in their industry in the UK to selling it on.
That person is Richard Marshall.
In the episode, Richard shares his experiences and insights on how delegating and trusting others with responsibilities played a pivotal role in his journey from business growth to making the business less dependent on him.
Richard emphasises that as business owners, we cannot do everything. We have our limitations, and there are people who can fill those gaps.
Takeaways from this episode:
Let's continue the conversation
Email us to book a free 1-2-1 - enquiries@a4g-llp.co.uk
Find out more about how we can help make your business less dependent on you
Read more about our sponsor, Durban Offshoring and how they can help you make your business less dependent on you
Summary
In the first episode of the series, Malcolm Palmer starts by sharing his story of how he got to where he is. Him, in a little office in Dartford, where things kept going wrong.
Malcolm discusses the importance of making your business less dependent on you sharing personal experiences and insights from his clients over the years.
The conversation explores the concept of the doughnut and the different mental states business owners experience. It highlights the challenges of being on the edge of the ‘doughnut’ and the impact on profitability and personal wellbeing.
The episode concludes with actions to help you to start the journey towards business independence.
Takeaways
Timestamps
00:00 - Making Your Business Less Dependent on You
04:35 - Life on the doughnut
11:04 - Being on the doughnut
13:43 - The Paradox of Stress and Profitability
18:10 - Chapter 4: Rationalizing Stress and Finding Solutions
22:36 - Identifying Unfulfilled Talent
23:50 - Taking the Journey to Business Independence
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