Graham Edden

Fishwings Investments LLC

Managing Shareholder

T.M. West Plumbing & Heating Service LTD

118 year old Yorkshire plumbing business acquisition, gearing up for growth along the M62 corridor

Owner / Director

Brewis Engineering Ltd

A 40 year old business which revolutionionized the HDD and Trenchless construction world with its products. A Global distribution. The Rolls Royce of HDD swivels and towing heads

Owner / Managing Director

AA Waste Solutions

24 year old Hazardous Waste business acquisition. Servicing UK blue chip organisations, SME's the NHS and more with safe , environmentally friendly waste disposals with recycling at its heart.

JCT4 AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED

JCT4 Automotive - a forward thinking start up business, providing consumers with a variety of affordable finance options to mobility, in an industry (vehicle sales) which is often marred by a lack of transparency.  From concept to reality in year 1 delivered c.£1.25M in sales to clients with growing reciprocal and repeat business. Customer focus is paramount

Responsible:
Branding & Marketing strategy
Commercial agreements 
Site selection & development
Social media strategy
Process, policy & procedure (Heavily FCA regulated) 
Procurement and Supply Chain
Asset Finance 
Procurement of assets/vehicles

Managing Partner

Globaleye

Strategic & Holistic approach to offshore Financial planning including Growth, Investment and Protection of client assets

Private Wealth Manager

Enterprise Holdings

Commercial Manager

Northgate Plc

Strategic Leader & part of UK Leadership team responsible for delivering sustained profitable growth. Excellent customer service, delivered with an engaged and motivated team of 250+ internal colleagues, plus outsource support.  Responsible for c.£50M of revenue across 16 sites, via multiple chanels, with a fleet of 8000 assets operating at 90%+ utilisation. Strong emphasis on personal development in region with multiple internal promotions YTD and clear succession planned

Regional Director

Avis Budget Group EMEA

Key member in European PEx team tasked with delivering strategic process improvement and Lean Principles in the EMEA region. Progressive role from the previous UK role.  Successfully completed projects being rolled out across the EU countries sharing best practice. Truly cross functional role in different countries, cultures and team dynamics

Performance Excellence Manager - EMEA

A prominent member of a UK project team tasked with coaching Lean principles to operations teams. Facilitating business change via lean methodology improving service delivery, reducing down time with associated costs, whilst driving revenue through sales. Coach and mentor across management teams in Lean service

Regional Change Manager- UK

Operational leadership of strategic location with double digit revenues (£M) being delivered by a management team of 4, plus front line colleagues. Represented the UK business on EMEA project  - Differentiation through Customer Service. Airport team recognised and awarded for customer service excellence, plus individual recognition as an ambassador for project. Regional support location for the Northwest Region. Strong succession and development plans resulted with multiple internal promotions

Senior Operations Manager - Manchester Airport

Helphire

Senior Branch Manager - Haydock NW Area

Fleet Operations Analyst

Experienced business leader across multiple business sectors, skilled in growing businesses via acquisition, organic growth and turnaround situations.  Strong in financial analysis and commercially numerate. 

A massive fan of Continuous Improvement and a Lean Practitioner. You can never unsee these things.

Key business sectors actively acquiring are Waste Management, Renewables heat and plumbing, Engineering/Construction. Turnaround opportunities considered

A confident leader who is passionate about acheiving results through collaboration and teamwork.

20 years business and leadership experience in domestic and international markets with PLC's and SME's, both corporate and entrepreneurial organisations

Enthusiastic about helping others on their journey and coaching SME’s.

Looking to build collaborative relationships with Business owners and leaders, Investors, Financial experts and fellow go getters globally 

If any of this is you – lets connect and hit the tab.

Think Acquisition Ltd

I help business owners realise their business value by taking it to market and handling the process for them. Our ultimate goal is to help our clients sell their business whilst assisting in transferring it over to a credible trusted buyer.

With our well-connected team of professional services, we can assist in every step of the way, making the entire process as smooth as possible.

We have managed over 100 property investment & and business transactions giving us a real understanding of what components make or break deals. Think Acquisition is equipped with the experience to guide you through the process.

Director

Stay Sourcing

Created my role, after utilising my network connections to allow my continued growth in real estate and business, with the intention of setting up my own team & business.

Sourcing a range of properties, from Buy-to-Let, R2R, commercial to residential conversions and new build property sites.

This role required me to be a strong networker, connecting both buyers & sellers to opportunities. 

While assisting along the process using my extensive connections in the professional services industry.

The company went into liquidation which was the perfect starting point for me to go full time into my business Think Acquisition.

Property Investment Specialist

Mayfair Town and Country

Expanding on my passion for the real estate market and took on a part-time role in an estate & letting agency alongside my studies.

Responsibilities include organising and conducting property inspections for the entire branch's portfolio, conducting check in's & check out's, answering enquiries, organising repairs and ensuring all rental properties have a satisfactory EICR in line with the 1st of April legislation.

I also built systems using Excel to improve the previous processes, created a starters guide for any new employees doing similar roles, I  also implemented Lean tools to reduce non-value-added time.

Property Investment Manager

University of the West of England

Grade: Graduated with 1st Class BEng

Activities and societies: Engineering Without Borders, UWE Ultimate Frisbee, Student Representative, UWE Future Awards Achiever

Maintaining a consistently high grade to hold a position on the Dean's list. Whilst maintaining multiple part-time paid jobs.

Placement Year: 1 Year as a project management engineer at General Electric Aviation

Aerospace Engineering Degree

Purple Sage Kitchen

I was responsible for the brand design, website creation, social media management and content creation of this start-up business which is still operating.

Alongside this, I assisted with business decisions, growth strategies, product testing and even legal issues when we were wrongly accused of theft of intellectual property.

Marketing Manager

Aerial Cinematics

Founded a media company specialising in aerial cinematography. Developed a wide range of skills including; Digital marketing, Editing with Photoshop, Lightroom & Premiere Pro, Door 2 Door sales, negotiation and many more. I also qualified as a UAV pilot with a PfCO. 

I worked with various companies to produce creative content to assist in advertising their products and services. However, ended the company to focus on university and other endeavours.

Founder

GE Aviation

Responsible for managing a team of 20 skilled operators whilst ensuring production runs smooth. Solving daily problems, whilst also working towards process improvements in the long term. All with the goal to increase safety and quality on-site. Additionally, developing proficient communication skills, teamwork, and leadership. As well as handling tens of thousands of pounds worth of projects. For example, saving the company £50,000 annually with minimal financial input.

Manufacturing/Project Management Engineer

I specialise in assisting business owners in the property services sector with selling their businesses. Leveraging our extensive network across the UK, we have the ability to connect you with serious buyers who are genuinely interested in your business.

We've built partnerships with industry-leading experts in business sales and acquisitions, ensuring we offer a service that's not only cost-effective but also of the highest quality. 

With a degree in aeronautical engineering, I bring a highly analytical and detail-oriented mindset to the table. Additionally, my previous successful venture, Think Big Property (now Think Acquisition), has allowed me to develop exceptional skills in sales, marketing and Deal Making.

During my time at Think Big Property, we successfully facilitated over 125 investments for our clients. These investments ranged from buy-to-let properties, holiday lets, and long-term lease agreements to commercial properties and beyond.

As an avid networker, I have actively engaged in multiple communities within the property industry, establishing myself as an authoritative figure. As our network expanded, discussions around acquisitions became increasingly frequent.

Through personalised mentorship, coaching and formal education, I now assist high-net-worth investors and trade buyers in expanding their business portfolios through strategic acquisitions.

Our Unique Selling Point rests in our specialisation as business brokers, focusing exclusively on property-related service-based businesses. This targeted approach allows us to attract a majority of trade buyers who place a higher value on businesses within this niche compared to typical investment buyers.

Leon Gorman

A £3.2m deal that was not to be.

On behalf of one of our buy-side clients, searching to expand their estate and lettings group, we identified, contacted and introduced this seller.

Initial discussion went well.

So well, we managed to agree on a deal that worked for both parties.

A couple of months into the due diligence process, the solicitors did their job and identified previously undiscovered risks.

While each risk was mitigable, the number of red flags continued to mount.

Our buyer was a problem solver and continued to push through each new red flag.

However, after one too many risks, the original offer had to be restructured.

And unfortunately, the deal no longer worked for the seller.

Both parties decided to part ways, eat the sunk legal costs, and continue as before, with the intention of keeping in touch and possibly re-engaging once the risks had been resolved.

A very real-world example of the pain of doing deals.

5 figures of due diligence costs, many hours lost, and many lessons learned for both parties.

Hopefully, this deal will come back to life when the time is right... as we missed out on a rather nice success fee on this one.

But when we see a deal that is likely to cause more damage and pain than it's worth, we'll be sure to put the client's best interests first.

Fortunately, we've completed multiple other deals with this client and remain their outsourced acquisition search and support provider.

If you're interested in all things business sales and acquisitions within the property management and property services sector, keep an eye out for future posts, as that's 90% of what I post about.

Director at Think Acquisition | Specialising in Buy-Side & Sell-Side Property Management M&A

Business buyers and brokers. Avoid using the word 'Deal' when talking with sellers.

Yes, you may be a 'deal maker'.

And there's no problem classifying your acquisitions as deals to your network.

But for the seller, this is not a deal.

- It's a life-changing decision
- The largest liquidity event of their lives
- Highly emotional decision

And the last thing they want to hear is that the buyer thinks it's a deal.

Unfortunately, in layman’s terms, the word ‘deal’ can sometimes be interpreted as suggesting something is valued less than it could be.

Others may disagree, however, the word deal should be removed in discussions with sellers.

I'd go as far to say, that even using the word deal in their favour - 'You're getting a great deal here' could raise concerns.

Buyers and brokers, what are your thoughts on the use of the word 'deal'?

Picture from our recent charity hike in Peru. 
Libby Jervis

2 Years after initial contact, the deal completed. A lesson on playing the long game.

Sell-side serviced accommodation deal.

We reached out cold.

Lucky enough to gain a response and a subsequent call to discuss an indicative valuation.

The seller knew they were not in the market to sell now, but wanted a better understanding of exit multiples, so they could plan accordingly.

After a detailed valuation and insights into the sales process, we left it there with 'Long-term follow-ups' noted.

Over the next 12 months, we sent the seller a handful of acquisition opportunities to continue growing their business.

Nothing matched, but the relationship continued.

Around the 18-month mark, they reached out again. 

'It's a bit complex, but could you provide a valuation and assist in selling a portion of our business?'

'No problem, let's have a chat.'

A couple of calls and number crunching later, that portion turned into an entire business sale.

6 Months from signing our engagement letter, the day 1 payment was in the client's bank, and after a very short handover, the seller moved on to their next chapter.

Business sales and acquisitions are a slow game. We know that.

So in the meantime, we are always happy to provide updated valuations and market insights, and even keep an eye out for bolt-on acquisitions along the way. 

That's the beauty of being niche brokers within the property management sector. This isn't your usual 3x - 5x EBITDA. This is knowledge of industry-specific multiples, deal structures, buyer appetite across the UK and more.

taplio

The Battle

Graham Edden

Leon Gorman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreLeon Gorman's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Graham Edden

Leon Gorman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Leon Gorman's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreLeon Gorman's LinkedIn Performance