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Most founders I meet are deeply committed operators. What’s often missing is the time and…
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James Lamb shared thisHappy Easter. This time of year always prompts reflection. Mindset is something I have only become truly conscious of in the last decade, and I am still learning. Growing up with both parents as teachers / academics instilled in me a sense of being grounded, hardworking, and switched on. However, the 10 o'clock news was a constant in our home, leading to a habit of absorbing the outside world's anxiety as if it were our own. Yesterday, my mum asked me, "Is there diesel at the pumps for your business vehicles?" She meant well, as she always does. But it made me think about how much mental energy we invest in things that are largely outside our control: the economy, interest rates, elections, fuel prices, and the next crisis the news cycle insists we should worry about. I came across a quote from a well known entrepreneur that resonated deeply: "I am my own economy." This highlights that while external events matter, they represent maybe 5% of the picture compared to your own output, relationships, and value creation. The remaining 95% is about you. This perspective is not about toxic positivity or ignoring reality. It’s an honest assessment of where your true influence lies and choosing to focus your energy there. Wherever you are this Easter, enjoy the break, be present with those around you, and don’t let the 10 o'clock news steal your weekend.
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James Lamb shared thisMost founders don't fail at building a business; they fail at owning one and exiting one. I recently had a conversation with Steven Pettigrew from High Value Exit that covered a wide range of topics: - Growing up in a family waste-management business and learning work ethic before business school theory - The brutal reality of transport margins and the reasons behind his pivot - Buying a distressed business for talent and locations, marking his first experience with M&A - The "eggs in one basket" epiphany that changed everything - The differences between minority and majority stakes and his perspective on control - The succession gap, with baby boomers exiting and no qualified buyers in sight - Why business brokers often misprice businesses and the reasons deals stall - Strategies for making a business less owner-dependent before attempting to sell it - AI tools he's currently using in deal sourcing and valuation workflows One line that resonated with me was: "Business ownership is an active game, not passive income." This perspective is crucial, as many enter ownership expecting the asset to work for them, while the best operators understand the need for active involvement. Steven is building in public, thoughtfully considering his partnerships, and doing the essential work of preparing founders for exit before urgency arises. This conversation is worth a watch for anyone building, scaling, or contemplating their next steps. The Exit Playbook: How Founders Grow, Scale, and Sell The Ownership Journey — link in comments.
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James Lamb reposted thisJames Lamb reposted thisBusiness Development activity - what is it and why? At FHP Group I have continued my passion for listening to customers and employees to help guide the firm's strategy. Today I had a couple of really great discussions about what our clients want in terms of building "off project" connections. They came about quite accidentally just asking openly for feedback from 2 of our lovely clients. We talked about how increasingly clients want their evenings and weekends to be about their family, friends and hobbies.... I mean doesn't everyone? We also talked about how some BD events aren't for everyone, not all consultants and not all clients either.... Some people (like me and one of the clients) don't drink - so things that get overly boozy can be off putting. Others find activities uncomfortable, or impossible.... (I personally have a no harness or wetsuit policy - if it needs one it isn't for me!). Some like to learn new things, and others don't feel confident to present what they know... But nonetheless off project connection is important to our clients. They said this is true even when the service being procured and the delivery is phenomenal - clients do want to know who they work with personally - it builds trust and confidence and a new perspective - these are some of the most important things in our industry. So the clients and I spent some fun time brainstorming activities that these clients might want......and as importantly that the teams I lead would feel natural taking part in... it was so fabulous that one client particularly didn't want our teams to do things they didn't want to! How lovely is that?! And that's a level of business development that's matters..... when both you and the client work together to understand each other and to make things better..... building a proper partnership. Loving it! It feels so good to be solving real client challenges every day..... and working in synergy. Thank you to everyone at FHP Group for your support in this ride....
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James Lamb shared thisI met a business owner in December who was ready to sell. He'd built something real. Years of work. £350k in profit. A competitive market, but genuine potential. A leading business broker had promised him a £4m valuation — within 6 months of signing. There was a large five-figure upfront marketing fee to get listed on their database. He paid it. 7 years later, he is frustrated as very little has happened - he had raised expectations and wants out. He is still waiting. The valuation was simply too far removed from reality. This isn't an isolated story. Since I started networking more seriously over the last few months, I have heard this pattern again and again. Inflated valuations. Large upfront fees. 90%+ of businesses never sold. For most SME owners, selling their business is the single biggest financial event of their life. Yet the broker industry is almost entirely unregulated. No mandatory qualifications. No required disclosure of fees or success rates. No enforceable complaints process. That needs to change. I've started a parliamentary petition which has been accepted, calling on the Government to introduce statutory regulation of business sale brokers — compulsory licensing, a published code of ethics, mandatory fee and success rate disclosure, and real disciplinary procedures. We need 10,000 signatures to get a Government response. If you know an SME owner, an advisor, or anyone who has ever bought or sold a business — please share this. Ken Gorman - Business Sale Specialists Sign here 👇 https://lnkd.in/ephegwUnPetition: License and regulate business sale brokers to protect business ownersPetition: License and regulate business sale brokers to protect business owners
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James Lamb posted thisWe hire graduates whenever possible, and it's crucial for the government to facilitate this for all businesses. Youth unemployment among 16–24-year-olds has reached 16.1%, meaning nearly one in six young people cannot find work. This is the highest rate in a decade and marks the first time UK youth unemployment has surpassed the EU average. Additionally, the UK has experienced the sharpest rise in youth joblessness among G7 countries. This situation is not coincidental; it stems from policy decisions that have made hiring young people increasingly challenging for businesses. As an SME, we hire at all levels and have welcomed numerous graduates into our workforce. They consistently bring fresh thinking, energy, digital fluency, and a drive to prove themselves that is hard to find elsewhere. However, we are facing significant challenges. The minimum wage has increased roughly twice as fast as average wages over the past decade, rising 37% since 2021, from £8.91 to £12.21 per hour. It now accounts for 65% of median earnings. The cost gap between entry-level hires and those with 5–10 years of experience has narrowed, making the salary differential negligible for many businesses—leading to hesitance in taking risks on unproven candidates. The outcome? Apprenticeship starts have declined by 40% over the past decade, leaving almost one million young people neither earning nor learning. This represents both a policy failure and a market failure. While the government's £1 billion employment drive and Youth Jobs Grant are positive steps, they do not address the core issue: the tax and wage burden has made early-career hiring more difficult than it should be. To remedy this, the government needs to take further action: ✅ Implement meaningful National Insurance relief for businesses hiring under-25s ✅ Unfreeze the income tax personal allowance to ensure workers benefit from pay rises ✅ Provide stronger incentives for graduate and early-career programs ✅ Develop a long-term workforce strategy rather than short-term incentives We'll keep hiring graduates — as long as we can put enough structure around the training and support they need to genuinely thrive. That investment of time and resource is real, and for a small business it's not insignificant. But unless the broader environment changes, more businesses will keep stepping back from early-careers hiring — and a generation of young people will pay the price. Government, the private sector wants to help solve this. Make it easier for us to do so. What do others think — are current incentives enough, or does government need to go much further? 👇
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James Lamb posted thisMet with Ben Crampin yesterday, who runs a growing accountancy firm, to discuss what SME owners should focus on ahead of the tax year-end. Here are some key themes worth sharing: 1. Dividend planning matters more than ever. - Dividend allowances are now down to £500. Anything above that is taxed at: - 8.75% (basic) - 33.75% (higher) - 39.35% (additional) - The basic and higher dividend rates are increasing by 2% from 6 April, so timing dividends across tax years could make a meaningful difference. 2. Use your ISA allowance — or lose it. - The annual ISA allowance is £20,000, which resets on 6 April. For business owners building long-term wealth, an ISA is one of the few remaining clean, tax-free wrappers. 3. Pension contributions remain one of the biggest levers. - There is up to a £60,000 annual allowance (subject to tapering) with corporation tax relief if made as company contributions. This is particularly powerful for owner-managed businesses with excess cash. 4. Bonus vs dividend vs pension — think holistically. - Many optimise one lever in isolation. A better approach is to model a total extraction strategy (salary, bonus, dividend, pension) aligned with cash needs, tax bands, and long-term goals. 5. Don't forget capital allowances and investment timing. - Full expensing is still available on qualifying assets. Timing capital expenditures before year-end can reduce taxable profits. 6. Review shareholding structures. - Small structural decisions now can have significant tax implications later. 7. Cash does not equal free cash. - A common trap is seeing cash in the business and assuming it's all distributable. After accounting for corporation tax, dividend tax and future liabilities the number can be very different. The biggest mistakes aren't technical - they're due to timing and a lack of planning. If you're an SME owner and haven't had this conversation yet - now's the time. Me: https://lnkd.in/eHiQga8n Folio Partners: https://lnkd.in/eddKPdvb #SME #TaxPlanning #Entrepreneurship #BusinessOwners #WealthPlanning
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James Lamb shared thisPower dialogues are a key component of deals! In this episode of The Ownership Journey, I sat down with Des Vadgama to explore what truly drives high-value deals — and it’s not what most people think. Key takeaways include: - High-ticket isn’t about price; it’s about alignment and trust. - The best operators master “power dialogues,” not pitches. - Most deals don’t fail on numbers; they fail on misaligned expectations. - To access better opportunities, change the rooms you’re in. - More conversations lead to better outcomes than more scrolling. Des brings over 30 years of experience, having worked alongside industry leaders like Tony Robbins, Dan Peña, and Jay Abraham. His insights on practical deal-making today are invaluable. We also discuss: - How LinkedIn DMs can turn into real deal flow. - Common mistakes business owners make when preparing to sell. - The differences between majority and minority stakes and where pitfalls occur. - Reasons some investors walk away from “safe” 8.5% returns. If you're building, buying, or considering exiting a business, this episode is worth your time. Watch the full episode below. #OwnershipJourney #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Acquisitions #DealMaking #SMEs
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James Lamb shared thisLoved the end of this podcast which focussed on the importance of relationships! Something that can never be replaced.James Lamb shared thisMy recent conversation with Steven Bartlett might be the most important one yet. I've been building businesses for 25 years and I've never felt more unsettled. Not because things are falling apart...but because everything is changing at once and most people haven't noticed yet. I sat down with Steven a few weeks ago and we got into some uncomfortable territory. Then we translated it into a set of clear opportunities. Watch the full conversation here - https://linktw.in/dzDXWV and let me know your thoughts below.
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James Lamb shared thisGrateful for spring — easily my favourite time of year. Not just because the mornings get lighter and it’s easier to get out before 6am with the dog (although that helps). But because you can feel momentum returning. In construction and real estate where we are predominantly involved, activity picks up. Conversations turn into opportunities. Projects that sat quiet over winter start moving again. There’s something about this season that resets energy — both personally and commercially. A good reminder that timing matters in business… and in life. What shifts do you notice this time of year?
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James Lamb liked thisJames Lamb liked thisHi Bad luck comes in waves....... many of you may remember the January post where my dad had fallen, my mum had fallen too, I had a car crash..... and George my son broke his wrist... This month that same son is back on form and skiing ..... he is on a school trip as due to my daughter's health we can't all go abroad at the moment.... And yes! He only goes and makes the headlines as his hostel is struck with a sickness bug..... so he missed a day and a half of a 5 day ski trip puking..... and today my car tells me I have a flat tyre and I go to the garage to find it has - not 1 - but 5 nails in it..... 2026 you can just do one now.....!!!! I better win the lottery tonight to balance out the luck..... Although last time I said that I got all excited when I got the "you have won a prize" message only to have won £4.30. Just as well my professional life is going better than the life around it..... it's sometimes hard when life outside of work gets tough to "soldier on" at work.... and that's ok. I think it's the sign of a great leader when they show their own vulnerability and their own messiness..... because we all have it.... sometimes less messy..... I dream of less messy..... but being human is generally a messy business. Being part of a great team means we can step away when we need to - no questions asked. It means we can have a bad day and be forgiven and understood and supported. And this is no less true for leaders of teams than team members.... being a leader does not make you any less human or negate your right to be messy some days. This time I can "soldier on" but it's nice to know that if I couldn't I would be able to turn to my team - and I hope they can do the same.
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James Lamb liked thisJames Lamb liked thisToday we are pleased to launch the new website of the European Guide Dog Federation. The new site provides a clearer overview of our work across Europe, the organisations that make up our membership, and the issues affecting guide dog users today. EGDF brings together organisations representing guide dog users and guide dog service providers across Europe, working together to influence policy, promote high standards and ensure that guide dog users can enjoy their full rights to mobility, access and independence. Our new website makes it easier to learn about: • our members across Europe • our policy and advocacy work • research and reports on guide dogs and assistance dogs • opportunities to collaborate with us Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project. We hope the new site will help strengthen cooperation across the European guide dog community. Please take a look: https://www.egdfed.org #GuideDogs #DisabilityRights #Accessibility #IndependentLiving #EuropeanDisability #AssistanceDogs
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Carbonzerow
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First Carbon Neutral expedition pioneering approach for future expeditions. Audited by Carbon Trust and raising monies for World Land Trust. Rowed across Atlantic in a team of 4.
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