Most family businesses reach a point where the founders need to step back. The hard part is building a leadership team that is ready to step forward.

A family-owned architectural lighting business | UK & International

This business had taken thirty-five years to build. Led by its founders, it had become a design-led manufacturer with a global client list, around sixty percent of revenue outside the UK, and a reputation for quality in some of the world's most prestigious hospitality and retail projects.

But the founders were beginning to step back from day-to-day operations. The leadership team was capable but not yet ready to lead independently. Decision-making still flowed back to the founders on anything that mattered. There was no governance structure to hold the transition together, and the sales and commercial processes had not kept pace with the growth of the business.

What we worked on

I took a board-level role and worked alongside the founders and their four directors over an extended engagement. The focus was on building the leadership team's genuine independence; through direct mentoring, structured accountability, and honest challenge that is difficult to get from inside a family business.

Alongside the leadership work, we developed the UK and international sales strategy, introduced a proper sales pipeline process, overhauled the marketing approach, and restructured the new product development process. ISO 9001 accreditation was agreed and implemented, bringing operational discipline and process control across the business for the first time.

What changed

The leadership team became genuinely independent. Strategic planning improved significantly. Financial and sales reporting became transparent where it had previously been opaque. The sales team had clear objectives and proper pipeline visibility for the first time.

Over the course of the engagement the business grew from £8M to £16M in revenue, doubling in size through a period that included a global pandemic and significant market disruption.

Most importantly, the founders were able to step back with confidence, knowing the business could run and grow without them at the centre of every decision.

"Bringing Mike into our business helped us bond as a team, get greater clarity of purpose and bring in many changes that have improved our business. The benefit of working with someone who has both knowledge and experience is that they can really add value. Mike has also been a great sounding board in a non-executive capacity and a sparring partner to me as the Managing Director."

Managing Director, architectural lighting manufacturer