Outreach Signals
Publishing Details
About This Podcast
Unlocking Value is designed to give founders and owners of professional services firms more confidence when they're working toward an exit or thinking about taking on investment.
Across six episodes, our host John Howard speaks with founders, investors and advisors about the moments that define the transaction journey - how to get ready, what to expect and how to succeed.
We cover everything from value drivers and team alignment to investor expectations and life after the deal. You’ll hear from people who’ve sold their firms, taken minority investments, stayed on, exited and started again – and from those who advise or invest in firms like yours every day.
Social Media
Explore Statistics
Recent Episodes
Episode 27: Emma Flin - How ‘Buy and Build' Drives Growth and Value in Professional Services
In this episode, John welcomes back Emma Flin, an investment director at Sovereign Capital Partners, a private equity firm that focuses on backing and growing mid-market tech and professional…
Episode 26: Venkata Nori and Hari Sethalapathy - From Zero Clients to 400 Staff: Building a Global Oracle Consultancy on Trust and Outstanding Service
Hari Sethalapathy and Venkata Subbarayudu Nori are two of the three co-founders of Winfo Solutions, a global Oracle consulting business that has grown from three people with no clients to more than…
Episode 25: Andrew Brown - Fresh From Exit: How Founder Independence and a Great Team Secured the Deal
In this episode, John is joined by Andrew Brown, founder of Acuity Business Solutions, a consultancy he built and led for almost 20 years before overseeing its sale to the Scandinavian group Lumera…
Episode 24: Nick Synnott – The Personal Cost and Payoff of Building a Founder-Led Business
In this episode, John is joined by Nick Synnott, founder of Create Engage and host of the long-running “Climb in Consulting” podcast.Many listeners will know Nick for his work on marketing in the…
Episode 23: Rob Garner, Luk Smeyers & Deri Hughes - The Four Forces Shaping Consulting in 2026
This episode is a little different from our usual format. Rather than a one to one conversation, we are sharing the audio from a recent webinar hosted by Deri Hughes of Honeycomb Consulting Skills…
Episode 22: Dan Figueiredo - A Microsoft Insider’s View on AI in Consulting
AI is firmly on the agenda for professional services firms, but many leaders are still working out what it really means in practice – for delivery, governance, people, and trust with clients. In this…
Episode 21: Lizzie Meadowcroft – Professional Services Deals from Both Sides of the Table
Lizzie Meadowcroft is part of the value creation team at LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group. She works closely with management teams across the LDC portfolio, supporting growth,…
Episode 20: Claire Simm – Leadership Lessons from Growing Professional Services Firms
Claire Simm is Managing Director and Global Head of Regulatory Consulting at Kroll. She has built her entire career in professional services, moving between Big Four firms, entrepreneurial boutiques…
Episode 19: Unlocking Christmas – Reflections on our 2025 conversations and what comes next
To round off the year, the show takes a slightly different shape.In this brief episode, John reflects on some of the common themes from conversations in 2025 and says thank you to the guests and…
Episode 18: Olly Purnell – The Anti-Exit Strategy: Building a Consultancy Designed for Long-Term Independence
In a sector where scaling often leads to external investment or an eventual sale, what does it look like to build a consultancy that grows, stays independent and develops a long-term ownership model…
Episode 17: Pekka Metsaranta – No Co-Founders, No Roadmap, No Illusions
In this episode of The Unlocking Value Podcast, John Howard speaks with Pekka Metsaranta, founder and CEO of Sisua Ltd, a consultancy known for stepping in to help clients succeed with their most…
Episode 16: Laura Morrill – Game, Set, Growth: An Investor’s View on Resilience, Partnership and Long-term Value
If you’re leading a professional services firm and want to grow without losing what makes it yours, this episode brings clarity to one of the biggest decisions you’ll face: whether to take on…
Episode 15: Tom Burnet – Building With Intent: Lessons on Focus, Client Service and the Courage to Make Tough Decisions
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Tom Burnet, an experienced chair, former public company chief executive and long-time leader across technology, services and…
Episode 14: Rhys Hefford - Build, Scale, Exit, Repeat: A Serial Founder’s Playbook
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Rhys Hefford, a serial founder who has built, scaled and sold multiple professional services businesses over the past fifteen…
Episode 13: Marcus Eden-Ellis - The Bid Expert Who’s Turned Selling Into a Science
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Marcus Eden-Ellis, the founder and chief executive of Bid Perfect, a specialist consultancy that helps organisations compete,…
Episode 12: Adam Craker - Leading in one of the toughest markets ever and the subtle art of GESHIDO
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Adam Craker, Chief Executive of iqbusiness, one of South Africa’s leading consulting and digital integration firms.Adam has led…
Episode 11: Jon Grant - Achieving Premium Valuations in Tech Services M&A
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, we welcome Jon Grant, Tech M&A Director at Clearwater, one of Europe’s leading corporate finance firms. Jon is one of the UK’s most experienced…
Episode 10: Andy Strictland - Demystifying Private Equity
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Andy Strickland, Partner at Palatine Private Equity.Andy has spent more than a decade backing ambitious Professional Services…
Episode 9: Richard Jones - The Paradox of Difference: How to Make Senior Hires a Success
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with leadership coach and former consultancy partner Richard Jones about one of the hardest things to get right in professional…
Episode 8: Craig Herd - Marketing Only Matters If It Goes Somewhere
In this episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, John Howard speaks with Craig Herd, founder of Consultancy Growth. Craig shares his journey from door-to-door sales at 19, to becoming National Sales…
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlocking Value has published 27 episodes since July 2025, covering topics in Business, Entrepreneurship.
Unlocking Value is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 51m.
Similar Podcasts
Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
Life.Church
194 episodes
EntreLeadership
Ramsey Network
687 episodes
Masters of Scale
WaitWhat
705 episodes
HBR IdeaCast
Harvard Business Review
650 episodes
The Mind Your Business Podcast
James Wedmore
747 episodes
Build with Leila Hormozi
Leila Hormozi
387 episodes