Exit planning
Prepare your business, and yourself, for sale
Strategic Guidance – Greater Worth
Build greater worth. Exit on your own terms.
Founder-to-founder exit planning and growth advisory for UK business owners. Wherever you are on your journey, we help you grow your business and realise its true worth.
Complimentary. Confidential.
Why it matters
Too many owners discover what their business is really worth when it is too late to change it.
Value is built over years, not in the months before a sale. Yet many founders only look at their business the way a buyer, investor or successor would once they are ready to step away. By then, most of what decides its worth has already been set.
How much of the business still depends on you. How much of your revenue sits with a handful of clients. How clearly your numbers tell the story. Whether your team could run the business without you in the room. Each of these can be improved, but none of them can be improved overnight.
Our work is personal. Your business is likely your life’s work — and our job is to help it deliver the outcome you deserve.
The founder’s journey
Vision. Value. Worth.
I
Vision
Start with the end in mind. Get clear on what you want from the business, and from your exit, before the decisions that shape it are made.
II
Value
Build what drives value. Strengthen the eight SCALE2SELL® pillars so the business grows stronger, more scalable and less dependent on you.
III
Worth
Realise it on your terms. Exit, pass on or step back when the time is right, with a business that has rewarded your effort along the way.
The Stratworth approach
Three dimensions of worth
Most advice looks at the business alone. Our SCALE2SELL® framework looks at three things together, because a sale that rewards the business but not the person who built it is only half a result.
- I
Founder Worth
What the business gives you while you own it: the income, the time and the freedom to choose what comes next.
- II
Business Worth
What the business would be worth to someone else, built deliberately through the quality of its revenue, finances, systems and team.
- III
Exit Worth
How and when you leave, and on whose terms. A sale, a succession or a step back, prepared for well in advance.
The aim is a business that rewards your effort today while preparing you to exit or retire on your own terms.
The SCALE2SELL® framework
An exit readiness framework built on eight pillars
SCALE2SELL® is our proprietary framework. It takes the question every buyer, investor and successor asks (what is this business really worth?) and breaks it into eight pillars you can measure, strengthen and evidence over time. Each one is scored from 1 to 5, and each has its own toolkit of practical worksheets and scorecards.
Pillar 01
Vision & Value
Clarity of purpose, and a direction the whole business shares.
Vision & Value in detailPillar 02
Business Strategy
A defined, evidence-based plan for growth and for where you compete.
Business Strategy in detailPillar 03
Financial Clarity & Drivers
Understanding and control of your numbers, your key metrics and what drives them.
Financial Clarity & Drivers in detailPillar 04
Operational Efficiency & Systems
Systems, processes and automation that let the business scale without you.
Operational Efficiency & Systems in detailPillar 05
Team & Leadership
Capability, culture and leadership aligned with where the business is going.
Team & Leadership in detailPillar 06
Customer Value
Knowing what your customers need, delivering it well and keeping them.
Customer Value in detailPillar 07
Market Position & Brand Strength
A reputation, visibility and point of difference that stand out in your market.
Market Position & Brand Strength in detailPillar 08
Exit Readiness
The preparation and structure for a future sale, exit or succession.
Exit Readiness in detailThe six-month journey
Eight toolkits, released over six months
Your SCALE2SELL® toolkits open month by month in your secure Stratworth Vault, in the order Nik works through them, so each one becomes the starting point for your next conversation. Each toolkit is a set of practical worksheets and scorecards for one pillar, which you complete, upload and review with Nik.
Month 1
Vision and strategy
What do you want, and is the business strategy capable of delivering it?
- 1Vision & Value Alignment
- 2Business Strategy Clarity
Month 2
Numbers and value drivers
Understand the numbers and value drivers, and set up the measures you will keep using.
- 3Financial Clarity & Value Drivers
- 3aExecutive Dashboard
Month 3
Operations, and your first quarterly review
Can the business scale and operate effectively without you? Then progress, gaps and your next 90-day priorities.
- 4Operational Efficiency & Systems
- Quarterly Readiness Review
Month 4
Team and customers
Can the team carry the business, and do customers value it independently of you?
- 5Team & Leadership
- 6Customer Value & Proposition
Month 5
Market position
How strong, visible and defensible is the business in its market?
- 7Market Position & Brand Strength
Month 6
Exit readiness, and your six-month review
Would somebody else want to own it, what has changed, and what should happen next?
- 8Exit Readiness & Buyer Appeal
- Six-Month SCALE2SELL® Review
Month 1 opens with your first plan payment, and each month after it with that month's payment. There is a Quarterly Readiness Review at the end of Month 3 and a Six-Month Review at the end of Month 6.
About the Stratworth VaultHow it works
From first conversation to a working plan
Four steps. The first two are free.
Take the Readiness Assessment
A complimentary SCALE2SELL® assessment that scores your business from 1 to 5 on each of the eight pillars. Your answers are treated in confidence.
Talk it through with Nik
A complimentary Founder Conversation of 30 to 45 minutes by Zoom, Teams or phone, at no charge, to see whether we are the right fit.
Your Founder Discovery Session
Twelve short Founder Discovery questions, then about 60 to 75 minutes with Nik. He works through the issues that matter most and recommends the plan that fits: Essentials, Advisory+, the Exit Programme or Bespoke.
Your six-month journey
Your eight SCALE2SELL® toolkits open month by month in your Stratworth Vault, each one the starting point for your next conversation with Nik, with quarterly readiness reviews along the way.
How we help
Four ways to work with Nik
Every engagement runs on SCALE2SELL®. Where it starts depends on what you want next: a sale, a successor, the next stage of growth or an investor at the table.
Succession planning
Family and management succession
Growth strategy
Scaling a founder-led business
Investor and private equity readiness
Preparing for funding and private equity
Meet Nik Spencer
From Builder to Exit Strategist
Strategic Growth & Exit Consultant Founder Investor
Stratworth Advisory is led by Nik Spencer, a founder with 34 years of experience building, scaling and exiting businesses. He has been on the founder’s side of the table three times.
In 1992 he created the UK’s first commercial-scale kerbside recycling service, which he sold to Biffa PLC in 1995. He co-founded WCR Municipal, acquired by PFB in 2006. He then built Pure Recycling on a 37-acre site in Warwick, secured funding through the 2008 banking crisis, and exited the operating and land-owning entities to Kier PLC in 2010.
That experience is the difference. Unlike large consultancy firms, we work founder-to-founder, bringing strategic precision and real-world insight without the boilerplate.
Read Nik’s story- 34 years of founder experience
- 3 successful business exits
- £100M+ in enterprise value built
- 1992
The UK’s first commercial-scale kerbside recycling service
- 1995
Exit 1
Kerbside recycling service sold to Biffa PLC
- 2006
Exit 2
WCR Municipal acquired by PFB
- 2007
Pure Recycling founded
- 2010
Exit 3
Pure Recycling’s operating and land-owning entities exited to Kier PLC
- 2017
Spencer & Scott
- Today
Leads Stratworth Advisory and SCALE2SELL®.
In their words
Founders on working with Nik
From Nik’s career before Stratworth Advisory, in their own words.
Nik operates as a trusted peer rather than a traditional consultant — practical, direct, and experience-led.
Nik has an extraordinary ability to distil complex ideas into simple, actionable strategy.
Four years later, the principles Nik shared with me remain as relevant and impactful as ever.
The film
Strategic Guidance. Greater Worth.
A short film from Stratworth Advisory. Under two minutes, with sound.
Plans and pricing
Expert guidance, month by month
A structured monthly subscription for founder-led businesses. Every plan includes the full SCALE2SELL® toolkits, a quarterly business readiness dashboard and email support based on your readiness stage.
Essentials
For growth-focused founders building toward exit readiness.
£495/month
- 1 × 45-minute advisory call per month
- The eight SCALE2SELL® toolkits, released month by month
- Quarterly readiness reviews with recommendations
- Customised email guidance and strategic prompts
Begin with Discovery
Recommended by Nik after your Founder Discovery Session.
Advisory+
For founders preparing for funding, sale or strategic transition.
£1,250/month
- Everything in Essentials
- 2 × 60-minute advisory calls per month
- Priority access to Nik
- Deeper valuation mapping and exit-readiness support
- Exit pathway review and next-step planning
Begin with Discovery
Recommended by Nik after your Founder Discovery Session.
Exit Programme
For founders roughly one to three years from exit who need more than two calls a month.
£2,250/month
- Everything in Advisory+
- Up to 3 hours of advisory time per month, remote, in flexible 30–90 minute blocks
- One Founder Strategy Day a year, with UK travel and accommodation included
- A quarterly review of your management accounts and data-room readiness
- An exit roadmap, updated each quarter
- Priority responses by the next working day
Begin with Discovery
Recommended by Nik after your Founder Discovery Session.
By application
Bespoke
A fully tailored, high-touch advisory relationship for complex transitions, M&A preparation or succession planning.
From£5,500/month
- Fully tailored advisory and readiness support
- Up to 6 hours of advisory support per month, remote, bookable in 30–90 minute blocks
- A quarterly Strategy Day, on-site or off-site (UK locations included; overseas travel and accommodation extra)
- Founder positioning and buyer negotiation preparation
- Succession and legacy planning for family or management exits
- Secure collaboration under NDA if required
Every plan has a six-month minimum term, then rolls monthly. Bespoke is by application, for up to two clients at a time. Compare plans
Free
Complimentary Founder Conversation
30 to 45 minutes by Zoom, Teams or phone, at no charge, to see whether we are the right fit. Right for most founders starting out.
Book a Founder Conversation£500
Founder Discovery Session
Where every plan begins. You answer twelve short Founder Discovery questions, then meet Nik for about 60 to 75 minutes to work through the issues that matter most. He then recommends the right plan, and the £500 is credited against your first plan payment where it applies.
About Founder Discovery£3,500
Founder Strategy Day
A full-day strategy session with Nik for your senior team, on-site or off-site, with a pre-session briefing, a concise summary and UK travel and accommodation. Included once a year on the Exit Programme and every quarter on Bespoke.
About the Strategy DaySCALE2SELL® Readiness Assessment
How ready is your business, really?
A structured set of questions across the eight SCALE2SELL® pillars, scored from 1 to 5 on the same scale our clients use. You will receive a readiness score and a clear sense of where to focus first. Then, if you would like to, talk it through with Nik on a complimentary Founder Conversation.
Complimentary and confidential. Your answers are used solely to prepare your review.
Insights
Guides for founders who are thinking ahead
Plain-English guides to preparing a business for sale, reducing founder dependency and understanding what drives value.
How to prepare a business for sale: a guide for founders
A practical guide for UK founders on preparing a business for sale: your goals, the numbers, owner dependency, legal housekeeping and timing.
What makes a business worth more? The value drivers buyers look for
Why do some businesses sell for more? The value drivers buyers look at, from revenue quality and customer spread to systems, team and due diligence.
How to make your business less dependent on you
If the business can't run without you, buyers notice. Practical steps to reduce owner dependency: decisions, relationships, systems and a team that leads.
Questions
Frequently asked.
We know selling a business is a big step — and it comes with lots of questions. To make things easier, we’ve pulled together answers to the ones we hear most often.
All questionsHow do I know which plan is right for me?
You don't have to choose on your own. In your Founder Discovery Session, Nik works through the issues that matter most and recommends the plan that fits. As a guide, Essentials suits founders building toward exit readiness, Advisory+ suits those preparing for funding, sale or strategic transition, the Exit Programme suits founders roughly one to three years from an exit who need more time with Nik, and Bespoke, by application, is for complex transitions, M&A preparation or succession planning.
Is there a minimum commitment, and how do I cancel?
Yes. Every plan, including Bespoke, has a six-month minimum term: you commit to the full six-month programme, and all six monthly fees are payable whether or not you use everything available to you. If a payment is overdue or fails, new toolkit releases, Vault access and advisory sessions may be paused until it is paid; a pause does not cancel or reduce the six-month commitment. After the minimum term, plans roll monthly: you can cancel any time before your next billing date in Manage billing in your Stratworth Vault, and your plan runs to the end of the month you have paid for. When a plan ends, your Stratworth Vault access ends. Anything you've already downloaded stays with you for your own reference, once all fees due have been paid.
How do the toolkits and the six-month journey work?
SCALE2SELL® has eight toolkits, one for each pillar. Each is a set of four practical worksheets and scorecards that you complete and upload to your Stratworth Vault, so your conversations with Nik start from your own answers. They are released month by month over your first six months, in the order Nik works through them: Toolkits 1 and 2 in Month 1, Toolkit 3 and the Toolkit 3a Executive Dashboard in Month 2, Toolkit 4 and your first Quarterly Readiness Review in Month 3, Toolkits 5 and 6 in Month 4, Toolkit 7 in Month 5, and Toolkit 8 with your Six-Month Review in Month 6. Each month opens with that month's payment. After Month 6, your work with Nik follows your real priorities, with a readiness review every quarter. If a payment fails, Vault access is suspended until it's paid.
Does Stratworth give financial, legal or tax advice?
No. Stratworth Advisory provides strategic business guidance only and does not offer regulated financial, legal or investment advice. Our work is about understanding what drives value and preparing you and your business for growth and exit. Where you need tax, legal or investment advice, or a formal valuation, take independent professional advice, and involve those advisers early.
The first step
Start with a conversation.
Book a complimentary Founder Conversation with Nik by Zoom, Teams or phone. Bring your questions and, if you have completed it, your assessment. Honest, experienced guidance — no fluff, no pressure.