All roads lead to Exit.

What does data tell a buyer about the quality of your firm?

In this digital event, Nick Eatock, founder and CEO of intelliflo, joins Ben and Melo Progress Partner Nicky Wright, to explore the role data plays in an acquisition.

They look at how acquirers assess data quality, what due diligence typically asks for, how firms can use iO more deliberately before a sale, and what happens to data during transfer and integration.

The session also covers the gaps that can slow a deal down, the information buyers expect to see, and how data quality can affect both firm value and the client experience after completion.

Find out more and download the Due Diligence Guide: https://melo.co.uk/event-replay-secrets-of-data-in-acquisitions/

How will AI change financial planning, and what should firms be doing now?

In this Melo Exit Session, Melo and Obsidian explore how technology and AI could reshape financial planning over the next five to ten years, and what that means for firms today.

The conversation covers where technology can create capacity, what firms need to understand about data security, how AI may affect advisers and clients, and how to introduce new technology without weakening the client experience.

They also look beyond efficiency to the bigger question of what the future advice firm could look like, and why trust, judgement and human connection will continue to play a central role.

Watch the replay and explore the session: https://melo.co.uk/event-replay-future-of-financial-planning/

In this Melo Exit Session, Ben Wright is joined by Victoria Hicks from Melo and Becca Timmins from When We Think to explore the people side of succession.

They discuss founder dependency, identity, successor confidence, family dynamics and how the relationship changes as someone moves from trainee to leadership peer. They also look at how to start honest conversations, give feedback without knocking confidence, and prepare people for a transition well before the handover begins.

The session closes with seven conversations owners can work through before stepping away from the business.

Download the Seven Conversations Guide: Melo Exit Sessions: Could your business continue without you?

Episode 2: Succession, AI & the changing value of financial advice

What does succession readiness really look like across the profession, and what happens to the value of advice as AI becomes more visible to clients?

In episode two of The Exit Edit: What’s the T?, ⁠⁠⁠Gaynor Rigby⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Victoria Hicks⁠⁠⁠ start with the Succession Alliance survey and what it could tell us about how prepared financial advice firms are for succession.

They then get into AI, trust and perceived value. From the EU AI Act and identifiable AI-generated content to the growing use of AI inside advice firms, they ask a simple question: if clients know more of the work is being produced with AI, what are they really paying for?

They also discuss why firms need to become AI-enabled without losing the judgement, expertise and human connection clients value.

Links & mentions

Succession Alliance survey: ⁠https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y2ZZWYM⁠

EU AI Act: ⁠https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai⁠

Melo: ⁠https://melo.co.uk/

Episode 1: Hoxton, Titan & the AI wake-up call

Gaynor Rigby, Victoria Hicks and Ben Wright sit down for the first Exit Edit: What’s the T? to talk about what’s catching their attention across the financial planning profession.

This week: Hoxton, Titan Wealth, the pace of AI, changing client expectations and what advisers may need to offer as technology takes on more of the traditional planning work.

They also get into where the human value of advice sits, how AI could actually make the client experience more personal, and why financial planning firms cannot afford to stand still. The episode closes with a fairly simple message from Ben: don’t get left behind.

Most financial planning firm owners did not set out to become the bottleneck in their own business.Far fewer understand what is really holding their growth back or why some firms scale smoothly while others quietly stall.This free, practical session gives you an honest look at the internal blockers that prevent real growth.Not just strategy. The mindset, the habits, and the structures underneath.We’ll walk through the key shifts that allow financial planning firms to scale and become genuinely saleable:1️⃣ Shift mindset: Shame to fame2️⃣ Leadership built around your Unique Ability3️⃣ Ambition unbuttoning and getting empowered by numbers4️⃣ Uncover, protect and choose what’s next

You have three choices: do nothing, do something, or do everything.From this episode you'll get:✔ A clearer understanding of the internal blockers that hold growth back✔ Insight into how to shift from working in the business to working on it✔ Practical principles around leadership, structure, and numbers that support scale✔ A framework for what makes a financial planning business worth ten times its current value✔ Clarity on the choices available: do nothing, do something, or do everythingIf scaling your business feels like something for “later”, this session will help you understand why the groundwork starts much earlier.

00:00 Intro

01:06 Welcome
02:06 Questions to get you thinking
06:54 Scale up like a pro
12:34 Shame to fame mindset
18:48 Unbuttoning your ambitions
21:06 Your unique ability
35:36 Legacy over ego
44:36 Get empowered by your numbers
55:36 What to do next
58:39 Wrap up

Every exit has 3 stages...

1. Preparing

2. The deal process

3. The transition

Most IFA firm owners know an exit will happen one day. Far fewer have had the opportunity to step back and understand what actually makes an exit successful and why some deals feel controlled and strategic while others quietly unravel. 

In this joint session with CATS, we walked through the full exit journey, from early preparation through to post-sale transition covering all the important points you need to know..

00:00 Welcome

01:01 Introduction
3:56 What if I’m not looking to sell now?
05:31 Preparing your business for sale
36:31 The deal process
53:27 The transition
1:00:52 Final thoughts

1:00:12 Wrap up

Strong organisations aren't built on control. They arebuilt on capable, confident leadership teams.

As a senior leader, your role is not to hold every answer. It is to create an environment where answers emerge without friction.

A truly self-reliant leadership team does not remove you fromdecisions. It strengthens their quality and pace. Self-reliance isn't a personality trait. It’s a deliberate design.

When leadership teams become self-reliant:

🎯Decisions move faster.

🤝Escalations reduce.

⚖️Strategic focus sharpens.

📊 Performance stabilises under pressure.

If you’re building senior capability in 2026, this session is designed for you.

00:00 Welcome

00:57 Intro
04:44 Your unique ability
11:09 Kolbe tool
23:32 GC Index tool
26:55 The shift from doing to owning
36:09 Vision, Mission, Values & Culture
43:57 How to delegate well
54:57 Design for dependency
56:53 Structure for accountability
59:54 Final thoughts60:00 Thanks for listening

Succession planning is often treated as something to think about later, closer to exit.In reality, it is one of the most important leadership challenges a financial planning firm will face.This practical digital event explores how firms can move beyond dependency on founders and senior advisers, build leadership capability internally and create continuity for clients, teams and future owners.Drawing on real-world experience of financial planning firms, this session will explore why succession planning often stalls, what gets in the way of developing the next generation and how leaders can step back without losing control, culture or value.You will leave with:- A clearer understanding of why succession planning fails in practice.- Insight into the behaviours and structures that support internal succession.- Practical ways to reduce key person dependency.- Principles for developing leadership capability at every level.- Greater clarity on what succession readiness really looks like.Hosted by Melo’s Chief Innovation Officer, Ben Wright, with Progress Partner Nicky Wright sharing insight from her work supporting leadership development, continuity, and succession readiness in advice firms.All attendees will receive Melo’s Succession Planning Guide, designed to help firms move from good intentions to practical clarity.A considered session for firm owners thinking seriously about long-term continuity.

Most business leaders start the year with clear goals and good intentions.Then momentum drops. Habits slip. Difficult conversations get avoided. And before long, it’s business as usual.In this recorded live session, we tackle two problems that quietly limit performance and value in growing businesses:1. Why motivation fades and change doesn’t stickDr Stephen Ford, Exit Partner at Melo, explores the psychology behind behaviour change, why people struggle to maintain momentum and what leaders can do differently to make progress last.2. Why leaders avoid difficult conversationsSara Cooke and Rhi Baxter from We Are Brave share practical approaches for handling disagreement, conflict and challenging conversations with more clarity and confidence, before avoidance creates bigger issues.This session is designed for business owners and leaders who want a better year, not just a busier one.If you want to turn intention into progress this year get in touch. Melo works with ambitious financial planning business owners to improve decision-making, leadership, and long-term value, whether or not an exit is imminent.Find out more at melo.co.uk or follow us on LinkedIn for more insights.

00:00 Intro
03:48 – Why we fail to stick to resolutions
10:36 – The psychological impact of not sticking to goals
12:44 – Tips to help you stick to new habits or behaviours
15:12 – How to form positive habits
17:04 – How to get back on track if you've got lost
21:36 – Why do we shy away from hard conversations?
23:24 – What are we so scared of?
24:32 – The impact of staying quiet
30:36 – Why you should schedule difficult conversations
32:00 – Changing your mind shouldn't be humiliating
35:48 – "I don't want to speak up because I'm scared of their reaction"
38:30 – How to disagree in a group setting
42:36 – What to do if you're a reflector
45:36 – The 5 point framework to have better conversations
48:40 – How to deal with someone who doesn't want to engage
50:54 – The conversations you wished you'd had last year
53:42 – Final thoughts keeping new habits on track
55:00 – You might not actually be disagreeing
56:12 – Wrap up

Music: Good Night (Lofi) by FASSounds