Unlocking Value

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 Director with a team of 55, to working with a growth enablement consultancy, and now leading his company, Consultancy Growth, which helps UK boutique consultancies build growth systems that actually work. He explains his six pillars of consultancy growth and what consultancy-specific sales and marketing needs to look like in order to become a genuine ROI-driven growth engine, rather than a costly black hole.

The conversation covers:

• Why “marketing only matters if it goes somewhere”
• The six key stages of the client journey: lead generation, lead nurture, sales, delivery, retention and ascension
• How to avoid the founder sales trap and enable teams to sell effectively
• The risks of expecting written proposals to do too much heavy lifting in a sales process
• The often-missed opportunities in retention and expansion into bigger client problem spaces

For consultancy leaders, this episode offers a practical blueprint for building long-term value and avoiding common growth pitfalls.

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Craig Herd, Founder of Consultancy Growth

In this episode, John Howard speaks with Justin Langford, co-founder and CEO of Coeo. Over nearly two decades, Justin has grown the business from a two-person start-up into a consultancy trusted by some of the UK’s largest organisations.

Justin shares the key chapters in Coeo’s journey, from proving the model and scaling cautiously at first through to shifting gears and adopting a private-equity style playbook to accelerate growth without external funding. 

He explains how the firm has built long-term value through its talent academy, international expansion, and a culture of learning and codified delivery frameworks.

The conversation also explores Justin’s approach to data-driven leadership, including avoiding “watermelon KPIs” and applying a “Moneyball” mindset to consultancy performance. He reflects on navigating a co-founder exit, evolving his role as CEO and keeping the energy to lead after 18 years.

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth

Guest: Justin Langford, Co-founder and CEO at Coeo

www.garwoodgrowth.com

In the final episode of this series, we talk to a panel of experienced consultancy leaders and advisors about what really happens after a deal is done – and what no one tells you in advance.

The conversation explores the emotional, cultural and operational challenges founders and owners can face once the dust settles. We discuss everything from from shifts in identity and purpose through to leadership transitions, people dynamics and integration into new teams and roles. This is a candid, practical conversation about what founders and other leaders wish they’d known, and what it really takes to succeed in the post-deal world.

Want to learn more about how investment transactions work in professional services? Download Garwood Growth’s free Unlocking Value book. It’s your step-by-step guide to what’s involved and what you should consider, whether you're thinking about selling, getting ready for external investment or just exploring your options. 

Guest List

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Mark Campbell, Senior Vice-President at RGP
Guest: Richard Jones, Former Partner at Moorhouse Consulting
Guest: Anna Cornwallis, Managing Director at Stratton HR

www.garwoodgrowth.com

In this episode, we focus on what it really means to be ready for a deal – not just in theory, but in practice.

Host John Howard is joined by two seasoned founders and a corporate finance advisor to explore what it really means to be ready for a transaction process. Together, they dig into the systems, behaviours, and blind spots that shape outcomes – sometimes years before a transaction takes place. This conversation offers practical advice on getting ahead of the curve, managing risk, and setting your business up for the best possible valuation and process.

Want to learn more about how investment transactions work in professional services? Download Garwood Growth’s free Unlocking Value book. It’s your step-by-step guide to what’s involved and what you should consider, whether you're thinking about selling, getting ready for external investment or just exploring your options. 

Guest List

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Mark Robinson, Co-founder of Edenbrook and Kimble/Kantata
Guest: Sean Hoban, Co-founder of Edenbrook and Kimble/Kantata
Guest: James Barraclough, Co-founder and Partner at Elucid Partners

www.garwoodgrowth.com

In this episode, we look at how investors and advisors assess a business – and what can spook them.

We’re joined by an investor, a corporate lawyer and a corporate finance advisor to talk about what builds confidence during a transaction – and what can cause it to break down. From messy data and vague narratives to unexpected risks that emerge late in the process, they share what buyers really watch for and what separates strong deals from aborted ones.

If you want a clearer picture of how buyers think and how to avoid common pitfalls, this episode will give you a practical inside view.

Want to learn more about how investment transactions work in professional services? Download Garwood Growth’s free Unlocking Value book. It’s your step-by-step guide to what’s involved and what you should consider, whether you're thinking about selling, getting ready for external investment or just exploring your options. 

Guest List

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Alex Thomson, Partner at Growth Capital Partners
Guest: Frank Shephard, Partner and Global Head of Corporate at DWF
Guest: Paul Lines, Partner at Garwood Growth

www.garwoodgrowth.com

In this episode, we ask a deceptively simple question: what actually makes a business valuable?

Host John Howard is joined by a founder, an investor and an advisor to explore what really drives high valuations in professional services. They talk about the importance of revenue quality, market positioning and delivery maturity – and why investors care just as much about what’s ahead as what’s already been built. Along the way, the guests share real-world examples of how they’ve made their businesses more attractive by focusing on the things that genuinely create value.

If you want to understand what buyers are really looking for – and how to build a business that stands out – this episode is for you.

Want to learn more about how investment transactions work in professional services? Download Garwood Growth’s free Unlocking Value book. It’s your step-by-step guide to what’s involved and what you should consider, whether you're thinking about selling, getting ready for external investment or just exploring your options. 

Guest List

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Minos Ataliotis, Founder and CEO at CloudRock
Guest: Emma Flin, Investment Director at Sovereign Capital Partners
Guest: Rob Garner, Founding Partner at Garwood Growth

 www.garwoodgrowth.com

In this episode, we explore one of the biggest hidden success factors in any deal: alignment between shareholders.

We’re joined by four founders who’ve lived through the challenge of keeping ambitions, personalities and timelines aligned as their businesses evolved – and as the prospect of a transaction came into view. They share honest, practical advice about how to navigate the hard conversations, balance head and heart, and keep your culture intact without derailing the deal.

This episode is full of valuable insight for anyone leading a firm with multiple owners or thinking about what it takes to get ready for a transaction – together.

Want to learn more about how investment transactions work in professional services? Download Garwood Growth’s free Unlocking Value book. It’s your step-by-step guide to what’s involved and what you should consider, whether you're thinking about selling, getting ready for external investment or just exploring your options. 

Guest List 

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Gita Singham-Willis (Co-founders of Cadence Innova)
Guest: Jane Barrett (Co-founders of Cadence Innova)
Guest: Neil Sharp (Co-founders of PEN Partnership)
Guest: Richard Vale (Co-founders of PEN Partnership)

www.garwoodgrowth.com

In this opening episode of the Unlocking Value podcast, we go right back to the first big question founders face: should we even do a deal? Host John Howard is joined by four guests with direct experience of weighing up whether to sell, take on investment or stay the course. They talk candidly about what led them to consider a transaction, how they judged the right time, what kind of deal felt right – and what they’ve learned along the way. 

This episode is packed with real-world insight for anyone starting to think about what a deal might mean and whether it’s the right move at all.

Want to learn more about how investment transactions work in professional services? Download Garwood Growth’s free Unlocking Value book. It’s your step-by-step guide to what’s involved and what you should consider, whether you're thinking about selling, getting ready for external investment or just exploring your options. 

Guest List:

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Marc Schmid (Co-founder and director at Redmoor Health)
Guest: Alison Schmid (Co-founder and director at Redmoor Health)
Guest: Mat Oram (CEO and Co-founder at AdviseInc)
Guest: Rob Garner (Founder and Partner at Garwood Growth)

www.garwoodgrowth.com