What does it take to leave a comfortable consulting career, buy your first small business and turn it into the foundation for a much larger group?

In this episode of Unsung, host Will Maunder-Taylor speaks with Jamil Anakkar, Founder and CEO of Tandy Ventures and Operating CEO of its first acquisition Preventr.

Jamil shares his journey from NHS paramedic and Accenture strategy consultant to acquiring a 30-year-old fire safety business in 2024. 

He explains how he structured the acquisition of the buy and build platform using the business to fund the acquisition’

He also breaks down what happened after taking over, from going line by line through the P&L to identify savings, and professionalising the operation to expanding through acquisitions and technology. 

Two years after leaving corporate life, Jamil has grown the group to around £20m in revenue and £5m in EBITDA.

Key highlights

• Leaving Accenture to buy a small business

• Using the business to fund the acquisition

• How seller financing made the deal work

• Nearly tripling EBITDA after taking over

• Building Preventr through buy-and-build

• Escaping the corporate “golden handcuffs”

• Using AI in fire safety operations

For more on entrepreneurship through acquisition, small business ownership and Unsung events, subscribe to the Unsung newsletter⁠. 

Timestamps

• (01:00) From NHS paramedic to Accenture consultant

• (09:00) Why Jamil left a safe corporate career

• (12:00) Choosing fire safety for his first buy-and-build

• (16:00) Finding a profitable 30-year-old business to acquire

• (21:00) Structuring the first deal with the seller

• (23:00) Using the business to fund the acquisition

• (28:00) Why corporate “golden handcuffs” are hard to escape

• (30:00) What taking over the business looked like on day one

• (33:00) Growing EBITDA from roughly £400k to £1.5m

• (35:00) Building Preventr into a broader fire safety platform

• (37:00) How Preventr uses AI and building data

• (38:00) Growing the group to £20m in revenue in two years

• (41:00) Buying out the original seller and taking full ownership

AI rollups are creating a new approach to buying and transforming small businesses, but finding enough suitable companies to acquire remains one of the biggest challenges.

Viktoria Izdebska founded a service company in the financial sector when she was 17 and later founded one of Austria’s fastest growing data companies. She is now one of the leading growth and M&A advisors for AI rollups across the US and Europe.

Speaking with Will Maunder-Taylor on Unsung, Viktoria explains how AI agents can help buyers identify small business acquisition targets, understand potential sellers and personalise outreach at scale.

They also explore the practical side of building and using agents, from improving response rates to testing new acquisition channels. Viktoria shares what she has learned from using AI in her own work and why creativity, original thinking and human judgement still matter.

Highlights

• What AI rollups are and why the model is gaining attention

• How AI can transform labour-intensive industries

• Why finding companies to acquire is harder than it looks

• How agents can personalise M&A outreach

• What seller psychology reveals about acquisition timing

• Why the best outreach channels keep changing

• How to build useful agents without advanced technical skills

• Where human judgement still creates an advantage

For more on entrepreneurship through acquisition, small business ownership and Unsung events, subscribe to the Unsung newsletter.

Timestamps

• (00:00) AI rollups: the next internet boom?
• (02:30) What an AI rollup actually is
• (04:00) Why AI creates a new asset class
• (06:00) The AI rollups to watch
• (09:00) How AI agents find acquisition targets
• (12:00) Personalisation at scale and 10% conversion rates
• (14:00) Why outreach channels always become saturated
• (16:00) The future belongs to creative deal sourcing
• (17:30) Understanding seller psychology with AI
• (20:00) Building AI personas to improve outreach
• (21:00) How to build your first AI agents
• (24:00) AI agents that improve your own productivity
• (26:30) What AI taught Viktoria about her own work
• (27:30) Why original thinking still wins on LinkedIn
• (29:00) Two lessons for finding overlooked businesses

Many talented professionals never realise there are investors willing to back them to buy and run an established small business, even if they have never been a CEO or worked in that sector before.

In this episode of Unsung, host Will Maunder-Taylor speaks with Pascal Wittet and Sandy Farmer, Co-Founders of Orca Equity Partners, the UK’s first and most active fund of search funds. 

They explain how Orca backs first-time CEOs across Europe, what they look for in aspiring business owners and why stable, cash-generative and often “boring” companies can offer compelling acquisition opportunities and large returns.

They also explore what happens after a deal, from building the management team and introducing better systems to professionalising the business for its next stage of growth. Pascal shares the story of Water Direct, which grew from roughly £3 million to around £10 million in EBITDA and delivered a return of more than five times invested capital in under three years.

Highlights

• Why investors back first-time CEOs with no sector experience

• How the search fund model works

• What Orca looks for in aspiring business owners

• Why stable, cash-generative and “boring” businesses can be attractive

• How succession creates opportunities to acquire strong companies

• What new CEOs should prioritise after taking over

• Why empathy and humility matter when buying from a founder

• How Water Direct delivered a return of more than 5x

For more on entrepreneurship through acquisition, small business ownership and Unsung events, subscribe to the Unsung newsletter⁠.

Timestamps

• (01:15) Introducing Orca Equity Partners
• (02:34) How Sandy moved from private equity into search funds
• (06:15) Why backing first-time CEOs can work
• (09:43) Search fund returns and CEO incentives
• (13:20) What makes a strong acquisition target
• (17:31) How searchers find overlooked small businesses
• (20:42) Using technology and professionalising acquired companies
• (29:20) What Orca looks for in future CEOs
• (36:15) The Water Direct story
• (42:25) Adam Johnson’s first year as CEO
• (46:13) Building the right management team
• (52:00) Water Direct’s growth and liquidity event
• (58:05) What the story means for aspiring business owners
• (59:38) Leadership, humility and lessons from the military
• (1:07:00) Closing thoughts

Buying a small business is not only about finding a ‘good deal’’. It is also about structuring it in a way that one can finance (with or without your own funds), protects the business and gives the seller confidence in what happens next.

In the first episode of Season 2, Unsung host Will Maunder-Taylor speaks with Daniel Beaumont, a former chartered accountant who moved into his family’s textile business, experienced the emotional side of selling a company and then went on to acquire seven small businesses.

Daniel shares how he bought those businesses, how he paid for them and why deal structure matters for both sides. From commercial property and invoice finance to deferred payments and operating cash flow, he explains the practical mechanics behind buying small manufacturing businesses without relying on a traditional private equity model.

The conversation also explores why selling to a private buyer can work well for small business owners. For many sellers, the decision is not just about headline price. It is also about freedom, flexibility, continuity, protecting the team and knowing the business is being handed to someone who wants to keep building it.

Daniel and Will also discuss what Daniel changed after buying, how he added value through sales pipelines, websites, KPIs and cash flow management, what sellers should do before going to market and what first-time buyers need to understand before starting the process.

Key highlights

• How Daniel Beaumont bought seven small businesses
• Why the deal needs to work for both buyer and seller
• How he funded deals using property, invoice finance and deferred payments
• Why commercial property can make a deal easier to structure
• Why sellers often care about freedom, continuity and legacy
• ⁠Why selling to a private buyer can work well for small business owners
• Why cash flow matters more than headline EBITDA
• How Daniel added value after buying, from sales pipelines to KPIs
• What sellers should do before putting a business on the market
• ⁠What first-time buyers need to know before starting the process

For more on entrepreneurship through acquisition, small business ownership and Unsung events, subscribe to the Unsung newsletter.

Timestamps

• (01:20) Introduction to Daniel Beaumont
• (02:15) From accountant to family business owner
• (04:00) Selling the family business and becoming an employee
• (05:10) Why private buyers can work well for sellers
• (07:00) What sellers really want from a sale
• (09:00) Why Daniel chose manufacturing
• (11:00) Finding and improving the first business
• (16:00) How Daniel funded the first acquisition
• (19:00) Buying seven businesses since 2020
• (24:30) Why cash flow matters more than EBITDA
• (27:00) Using invoice finance and deferred payments
• (33:00) Brokers, valuations and seller expectations
• (37:00) The legal and emotional reality of selling
• (43:00) How sellers should prepare before going to market
• (47:00) What first-time buyers need to understand
• (49:00) The workplace lottery story

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Mohamed Noor moved to the UK in 2021 with no local network, no sales experience and no clear path into tech or business development.

A few years later, he had booked more than 600 meetings in UK manufacturing through relentless outbound sales and cold calling.

In this episode of Unsung, ⁠Will Maunder-Taylor⁠ speaks with Mohamed Noor, Business Development Manager at Sentry Doors, about breaking into sales through cold outreach and what it actually takes to succeed in outbound business development.

They discuss why cold calling still works, how Mohamed learned sales through free online bootcamps and YouTube, the psychology of rejection and why consistency matters more than confidence when building pipeline.

Topics covered

• Booking 600+ meetings through outbound sales
• Why cold calling still works in 2026
• Handling rejection and building confidence
• Learning sales without prior experience
• Why consistency matters more than talent in outbound

Timestamps

• (00:00) Moving from Kenya to the UK

• (04:18) Discovering sales through TikTok and bootcamps

• (10:42) Learning cold calling from scratch

• (18:30) Booking meetings in UK manufacturing

• (27:05) Handling rejection and building confidence

• (35:14) Why cold calling still works

• (44:20) Advice for breaking into sales and business development

For more on entrepreneurship through acquisition, small business ownership and Unsung events, subscribe to the Unsung newsletter.

AI isn’t just for big tech. Tom Laws and Richard Fraser-Smith are proof that small businesses can use AI to remove bottlenecks and build practical internal tools without technical teams.

In this episode of Unsung, Will Maunder-Taylor speaks with Tom, now Division Director (Fire Safety) at Cardo Group, and Richard, now Digital Transformation and Survey Director at Cardo Group.

Gunfire, a specialist provider of passive fire protection services, scaled into a £12 million revenue business before being acquired by Cardo Group earlier this year.

Tom led the growth of the business, while Richard drove digital transformation initiatives despite having no coding background. They discuss practical AI adoption inside a compliance-heavy construction business.

Key highlights

• Building internal AI tools without developers or engineering teams
• Reducing operational bottlenecks and fragmented email workflows
• Replacing expensive SaaS tools with lightweight internal systems
• Using AI to scale without proportionally increasing overhead
• Why small businesses may move faster than larger corporates adopting AI

Timestamps

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:20) Operational complexity inside compliance-heavy construction
• (05:10) Existing tech stack and identifying bottlenecks
• (08:00) First AI experiments and discovering practical use cases
• (11:10) Watching AI turn spreadsheets into usable applications
• (12:00) Building the handover generator and automating workflows
• (16:00) “Vibe coding” and building software without technical skills
• (29:00) The future of AI for SMEs and scaling without adding overhead

For more on entrepreneurship through acquisition, small business ownership and Unsung events, subscribe to the Unsung newsletter: https://unsungpaths.com/

What if the biggest opportunity in business isn’t startups or big corporations—but the millions of small businesses hiding in plain sight?

In this episode of Unsung, we sit down with venture capital leader Videesha Boeckle (altitude VC) to unpack why the SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) space is becoming one of the most exciting—and overlooked—markets in Europe.

We dive into:

• Why small businesses make up 99% of all companies—and where the real growth is coming from
• Why most investors ignored SMEs (and why that’s changing fast)
• How AI and new technology are finally making small businesses scalable
• The rise of “one-person unicorns” and leaner, more profitable companies
• Real-world use cases—from electricians to accounting and invoicing
• The tech small businesses should actually adopt (and what to avoid)
• Why revenue growth matters more than cost savings for SME owners
• What the future looks like for small business operators across Europe

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro & why SMEs are overlooked
• 02:00 – Videesha Boeckle’s background & journey into VC
• 09:00 – What Altitude VC does differently
• 12:00 – The SME opportunity (and why it was ignored)
• 16:00 – How AI & tech are changing small businesses
• 22:00 – New founder trends: solo operators & lean teams
• 26:00 – Case study: electricians, trades & vertical software
• 30:00 – Practical tools, automation & what SMEs should do now

Whether you’re running a business, thinking about buying one, or just want to understand where the future of work is heading—this episode is packed with practical insights and fresh perspective.

🎧 If you’ve ever felt overlooked as a small business owner… this one’s for you.

“I’d love to own a small business… but I don’t have the money or experience.”

That’s the assumption most people sit with — especially in corporate or professional careers — while quietly thinking, there must be another way.

There is.

Hosted by Will Maunder Taylor, this episode features Chris Hughes, a UK M&A solicitor working hands-on across a large number of small business deals each year, to unpack something most people never get visibility on:

What actually happens when you buy a business — step by step.

This isn’t theory or legal jargon. It’s a clear, practical walkthrough for people starting to question their path — but who don’t yet realise how accessible buying a business can be.

Chris breaks down the process in plain English:

• How deals actually start (and what to look for)

• When to bring in advisors (legal, accounting, finance) — and when not to

• What “Heads of Terms / Letter of Intent'' really mean

• What happens during due diligence and legal negotiations

• Your role as a buyer vs what your lawyer is actually doing

• How best to interact with the Seller during the process

Alongside that, you’ll hear what’s really happening in the market right now — with more small business owners stepping back, creating a growing opportunity for new buyers.

If buying a business has never crossed your mind — or always felt too complex — this episode will change that.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why buying a profitable business is more accessible than you think

03:00 – What kinds of businesses are actually available to buy

04:00 – Why more owners are selling (the global succession shift)

06:00 – Who is buying businesses today

08:00 – How people fund acquisitions without their own money

11:00 – When to bring in legal & finance advisors

12:30 – Heads of Terms/ Letter of Intent explained simply

15:00 – What happens during the deal process

19:00 – Top tips for first-time buyers

22:00 – Why deals fall apart

This is the practical sales playbook from Europe's best for small business owners looking to grow customers, sales leaders in any sector, founders and those interested in a sales career.

In the inaugural episode of Unsung, founder Will Maunder-Taylor sits down with Peppa Wise (Sales Leader at Multiverse) to unpack from small businesses to scale ups.

This isn’t a career story but a practical breakdown of how great operators are built.

A few practical wins that stand out:

• ⁠Who to hire & Why talent, not experience, is often the real differentiator
• How to hire specifically for drive, coachability, and “intangibles”
• How to get the most from sales people down to what meetings to have when
• What KPIs and targets should you track and what does 'good' look like...specifically
• Why sales remains one of the few true meritocracies

Peppa’s story — leading teams in her early 20s inside one of Europe’s best sales engines — shows what happens when companies back potential and build around it.

If you're looking to get more customers in your company, build a sales team, or get more out of one this is for you

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Unsung and guest
02:00 Peppa Wise's background & young talent success
05:00 Hiring: A-players, experience vs potential
10:00 Career growth & learning from top leaders
14:00 Building teams & hiring frameworks
25:30 High performance & sales fundamentals
32:00 Pipeline, cold calling & operating rhythm
43:30 Hiring advice & breaking into sales

Follow Unsung. Unsung explores entrepreneurship through acquisition — buying and growing small businesses instead of starting from scratch.

What if the path everyone follows isn’t the only one?

Most people think their options are to climb the corporate ladder or start a business from scratch. But there’s a third way.

In this trailer, Will Maunder-Taylor explores entrepreneurship through acquisition, buying and growing small businesses instead of starting from zero, in conversation with David Cruz e Silva, co-founder of EUVC.

If you’re questioning your career, or curious about owning a business, Unsung breaks down how it actually works, without jargon or theory. Just practical insights, real stories, and ideas you can use.