I've been on both sides of the founder's desk.
About Laurie
I've spent more than 20 years building businesses, figuring out how they work, fixing what's broken and learning what happens when the business starts depending too heavily on the person who built it.
Today, I help founders build businesses that are more profitable, more valuable and less dependent on them.
I'm a Growth + Exit Strategist, and my work sits at the intersection of business strategy, finance, operations and the founder themselves. Because I've learned that you can't really separate those things.
I've been the founder.
My entrepreneurial journey started in my twenties when I built my first business. That eventually became a web development business, which I ran for 14 years.
When I moved from Australia to the UK, I made the decision to sell it. And that experience changed the way I think about business ownership.
I'd spent years building something that was successful. But when it came to stepping away, I saw first-hand that building a successful business and building a valuable, transferable business aren't necessarily the same thing.
That distinction has stayed with me ever since.
I've also been behind the numbers.
Over the years, I've worked across finance, operations, business analysis and strategy. I've held CFO and COO responsibilities and I'm a certified Agile Business Analyst.
I've worked with businesses on their numbers, processes, systems, teams and operations. So when I look at a business, I'm not just looking at the P&L. I'm asking:
- What's really driving the performance?
- What's creating value?
- Where is the risk?
- What would happen if the founder stepped away?
- And what would make this business more attractive to someone else?
And I've spent years working with founders.
I've spent the last eight years coaching and supporting business owners. And I've noticed something again and again.
The founder who is incredibly good at what they do often becomes the biggest constraint on their own growth. Not because they're doing anything wrong. Quite the opposite.
They're usually the person who knows the business best.
- They're the expert.
- They're the salesperson.
- They're the problem solver.
- They're the person clients trust.
- They're the person everyone asks.
And that's exactly how founder dependency develops. The business becomes successful because of the founder, but eventually struggles to grow beyond them. That's the problem I love helping founders solve.
This is why I do what I do.
I don't believe the answer is simply to tell founders to work less. And I don't believe every founder needs to sell their business. What I do believe is that your business should give you choices.
I'm on a mission to help every business owner extract as much value from their business as possible. Around 80% of businesses fail to sell. And of the 20% that do sell, less than 1% are owned by women.
The significance of an entrepreneur's greatest financial asset shouldn't be wrapped up and abandoned at the end. It should be built into a legacy that can live on and continue making an impact.
- You should be able to take a holiday without everything falling apart.
- Your team should be able to make decisions without waiting for you.
- Your revenue shouldn't depend entirely on your personal capacity.
- If you eventually decide to sell, step back, hand it on or keep owning it while working differently, the business should be capable of supporting that choice.
From founder to asset.
My work now brings together everything I've learned about business growth, finance, operations, people and ownership. That's the thinking behind Founder to Asset, and the philosophy behind Step Back to Scale.
Build value
Create a stronger, more profitable and more attractive business.
Build independence
Reduce the things that only the founder can do.
Create options
Build a business that can support whatever the next chapter looks like.
I don't believe in one-size-fits-all business advice.
Your business isn't a textbook case study. It's your business.
- Your market.
- Your team.
- Your numbers.
- Your ambitions.
- Your life.
So I won't arrive with a 47-step formula and tell you to implement everything at once. We'll work out what's actually going to make the biggest difference. Sometimes that's profitability. Sometimes it's your team. Sometimes it's your role. Sometimes it's systems. Sometimes it's the numbers. And sometimes the biggest thing that needs to change is the way you're thinking about your role as the owner. My job is to help you see the business differently, then help you do something about it.
A little more about me
I'm Australian, now happily settled in the North East of England. I'm an entrepreneur, business strategist, coach and, apparently, someone who can't stop starting projects.
I built and sold my web development business. I've spent years working with business owners. I write about business value, growth, founder dependency and exit planning.
I also wrote Step Back to Scale, because I wanted founders to have a practical resource they could pick up when they realised: "I can't keep doing everything myself."
And outside of business, you'll usually find me with my family, working on one of my many ideas, or covered in oil paint. Because apparently one business wasn't enough.
So, why work with me?
I've been the founder
I've been the founder carrying the business, and I've experienced the uncomfortable realisation that what makes you successful as a founder isn't always what makes the business valuable without you.
I've been behind the numbers
I've dealt with the numbers, worked inside the operations, and built teams and systems.
I've coached founders
I've spent years coaching business owners through growth, dependency and the decisions that follow.
I've sold a business
I understand both sides of the equation. And that's what I bring to the table.
What clients say
“Laurie helped me nail down processes and operations. As someone who is not naturally good at that stuff, I didn't know where to start. It was so good to get it all out of my head and see it on the page in black and white so that I could be more strategic about everything and optimise things (in all areas!) The other thing that I bloody LOVE is the dashboard you set up for me. I knew I should've been tracking monthly metrics, but I never did. Now I have a lovely crystal clear monthly snapshot of my entire business so I can see where I'm growing and how everything is doing at a glance.”
Katie Chappell
Illustrated Live + The Good Ship Illustration
Ready to build a business that gives you choices?
Whether you're trying to step out of the weeds, work out what your business is worth, or start deliberately building towards a future exit, we can start with a conversation. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to know you want something different.