E204: Sam Turner's Journey from Corporate Finance to Building an Empire of Small Businesses

How2Exit: Buy, Don't Build - M&A of Small Businesses

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/alOKUhhuu1s

About the Guest(s): Sam Turner, from the UK, is an experienced professional with a 22-year career in the travel industry. With a strong finance background, Sam served as the Financial Director (FD) of a significantly large business owned by private equity, engaging in the integration of acquired competitors and managing the commercial function globally. After his corporate career, Sam transitioned to entrepreneurship, focusing on building a group of companies. He is currently the head of Advantos Group, where he specializes in buying and selling small businesses within the mechanical, electrical, and facilities management services sector.
Summary: Host Ronald Skelton welcomes Sam Turner of the Advantos Group to discuss the intricacies of acquiring and selling small businesses in the UK. Sam shares his transition from a career in the travel industry to creating a conglomerate of small businesses that serve a niche market in the B2B space.
Sam Turner's journey is compelling as he divulges the strategy behind choosing non-consumer-facing ventures within industries that display significant fragmentation and resilience to technological disruptions. Throughout the conversation, Sam emphasizes the philosophy of collaboration, avoiding business integration to preserve the uniqueness of each acquired company, and maintaining their operations and brand. This approach underscores the delicate balance between maximizing shareholder value and retaining the individual strengths of small businesses within the group.
Key Takeaways:

• Collaboration vs. Integration: Sam Turner advocates for the approach of collaboration among acquired businesses, rather than full integration, to reduce risk and maintain the independence and specialties of each company.
• Identifying Acquisitions: The Adventos Group seeks out small businesses with revenues between £4 million and £20 million, offering mechanical, electrical, and hard facilities management services with a minimum of 7% EBITDA margin.
• Employee Engagement: Sam highlights the importance of understanding the direct impact employees have on the business. He mentions plans to create a 'growth fund,' offering staff skill development opportunities.
• Profit Margins in Small vs. Large Enterprises: The conversation reveals an inverse relationship between the size of the business and profit margins within the industry, with smaller businesses often having better margins due to less competitive tendering.
• Building the Employer of Choice: The ultimate goal for Adventos Group is to be the employer of choice, creating an environment where talent retention and acquisition are driven by multiple factors that surpass just the wage component.

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Contact Sam on
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-turner-advantos/
Website: http://www.advantos.com/
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