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Owner managed businesses

As an owner managed business, we are able to anticipate and understand the full range of issues faced by business owners and offer comprehensive solutions.

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Owner managed businesses are a key part of the UK economy and a highly valued component of our own client base.

We are an OMB ourselves and understand the issues that business owners face. We recognise the particular needs of the Owner Managed Business sector for pragmatic advice that respects the separate but often linked needs of individual business owners and those of their businesses.

Our clients range from tech startups to high growth entrepreneur-driven companies and mature family businesses that have been through generational ownership change.

We believe that all clients deserve a service that is technically excellent, commercial, pragmatic and delivered in jargon-free style.

Our commercial and private client lawyers work as one team to provide a service that brings our specialisms together to offer advice and solutions that fully address your concerns. As a full-service law firm, we are able to anticipate and understand the full range of issues faced by business owners and offer comprehensive solutions.

We advise business owners and those funders and professionals that support them on:

  • Startups (funding, shareholders' agreements, service agreement, mentoring owners)
  • Attracting and retaining staff (HR advice, share schemes and bonus arrangements)
  • Managing supply chains (conditions of sale, long-term supply contracts, procurement advice, agency and distribution arrangements, joint ventures and export sales)
  • Equity investments and funding (from venture capital houses, banks, grant agencies) and getting a business ready for investment
  • Regulatory compliance (health and safety, environmental, data protection etc.)
  • Tax efficient group structures and personal ownership models
  • Wealth management and will and estate planning
  • Business and share purchases
  • Business succession planning
    • Sales to co-owners and advice regarding cross option life insurance arrangements.
    • In single family companies, will the family be willing and able to take the business on?
    • Drafting Family Charters and creating Family Investment Company structures.
    • Management buyouts where family succession is not an option
    • Trade sale and exits to VC
  • Disputes and litigation (commercial disputes, cyber, debt recovery, defamation and reputation management)

Whilst we are a national firm, we have strong commercial and private client teams in all our locations able to bring their local knowledge and relationships to bear in support of your business needs and aspirations.

We support business owners not just through the way in which we deliver our services but also:

  • By our commercially sensitive approach to pricing, particularly for startups and early-stage growth companies
  • In the packaging of fixed-price services such as our HR Rely service and our debt recovery service
  • Through the management support, such as personal mentoring to individual owners and collective boardroom training on core regulatory and risk and compliance issues
  • In the relationships we help to foster on behalf of our clients with potential customers, suppliers, advisors and funders.

Thinking of becoming a B Corp?

Becoming a certified B Corporation can be good for your business, your employees and stakeholders and the world and environment around you. Read our detailed guide to achieving B Corporation status.

Learn how to set up a B Corp

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