Built by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs

Does it matter how your business advisors got to where they are? As Linzi Wilson explains, the journey taken by your trusted advisors can make a big difference when it comes to successfully starting, growing and exiting your business.

Who do you take business advice from?

As an entrepreneur, who you take advice from matters. Your business is your livelihood and the sum of your ambitions, so you want an advisor who takes your business as seriously as you do. You’re also looking for an advisor who has practical skills and relevant experience, who understands investment, business planning, scaling, cash flow, P&L and a lot more!  

In the world of accountants and business advisors, you won’t be short of candidates who meet that criteria. For the majority, their professional journey will have followed a similar path. After graduation, they join an established accountancy firm, gain professional qualifications, follow the promotion track and become a director/partner.

In practice, they have pretty much everything you need to help push your business forward and achieve your personal goals. There is one thing, however, that they might be missing…

Built by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs: why Consilium’s journey matters

Ask any entrepreneur, and they will tell you that when it’s your cash, house and livelihood that is at stake, decisions take on greater significance. That’s why the personal journey your business advisor has taken is so important.  

The Consilium partner team understand the theory and practice of building a business. But we’ve also lived it. From starting as just a handful of like-minded people, we’ve built Consilium into a business of over 60 team members advising hundreds of entrepreneurs across Scotland and the UK. Our journey as entrepreneurs means we can offer insights that many advisors can’t.

What can entrepreneurial accountants offer business owners?

As a team of entrepreneurial accountants, Consilium offers something fairly unique in three areas: attitude to risk, perspective, and empathy.

Like you, we’ve written business plans for our firm. We’ve sweated over cash flow. We’ve hired the right people and we’ve hired the wrong people. We understand the risk vs reward considerations that drive business owners and the desire to be their own boss. Pick any of the services we provide to clients – business planning, financial modelling, share schemes – and you can rest assured that we’ve done it for our own business as well as our clients.

I think this is why many of our clients consider us part of their team and not just an external source of advice. That shared experience creates a connection that undoubtedly fosters better understanding and the potential for better results.

A truly shared perspective

Secondly, we’re not just technically excellent; we’re commercially grounded in business growth. Throughout the business lifecycle, we can bring the theory and knowledge of working with our clients, plus our own experience of managing debt, scaling, securing funding and more.

Take exit planning as an example. Whether it’s one, two or more years away, we can work with you to get the business into the best shape to maximise your value and to ensure as smooth an exit process as possible. Our journey is not just theoretical; we’ve walked the same path, faced many of the same challenges, and ultimately delivered successful outcomes.

Empathy helps the best business advisors

As business owners, we empathise with the emotional and financial implications of starting, building and potentially selling a business. We can relate to the decisions, the doubts, and the dilemmas entrepreneurs face from start-up to exit.

We prioritise your interests and work diligently to ensure that your vision for the future is realised.  We understand the importance of maintaining a vision for the team and securing the future of a loyal and dedicated workforce.

Having successfully built, grown, and exited our own business, we understand the intricacies of the journey. We are a real-life case study of what it takes to navigate the complexities of start-up, scaling and business disposal, and we’re here to guide you at each stage.

Take a look at the range of Business Services provided by Consilium to entrepreneurs and business owners. Our Success Stories offer a look at just some of the businesses we’ve helped over the past decade.

Business advisors who can walk the walk

Looking for advisors who have been there and done it before? Speak to Linzi Wilson and learn how Consilium can help build your business.  

Follow Consilium Chartered Accountants on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and YouTube for updates and business insights.

Linzi Wilson has been a qualified Chartered Accountant since 2005 and a Corporate Finance specialist for over 20 years. As a Corporate Finance partner at Consilium Chartered Accountants, Linzi advises business owners and entrepreneurs on all matters relating to investment, grant funding, business planning, mergers and acquisitions, and exit planning.